WThe Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) is one of the last remaining large, nearly intact ecosystems in the northern temperate zone of the Earth. It is located within the northern Rocky Mountains, in areas of northwestern Wyoming, southwestern Montana, and eastern Idaho, and is about 22 million acres. Yellowstone National Park and the Yellowstone Caldera 'hotspot' are within it.
WThe Absaroka Range is a sub-range of the Rocky Mountains in the United States. The range stretches about 150 mi (240 km) across the Montana-Wyoming border, and 75 miles at its widest, forming the eastern boundary of Yellowstone National Park along Paradise Valley, and the western side of the Bighorn Basin. The range borders the Beartooth Mountains to the north and the Wind River Range to the south. The northern edge of the range rests along I-90 and Livingston, Montana. The highest peak in the range is Francs Peak, located in Wyoming at 13,153 ft (4,009 m). There are 46 other peaks over 12,000 ft (3,700 m).
WAbsaroka–Beartooth Wilderness was created from existing National Forest lands in 1978 and is located in Montana and Wyoming, United States. The wilderness is partly in Gallatin, Custer and Shoshone National Forests and is composed of 944,000 acres (3,820 km2). The wilderness encompasses two distinct mountain ranges, namely the Beartooth and Absaroka ranges. These ranges are completely distinct geologically speaking with the Absarokas composed primarily of volcanic and metamorphic rock, while the Beartooths are made up almost entirely of granitic rocks. The Absarokas are noted for their dark and craggy appearance, lush and heavily forested valleys and abundant wildlife. The highest peak in the range, located in Wyoming, is Francs Peak at 13,153 feet (4,009 m). The Beartooths are more alpine with huge treeless plateaus and the highest peak in the state of Montana. The wilderness contains 30 peaks over 12,000 feet (3,700 m). The wilderness is an integral part of the 20-million-acre (81,000 km2) Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and borders Yellowstone National Park.
WThe Beartooth Mountains are located in south central Montana and northwest Wyoming, U.S. and are part of the 944,000 acres (382,000 ha) Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, within Custer, Gallatin and Shoshone National Forests. The Beartooths are the location of Granite Peak, which at 12,807 feet (3,904 m) is the highest point in the state of Montana. The mountains are just northeast of Yellowstone National Park and are part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The mountains are traversed by road via the Beartooth Highway with the highest elevation at Beartooth Pass 10,947 ft (3,337 m)). The name of the mountain range is attributed to a rugged peak found in the range, Beartooth Peak, that has the appearance of a bear's tooth.
WMount Bonneville is located in the Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The summit is located in the Bridger Wilderness of Bridger-Teton National Forest, immediately west of the Continental Divide. Mount Bonneville is a distinctively iconic peak of the Wind River Range, and was named after explorer Benjamin Bonneville.
WThe Bridger Wilderness is located in Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming, United States. Originally established in 1931 as a primitive area, 428,169-acre (1,732.74 km2) region was redesignated as a wilderness in 1964 and expanded to the current size in 1984. The wilderness lies on the west side of the Continental Divide in the Wind River Range and contains Gannett Peak; at 13,809 feet (4,209 m) it is the tallest mountain in Wyoming. The wilderness is a part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
WBridger–Teton National Forest is located in western Wyoming, United States. The forest consists of 3.4 million acres (14,000 km2), making it the third largest National Forest outside Alaska. The forest stretches from Yellowstone National Park, along the eastern boundary of Grand Teton National Park and from there rides along the western slope of the Continental Divide to the southern end of the Wind River Range. The forest also extends southward encompassing the Salt River Range and Wyoming Range mountains near the Idaho border.
WMount Chauvenet is a mountain located in the southern Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming. Mount Chauvenet is 1.5 mi (2.4 km) northeast of Cathedral Peak in the Popo Agie Wilderness of Shoshone National Forest. Mount Chauvenet was one of the earliest peaks climbed by white explorers to the Wind River Range.
WCuster National Forest is located primarily in the south central part of the U.S. state of Montana but also has separate sections in northwestern South Dakota. With a total area of 1,188,130 acres (4,808 km2), the forest comprises over 10 separate sections. While in the westernmost sections, Custer National Forest is a part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the easternmost sections are a combination of forest "islands" and grasslands. A portion of the forest is also part of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness and constitutes over a third of the wilderness land. South of Red Lodge, Montana, the Beartooth Highway passes through the forest en route to Yellowstone National Park.
