Beaverhead Mountains
Encyclopedia
The Beaverhead Mountains, highest point Scott Peak, el. 11393 feet (3,472.6 m), are a mountain range
straddling the Continental Divide
in Montana
and Idaho
. (See also the GNIS link here.) They are a sub-range of the Bitterroot Range
, and divide Beaverhead County, Montana
from Lemhi County, Idaho
and Clark County, Idaho
.
The Beaverheads encompass an area of 4,532 square miles (11,738 km²). They lie to the east of the Bitterroot Mountains
, to the south-west of the Big Hole Basin and the Pioneer Mountains
and to the west of the Centennial Mountains
. Passes in the mountains include Lemhi Pass
, Bannock Pass
, Big Hole Pass
, Big Hole Pass II, Junction Pass and Monida Pass
. The Beaverheads are further subdivided into the West Big Hole Mountains, the Big Hole Divide, the Tendoy Mountains
, the Italian Peaks, and the Garfield Peaks.
The mountains take their name from Beaverhead Rock
, to the north of the mountains. Major summits in the Beaverheads include Garfield Mountain (10,961 ft) and Eighteenmile Peak (11,141 ft).
The Beaverheads contain two large roadless areas, one predominantly in Montana and the other predominantly in Idaho. The West Big Hole roadless area is mostly in Montana and is about 215,000 acres in size. It includes parts of the Beaverhead National Forest in Montana and the Salmon National Forest in Idaho, and ranges in elevation from 4,500 feet on the Salmon River
in Idaho to 10,620 feet at Homer Youngs Peak in Montana. Rugged peaks, semiarid foothills on the Idaho side, and extensive conifer forests on the Montana side provide habitat for a large elk
herd that winters in Idaho and summers in Montana. The Montana side drains into the Big Hole River
, a blue-ribbon trout stream. Marshy glacial valleys on the Montana portion constitute some of the best moose
habitat in the state. Other wildlife includes black bear, mountain goat
, bighorn sheep
, lynx
, marten
, and deer.
The other large roadless area is mainly in Idaho and is centered on the Italian Peaks portion of the range. This area is about 360,000 acres in size and contains portions of the Beaverhead, Salmon, and Targhee National Forests. Scott Peak, el. 11,393 feet, the highest point in the Beaverheads, is in this roadless area. This area is predominantly semiarid sagebrush
grassland with pockets of coniferous forest, large areas of quaking aspen, and alpine peaks. Wildlife includes pronghorn antelope, black bear, golden eagle
, elk
, and mule deer
.
These two roadless areas, along with the Centennial Mountains
to the east and other roadless areas along the Continental Divide
to the west, are important biological connectors allowing wildlife to migrate and disperse between two large wildland complexes: The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
and Central Idaho Wilderness Ecosystem.
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
straddling the Continental Divide
Continental Divide
The Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Gulf of Division or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those river systems that drain...
in Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
and Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
. (See also the GNIS link here.) They are a sub-range of the Bitterroot Range
Bitterroot Range
The Bitterroot Range runs along the border of Montana and Idaho in the northwestern United States. The range spans an area of 62,736 square kilometers and is named after the bitterroot , a small pink flower that is the state flower of Montana.- History :In 1805, the Corps of Discovery,...
, and divide Beaverhead County, Montana
Beaverhead County, Montana
-National protected areas:* Beaverhead National Forest * Big Hole National Battlefield* Nez Perce National Historical Park * Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge-History:...
from Lemhi County, Idaho
Lemhi County, Idaho
Lemhi County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. The county was established in 1869, named after Fort Lemhi , a remote Mormon missionary settlement from 1855-58 in Bannock and Shoshone territory. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 7,806...
and Clark County, Idaho
Clark County, Idaho
Clark County is a rural county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 1,022 . The county seat and largest city is Dubois...
.
The Beaverheads encompass an area of 4,532 square miles (11,738 km²). They lie to the east of the Bitterroot Mountains
Bitterroot Mountains
The Northern and Central Bitterroot Range, collectively the Bitterroot Mountains, is the largest portion of the Bitterroot Range, part of the Rocky Mountains, located in the panhandle of Idaho and westernmost Montana in the Western United States...
, to the south-west of the Big Hole Basin and the Pioneer Mountains
Pioneer Mountains (Montana)
The Pioneer Mountains cover in Beaverhead County in southwestern Montana, USA.The highest peaks in this range include:# Tweedy Mountain # Torrey Mountain # Baldy Mountain # Mount Fleecer # Odell Mountain...
and to the west of the Centennial Mountains
Centennial Mountains
The Centennial Mountains are the southernmost sub-range of the Bitterroot Range in the U.S. states of Idaho and Montana. The Centennial Mountains include the Western and Eastern Centennial Mountains...
. Passes in the mountains include Lemhi Pass
Lemhi Pass
Lemhi Pass is a high mountain pass in the Beaverhead Mountains, part of the Bitterroot Range in the Rocky Mountains The pass lies on the Montana-Idaho border on the continental divide, at an elevation of 7373 feet above sea level.-History:...
