Bighorn National Forest
Encyclopedia
Bighorn National Forest is located in northern Wyoming
, United States
and consists of over 1.1 million acres (4,500 km²). Created as a US Forest Reserve in 1897, it is one of the oldest government-protected forest lands in the U.S. The forest is well east of the continental divide
and extends from the Montana
border for a distance of 80 miles (130 km) along the spine of the Big Horn Mountains
, an outlying mountain range separated from the rest of the Rocky Mountains
by Bighorn Basin
. Elevations range from 5,000 feet (1,500 m) along the sagebrush
and grass-covered lowlands at the foot of the mountains, to 13,189 feet (4,020 m) on top of Cloud Peak
, the highest point in the Big Horn Mountains. The forest is named after the Bighorn River
, which is partially fed by streams found in the forest. While the river and forest used the name "Bighorn" all in one word, the mountains associated with the forest are referred to as the "Big Horns".
Within the forest is the Cloud Peak Wilderness
area in which no motorized or mechanical equipment is allowed. The only access into the 189,000 acre (765 km²) wilderness is on foot or horseback. There are 1,500 miles (2,400 km) of trail
s in the forest, along with 32 improved campgrounds, lodges, and three scenic vehicular byways. U.S. Highway 14, also known as the Bighorn Scenic Byway, crosses the middle of the 30-mile (48 km) wide forest. Medicine Wheel Passage (U.S. Highway 14A) crosses in the north passing the Medicine Wheel National Historic Landmark
, while the Cloud Peak Skyway (U.S. 16) crosses the highest pass in the forest (Powder River Pass 9,677 ft/ 2,950 m) and is located in the southern section of the forest.
The forest is primarily lodgepole pine
, along with several species
of spruce
, fir
, and aspen
. While grizzly bear
s have not inhabited the forest since the early 20th century, black bear
s are widespread. Other large mammal
s include elk
, mule deer
, pronghorn
, and moose
. Numerous lakes are found within the forest and most are naturally stocked with trout
and at least 100 other fish species. Meadowlark Lake is a popular recreation area created by the construction of a dam built by Company 841 of the Civilian Conservation Corps
in 1936. Water quality sampling from the lakes shows the highest acid rain
deposition of any mountain chain in the Rockies.
The forest headquarters is located in Sheridan, Wyoming
. There are local ranger
district offices in Buffalo
, Lovell
, and Sheridan
.
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and consists of over 1.1 million acres (4,500 km²). Created as a US Forest Reserve in 1897, it is one of the oldest government-protected forest lands in the U.S. The forest is well east of the continental divide
Continental divide
A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not connected to the open sea...
and extends from the 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,...
border for a distance of 80 miles (130 km) along the spine of the Big Horn Mountains
Big Horn Mountains
The Big Horn Mountains are a mountain range in northern Wyoming and southern Montana in the United States, forming a northwest-trending spur from the Rocky Mountains extending approximately 200 miles northward on the Great Plains...
, an outlying mountain range separated from the rest of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
by Bighorn Basin
Bighorn Basin
The Bighorn Basin is a plateau region and intermontane basin, approximately 100 miles wide, in north-central Wyoming in the United States. It is bounded by the Absaroka Range on the west, the Bighorn Mountains on the east, and the Owl Creek Mountains and Bridger Mountains on the south...
. Elevations range from 5,000 feet (1,500 m) along the 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;...
and grass-covered lowlands at the foot of the mountains, to 13,189 feet (4,020 m) on top of Cloud Peak
Cloud Peak
Cloud Peak is the highest peak within the Big Horn Mountains in the U.S. state of Wyoming. It rises to an elevation of and provides onlookers with dramatic views and vistas. The mountain can be climbed most easily from the western side. The peak is located in the 189,000 acre Cloud Peak...
