The Cabinet Mountains Wilderness occupies the higher reaches of the northern Cabinet Range southwest of Libby. A narrow line of snowcapped peaks, glacial lakes, valleys cut by icy streams, and cascading waterfalls runs north to south for 40 serpentine, up-an-down miles. Two major north-south ridges divide the north Cabinets, sending Lake Creek north to the Kootenai River while spilling the Bull River south to the Clark Fork. A dramatic vertical mile separates lush stream bottoms from the rocky crest of centrally located Snowshoe Peak-the apex of the range at 8,738 feet. These pointed pinnacles challenge technical climbers in a primeval setting. Contiguous wildlands larger than the designated Wilderness core encircle the Wilderness on all sides. The east face runs the length of the range in a row of rugged canyons, from which the Cabinets get their name.

Some 90 percent of the Cabinet Wilderness visitors travel on foot, with the remainder riding horses or hiking with pack stock. The area's mostly short, steep trails combined with a lack of forage explain the low level of horseback riders in the Cabinets. Two-thirds pack into the high lakes to fish. Most of the 85 lakes in the wilderness contain fish and, as such, are the focal points of use.