Big Snowy Mountains
Encyclopedia
The Big Snowy Mountains, el. 8681 feet (2,646 m), are a mountain range
south of Lewistown, Montana
in Fergus County, Montana
. One of the few points of significant elevation in the area, this is considered one of Montana's island range
s.,
About 112,000 acres of the Big Snowies are roadless, including the 6,870-acre Twin Coulees Wilderness Study Area
on BLM
land. About 98,000 acres of the range in the Lewis and Clark National Forest
are a Wilderness Study Area as well. The Big Snowies feature a long, relatively level east-west summit, rising above timberline
, that culminates in Greathouse Peak, the highest point in the range. On a clear day the view from the top of Greathouse Peak extends from Canada to Yellowstone. A number of caves, some unexplored, exist on the west end of the range, including frozen-walled Ice Cave, usually 40 degrees cooler than outside summer temperatures.
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...
south of Lewistown, Montana
Lewistown, Montana
Lewistown is a city in and the county seat of Fergus County, Montana, United States. The population was 5,813 at the 2000 census. Lewistown is located in central Montana, the geographic center of the state, southeast of Great Falls...
in Fergus County, Montana
Fergus County, Montana
-National protected areas:* Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge * Lewis and Clark National Forest * Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument -Demographics:...
. One of the few points of significant elevation in the area, this is considered one of Montana's island range
Island range
An island range is a term used to describe a mountain range that exists in total or almost total isolation from a larger chain of ranges and sub-ranges. From a distance on the plains, these ranges appear as "islands" of higher ground...
s.,
About 112,000 acres of the Big Snowies are roadless, including the 6,870-acre Twin Coulees Wilderness Study Area
Wilderness study area
A wilderness study area contains undeveloped United States federal land retaining its primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation, and managed to preserve its natural conditions...
on BLM
BLM
BLM may stand for: Saint Barthélemy using ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code*Bergbahn Lauterbrunnen-Mürren, a railway in Switzerland, part funicular, part adhesion*Bilayer lipid membrane*Black Mage, a job in Final Fantasy XI...
land. About 98,000 acres of the range in the Lewis and Clark National Forest
Lewis and Clark National Forest
Lewis and Clark National Forest is located in west central Montana, United States. Spanning , the forest is managed as two separate zones. The eastern sections, under the Jefferson Division, is a mixture of grass and shrublands dotted with "island" pockets of forested areas. Here, cattle leases to...
are a Wilderness Study Area as well. The Big Snowies feature a long, relatively level east-west summit, rising above timberline
Timberline
Timberline or timber line has several meanings:* Tree line, the edge of a habitat at which trees are capable of growing* Timberline Lodge, a National Historic Landmark mountain lodge and ski area in Oregon, U.S....
, that culminates in Greathouse Peak, the highest point in the range. On a clear day the view from the top of Greathouse Peak extends from Canada to Yellowstone. A number of caves, some unexplored, exist on the west end of the range, including frozen-walled Ice Cave, usually 40 degrees cooler than outside summer temperatures.