WDoublet Peak is the sixth-highest peak in the U.S. state of Wyoming and the fifth-highest in the Wind River Range. The summit is immediately south of Dinwoody Glacier and just west of Mount Warren.
WThe Fitzpatrick Wilderness is located in Shoshone National Forest in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The wilderness was originally known as the Glacier Primitive Area, but was redesignated a wilderness in 1976.
WFounded in 1899, Gallatin National Forest is located in south central Montana, United States. The forest comprises 1,819,515 acres (7,363.32 km2) and has portions of both the Absaroka-Beartooth and Lee Metcalf Wilderness areas within its boundaries. Gallatin National Forest borders Yellowstone National Park on the north and northwest and is part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, a region which encompasses almost 20,000,000 acres (81,000 km2). The forest is named after Albert Gallatin (1761–1849), U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and scholar of Native American languages and cultures.
WThe Gallatin Range is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains, located in the U.S. states of Montana and Wyoming. It includes more than 10 mountains over 10,000 feet (3,000 m). The highest peak in the range is Electric Peak at 10,969 feet (3,343 m).
WGrand Teton National Park is an American national park in northwestern Wyoming. At approximately 310,000 acres, the park includes the major peaks of the 40-mile-long (64 km) Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole. Grand Teton National Park is only 10 miles (16 km) south of Yellowstone National Park, to which it is connected by the National Park Service-managed John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway. Along with surrounding national forests, these three protected areas constitute the almost 18,000,000-acre (7,300,000 ha) Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, one of the world's largest intact mid-latitude temperate ecosystems.
WThe Gros Ventre Wilderness is located in Bridger-Teton National Forest in the U.S. state of Wyoming. Most of the Gros Ventre Range is located within the wilderness.
WMount Helen is located in the Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The peak is the fourth highest peak in the range and the fifth tallest in Wyoming. The summit is located in the Bridger Wilderness of Bridger-Teton National Forest, immediately west of the Continental Divide. The eastern flanks of the mountain are covered in snowfields and glaciers, including Helen and Sacagawea Glaciers, all of which are in the Fitzpatrick Wilderness of Shoshone National Forest.
WJackson Peak 13,523 feet (4,122 m) is the eighth-highest peak in the U.S. state of Wyoming and the seventh-highest in the Wind River Range. The Bull Lake Glacier is located immediately north and east of the mountain. Situated on the Continental Divide, Jackson Peak is .75 miles (1.21 km) southeast of Fremont Peak.
WThe Jedediah Smith Wilderness is located in the U.S. state of Wyoming. Designated wilderness by Congress in 1984, Jedediah Smith Wilderness is within Caribou-Targhee National Forest and borders Grand Teton National Park. Spanning along the western slopes of the Teton Range, the wilderness ensures a high level of protection to this delicate ecosystem. Jedediah Smith Wilderness is an integral part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
WJohn D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway is a scenic road that connects Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park in the U.S. state of Wyoming. It is federally owned and managed by the National Park Service. It is named in remembrance of John D. Rockefeller Jr., a conservationist and philanthropist who was instrumental in the creation and enlargement of numerous national parks including Grand Teton, Virgin Islands, Acadia and the Great Smoky Mountains.
WKnife Point Mountain is located in the northern Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming. Situated 2.7 mi (4.3 km) southeast of Fremont Peak, Knife Point Mountain is on the Continental Divide. North of Knife Point Mountain is the origination point of Knife Point Glacier, while Harrower Glacier lies just to the west. Knife Point Mountain is the 32nd tallest peak in Wyoming.
WThe Lee Metcalf Wilderness is located in the Northern Rocky Mountains of the U.S. state of Montana. Created by an act of Congress in 1983, this rugged alpine wilderness is in four separated parcels typified by complex mountain topography: Bear Trap Canyon unit, Spanish Peaks unit, Taylor-Hilgard unit, and Monument Mountains unit. The Bear Trap Canyon unit was the first designated wilderness area to be managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and comprises a region of canyonlands adjacent to the Madison River. The other three sections of the wilderness are jointly managed by Beaverhead-Deerlodge and Gallatin National Forests both of which are a part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The wilderness was named after the late Montana congressman Lee Metcalf.
WLizard Head Peak is in the southern Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming. Situated in Shoshone National Forest, Lizard Head Peak is the northeasternmost peak in the Cirque of the Towers, a popular climbing area. Lizard Head Glacier is just WWN of the peak.
