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McCart Fire Lookout Tower, Bitterroot National Forest, Mont.
The Bitterroot is the largest road-free area in the Lower 48, and where there are no roads…well, you can figure that one out. The decommissioned 1939 fire tower is perched on stilts at the end of a lightly traveled, mile-and-change trail. Wraparound windows frame views of three mountain ranges-the Bitterroot, Sapphire and Anacondas-and there’s access to the Johnson Peak summit trail, a near-deserted five-mile hike into white birch forest topping out at, yes, another inspiring (and crowd-free) view of the ranges. $25 a night; 406-821-3201