Great Bear Wilderness is a protected area in northern Montana within Flathead National Forest, established by Congress in 1978. Covering 286,700 acres beside the Bob Marshall Wilderness and south of Glacier National Park, it spans rugged country along the Rocky Mountain Front on the west side of the Continental Divide. Water and wildlife define the landscape: the Middle Fork of the Flathead River begins here, and more than 500 miles of named streams and rivers cross dense conifer forests. Known as important bear country, it supports especially high grizzly densities, along with black bears, lynx, wolverine, elk, moose, mountain goats, and bighorn sheep.