WThe Madison Range is a mountain range located in the Rocky Mountains of Montana and Idaho in the United States. The range was named in honor of future President of the United States, then U.S. Secretary of State James Madison by Meriwether Lewis as the Lewis and Clark Expedition travelled through Montana in 1805. The range extends 80 miles (130 km) from West Yellowstone, Montana to Bozeman, Montana and is flanked by the Madison River on the west and the Gallatin River to the east. The highest point in the range is Hilgard Peak at 11,316 ft (3,449 m), a remote peak that wasn't climbed until 1948.
WMitchell Peak is located in the southern Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming. Mitchell Peak is on the southern side of the Cirque of the Towers, a popular climbing area. Mitchell Peak sits along the Continental Divide, less than 1 mi (1.6 km) northwest of Dog Tooth Peak. The peak was named after Finis Mitchell a respected forester and mountain climber of the Wind River Range. In recognition of his many accomplishments, the U.S. Congress named the peak after Mitchell while he was still living.
WMount Febbas is located in the Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming. Mount Febbas is at the western end of the high-altitude plateau known as Horse Ridge, which extends for more than 10 mi (16 km) to the northeast at elevations greater than 10,000 ft (3,000 m).
WMount Warren is located in the Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The peak is the third peak in the range and the fourth tallest in Wyoming. The summit is located in the Fitzpatrick Wilderness of Shoshone National Forest and rises above several glaciers, the best known being Dinwoody Glacier which is immediately north of the summit tower. The mountain abuts, but is not within, either Bridger National Forest or Sublette County, Wyoming.
WThe National Elk Refuge is a Wildlife Refuge located in Jackson Hole in the U.S. state of Wyoming. It was created in 1912 to protect habitat and provide sanctuary for one of the largest elk herds on Earth. With a total of 24,700 acres, the refuge borders the town of Jackson, Wyoming on the southwest, Bridger-Teton National Forest on the east and Grand Teton National Park on the north. It is home to an average of 7,500 elk each winter. The refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
WThe North Absaroka Wilderness is located in Shoshone National Forest in the U.S. state of Wyoming. It lies adjacent to the eastern border of Yellowstone National Park.
WPopo Agie Wilderness is located within Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming, United States. The wilderness consists of 101,870 acres on the east side of the continental divide in the Wind River Range. Originally set aside as a primitive area in 1932, in 1984 the Wyoming Wilderness Act was passed securing a more permanent protection status for the wilderness. The wilderness is a part of the 20,000,000 acres Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
WRaid Peak is located in the Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The mountain is in the Bridger Wilderness of Bridger-Teton National Forest, 1.25 mi (2.01 km) west of the Continental Divide and .85 mi (1.37 km) south of Mount Bonneville. The east face of Raid Peak has one of the most spectacular cliff faces in the Wind River Range, rising almost 2,000 ft (610 m) above an unnamed lake with 1,700 ft (520 m) of that being a nearly sheer wall which is rated at class 5.8 and Grade IV-V. Most ascents up this face take at least a day if not two days.
WRampart Peak is located in the northern Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming. Situated .31 mi (0.50 km) south of Bastion Peak, Rampart Peak is within the Bridger Wilderness of Bridger-Teton National Forest and immediately west of the Continental Divide. Though one of the highest peaks in the Wind River Range, Rampart Peak is not ranked since it has less than 300 ft (91 m) of clean topographic prominence.
WRed Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge is a remote refuge located in the high altitude of the Centennial Valley, in the southwestern region of the U.S. state of Montana. Adjacent to Gallatin National Forest and near Yellowstone National Park, the refuge is an integral part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Red Rock Lakes is best known for being the primary location for the efforts saving the trumpeter swan from extinction, which by 1932 had fewer than 200 known specimens in the United States and Canada. By the year 2002, an estimated 3,000 trumpeters were wintering on the refuge, many having migrated south from their summer range in Canada. The trumpeters are now so plentiful that efforts are being undertaken to help them reestablish historical migratory routes to areas further south in the Rocky Mountains and the Great Basin region. The elegant trumpeter swan is North America's largest waterfowl, with a wingspans of 8 feet and they can weigh up to 30 pounds (13 kg).
WMount Sacagawea is the eighth-highest peak in the U.S. state of Wyoming and the seventh-highest in the Wind River Range. It was named after Sacagawea, the young Lemhi Shoshone woman who accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition as an interpreter and guide. The Upper Fremont Glacier is located southeast and the Sacagawea Glacier is northeast of the mountain. Straddling the Continental Divide, Mount Sacagawea is one mile (1.6 km) northwest of Fremont Peak.
