The 285,771 acre Great Bear Wilderness is located in northern Montana just south of Glacier National Park and northwest of the Bob Marshall Wilderness in the Flathead National Forest. The Great Bear is on the west side of the Continental Divide with elevations from 4,000 feet along the Middle Fork of the Flathead River to 8,705 feet at the top of Great Northern Mountain. The headwaters of the Middle Fork of the Flathead River lie within the Wilderness boundaries.

Access to the Great Bear is by trails originating from forest roads located in the major drainages to the north and west. Major roads adjacent to the Great Bear include U.S. Highway 2 to the north and Montana Highway 83 to the west.

The Wilderness contains more than 300 miles of trails. Topography ranges from ridgetops, to gentle sloping alpine meadows and forested river bottoms. Wildlife includes wolverine, deer, elk, moose, grizzly bear, black bear, mountain goat, and mountain sheep. In season, the Flathead River and its tributaries provide fishing for cutthroat trout, dolly varden, whitefish, and kokanee salmon. The upper Middle Fork of the Flathead river within the wilderness has been designated wild under the National Wild and Scenic River System.