, Bannock Pass
Bannock Pass
Bannock Pass is a high mountain pass in the Beaverhead Mountains, part of the Bitterroot Range in the Rocky Mountains The pass lies on the Montana-Idaho border on the continental divide, at an elevation of 7684 feet above sea level....
, Big Hole Pass
Big Hole Pass
Big Hole Pass is a high mountain pass on Montana State Route 278.-References:*...
, Big Hole Pass II, Junction Pass and Monida Pass
Monida Pass
Monida Pass is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of the northwestern United States, at an elevation of 6870 feet above sea level on Interstate 15....
. The Beaverheads are further subdivided into the West Big Hole Mountains, the Big Hole Divide, the Tendoy Mountains
Tendoy Mountains
The Tendoy Mountains, el. , is a small mountain range northwest of Lima, Montana in Beaverhead County, Montana. The mountains are a subrange of the Beaverhead Mountains, part of the Bitterroot Range....
, the Italian Peaks, and the Garfield Peaks.
The mountains take their name from Beaverhead Rock
Beaverhead Rock
Beaverhead Rock is a rock feature identified by Sacagawea during the Lewis and Clark Expedition as a landmark not distant from the summer retreat of her nation...
, to the north of the mountains. Major summits in the Beaverheads include Garfield Mountain (10,961 ft) and Eighteenmile Peak (11,141 ft).
The Beaverheads contain two large roadless areas, one predominantly in Montana and the other predominantly in Idaho. The West Big Hole roadless area is mostly in Montana and is about 215,000 acres in size. It includes parts of the Beaverhead National Forest in Montana and the Salmon National Forest in Idaho, and ranges in elevation from 4,500 feet on the Salmon River
Salmon River
-United States:There are as many as 17 Salmon Rivers in the United States, the largest of which is:*Salmon River , known as the River of No ReturnOthers include:*Salmon River , Hyder, Alaska*Salmon River...
in Idaho to 10,620 feet at Homer Youngs Peak in Montana. Rugged peaks, semiarid foothills on the Idaho side, and extensive conifer forests on the Montana side provide habitat for a large elk
Elk
The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...
herd that winters in Idaho and summers in Montana. The Montana side drains into the Big Hole River
Big Hole River
The Big Hole River is a tributary of the Jefferson River, approximately 153 miles long, in southwestern Montana in the United States. It rises in Skinner lake in the Beaverhead National Forest in the Beaverhead Mountains of the Bitterroot Range at the continental divide along the...
, a blue-ribbon trout stream. Marshy glacial valleys on the Montana portion constitute some of the best moose
Moose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
habitat in the state. Other wildlife includes black bear, mountain goat
Mountain goat
The Mountain Goat , also known as the Rocky Mountain Goat, is a large-hoofed mammal found only in North America. Despite its vernacular name, it is not a member of Capra, the genus of true goats...
, bighorn sheep
Bighorn Sheep
The bighorn sheep is a species of sheep in North America named for its large horns. These horns can weigh up to , while the sheep themselves weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates that there are three distinct subspecies of Ovis canadensis, one of which is endangered: Ovis canadensis sierrae...
, lynx
Lynx
A lynx is any of the four Lynx genus species of medium-sized wildcats. The name "lynx" originated in Middle English via Latin from Greek word "λύγξ", derived from the Indo-European root "*leuk-", meaning "light, brightness", in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes...
, marten
Marten
The martens constitute the genus Martes within the subfamily Mustelinae, in family Mustelidae.-Description:Martens are slender, agile animals, adapted to living in taigas, and are found in coniferous and northern deciduous forests across the northern hemisphere. They have bushy tails, and large...
, and deer.
The other large roadless area is mainly in Idaho and is centered on the Italian Peaks portion of the range. This area is about 360,000 acres in size and contains portions of the Beaverhead, Salmon, and Targhee National Forests. Scott Peak, el. 11,393 feet, the highest point in the Beaverheads, is in this roadless area. This area is predominantly semiarid sagebrush
Sagebrush
Sagebrush is a common name of a number of shrubby plant species in the genus Artemisia native to western North America;Or, the sagebrush steppe ecoregion, having one or more kinds of sagebrush, bunchgrasses and others;...
grassland with pockets of coniferous forest, large areas of quaking aspen, and alpine peaks. Wildlife includes pronghorn antelope, black bear, golden eagle
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
, elk
Elk
The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...
, and mule deer
Mule Deer
The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer...
.
These two roadless areas, along with the Centennial Mountains
Centennial Mountains
The Centennial Mountains are the southernmost sub-range of the Bitterroot Range in the U.S. states of Idaho and Montana. The Centennial Mountains include the Western and Eastern Centennial Mountains...
to the east and other roadless areas along the Continental Divide
Continental Divide
The Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Gulf of Division or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those river systems that drain...
to the west, are important biological connectors allowing wildlife to migrate and disperse between two large wildland complexes: The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is one of the last remaining large, nearly intact ecosystems in the northern temperate zone of the Earth and is partly located in Yellowstone National Park. Conflict over management has been controversial, and the area is a flagship site among conservation groups...
and Central Idaho Wilderness Ecosystem.