WShoshone National Forest is the first federally protected National Forest in the United States and covers nearly 2,500,000 acres (1,000,000 ha) in the state of Wyoming. Originally a part of the Yellowstone Timberland Reserve, the forest is managed by the United States Forest Service and was created by an act of Congress and signed into law by U.S. President Benjamin Harrison in 1891. Shoshone National Forest is one of the first nationally protected land areas anywhere. Native Americans have lived in the region for at least 10,000 years, and when the region was first explored by European adventurers, forestlands were occupied by several different tribes. Never heavily settled or exploited, the forest has retained most of its wildness. Shoshone National Forest is a part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, a nearly unbroken expanse of federally protected lands encompassing an estimated 20,000,000 acres (8,100,000 ha).
WThe Teton Range is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in North America. It extends for approximately 40 miles (64 km) in a north–south direction through the U.S. state of Wyoming, east of the Idaho state line. It is south of Yellowstone National Park and most of the east side of the range is within Grand Teton National Park.
WTeton Wilderness is located in Wyoming, United States. Created in 1964, the Teton Wilderness is located within Bridger-Teton National Forest and consists of 585,238 acres (2,370 km2). The wilderness is bordered on the north by Yellowstone National Park and to the west by Grand Teton National Park and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway. The Washakie Wilderness is to the east and the remainder of Bridger-Teton National Forest is to the south. The Teton Wilderness is a part of the 20 million acre (81,000 km2) Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Among many other features, Teton Wilderness is notable for having the most remote location of any place in the contiguous 48 states of the US. This location occurs very close to Bridger Lake, near the confluence of the Thorofare and Yellowstone Rivers, not far from the USFS Hawk's Rest Ranger Station.
WThree Waters Mountain is located in the northern Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming. Three Waters Mountain straddles the Continental Divide and is in both Bridger-Teton and Shoshone National Forests. The mountain receives its name from being the triple point between the watersheds of the Colorado, Columbia, and Mississippi Rivers.
WTurret Peak is the sixth-highest peak in the U.S. state of Wyoming and the fifth-highest in the Wind River Range. The Dinwoody Glacier is located on the northwest slope of the mountain, while the Helen Glacier is to the south. Turret Peak is estimated to be between 13,606 to 13,646 feet high.
WThe Washakie Wilderness is located in Shoshone National Forest in the U.S. state of Wyoming.
WWatch Tower is a mountain located in the southern Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming. Watch Tower is on the west side of the Cirque of the Towers, a popular climbing area and is just southeast of Block Tower. Watch Tower is immediately east of the Continental Divide.
WThe Wind River Range, is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in western Wyoming in the United States. The range runs roughly NW–SE for approximately 100 mi (160 km). The Continental Divide follows the crest of the range and includes Gannett Peak, which at 13,802 ft (4,207 m), is the highest peak in Wyoming; and also Fremont Peak at 13,750 ft (4,191 m), the third highest peak in Wyoming. There are more than 40 other named peaks in excess of 12,999 ft (3,962 m). With the exception of the Grand Teton in the Teton Range, the next 19 highest peaks in Wyoming after Gannett are also in the Winds.
WThe Winegar Hole Wilderness is located in the U.S. state of Wyoming. Designated wilderness by Congress in 1984, the wilderness is within Caribou-Targhee National Forest and borders Yellowstone National Park. The wilderness was created to further protect what is considered to be prime grizzly bear habitat. The wilderness is an integral part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
WThe Yellowstone fires of 1988 collectively formed the largest wildfire in the recorded history of Yellowstone National Park in the United States. Starting as many smaller individual fires, the flames quickly spread out of control due to drought conditions and increasing winds, combining into one large conflagration which burned for several months. The fires almost destroyed two major visitor destinations and, on September 8, 1988, the entire park closed to all non-emergency personnel for the first time in its history. Only the arrival of cool and moist weather in the late autumn brought the fires to an end. A total of 793,880 acres (3,213 km2), or 36 percent of the park, was affected by the wildfires.
WYellowstone National Forest was first established by the General Land Office on March 30, 1891 as the Yellowstone Park Timber Land Reserve of 1,239,040 acres (5,014.2 km2). On May 22, 1902 it became the Yellowstone Forest Reserve with lands of 6,580,920 acres (26,632.0 km2).
WYellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872. Yellowstone was the first national park in the U.S. and is also widely held to be the first national park in the world. The park is known for its wildlife and its many geothermal features, especially Old Faithful geyser, one of its most popular. While it represents many types of biomes, the subalpine forest is the most abundant. It is part of the South Central Rockies forests ecoregion.