, the highest point in the Big Horn Mountains. The forest is named after the Bighorn River
Bighorn River
The Bighorn River is a tributary of the Yellowstone, approximately long, in the western United States in the states of Wyoming and Montana. The river was named in 1805 by fur trader François Larocque for the Bighorn Sheep he saw along its banks as he explored the Yellowstone River.The upper...
, which is partially fed by streams found in the forest. While the river and forest used the name "Bighorn" all in one word, the mountains associated with the forest are referred to as the "Big Horns".
Cloud Peak Wilderness
The Cloud Peak Wilderness is located in north central Wyoming in the United States. Entirely within Bighorn National Forest, the wilderness was established in 1984 in an effort to preserve the wildest section of the Bighorn Mountains...
area in which no motorized or mechanical equipment is allowed. The only access into the 189,000 acre (765 km²) wilderness is on foot or horseback. There are 1,500 miles (2,400 km) of trail
Trail
A trail is a path with a rough beaten or dirt/stone surface used for travel. Trails may be for use only by walkers and in some places are the main access route to remote settlements...
s in the forest, along with 32 improved campgrounds, lodges, and three scenic vehicular byways. U.S. Highway 14, also known as the Bighorn Scenic Byway, crosses the middle of the 30-mile (48 km) wide forest. Medicine Wheel Passage (U.S. Highway 14A) crosses in the north passing the Medicine Wheel National Historic Landmark
Medicine Wheel National Historic Landmark
The Medicine Wheel/Medicine Mountain National Historic Landmark is a medicine wheel located in the Big Horn Mountains of the U.S. state of Wyoming....
, while the Cloud Peak Skyway (U.S. 16) crosses the highest pass in the forest (Powder River Pass 9,677 ft/ 2,950 m) and is located in the southern section of the forest.
The forest is primarily lodgepole pine
Lodgepole Pine
Lodgepole Pine, Pinus contorta, also known as Shore Pine, is a common tree in western North America. Like all pines, it is evergreen.-Subspecies:...
, along with several species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of spruce
Spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
, fir
Fir
Firs are a genus of 48–55 species of evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. They are found through much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, occurring in mountains over most of the range...
, and aspen
Aspen
Populus section Populus, of the Populus genus, includes the aspen trees and the white poplar Populus alba. The five typical aspens are all native to cold regions with cool summers, in the north of the Northern Hemisphere, extending south at high altitudes in the mountains. The White Poplar, by...
. While grizzly bear
Grizzly Bear
The grizzly bear , also known as the silvertip bear, the grizzly, or the North American brown bear, is a subspecies of brown bear that generally lives in the uplands of western North America...
s have not inhabited the forest since the early 20th century, black bear
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
s are widespread. Other large mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s include 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:...
, 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...
, pronghorn
Pronghorn
The pronghorn is a species of artiodactyl mammal endemic to interior western and central North America. Though not an antelope, it is often known colloquially in North America as the prong buck, pronghorn antelope, or simply antelope, as it closely resembles the true antelopes of the Old World and...
, and 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...
. Numerous lakes are found within the forest and most are naturally stocked with trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
and at least 100 other fish species. Meadowlark Lake is a popular recreation area created by the construction of a dam built by Company 841 of the Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
in 1936. Water quality sampling from the lakes shows the highest acid rain
Acid rain
Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it possesses elevated levels of hydrogen ions . It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure. Acid rain is caused by emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen...
deposition of any mountain chain in the Rockies.
The forest headquarters is located in Sheridan, Wyoming
Sheridan, Wyoming
Sheridan is a city in Sheridan County, Wyoming, United States. The 2010 census put the population at 17,444 and a Micropolitan Statistical Area of 29,116...
. There are local ranger
National Park Ranger
National Park Service Rangers are among the uniformed employees charged with protecting and preserving areas set aside in the National Park System by the United States Congress and/or the President of the United States...
district offices in Buffalo
Buffalo, Wyoming
Buffalo is a city in Johnson County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 3,900 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Johnson County...
, Lovell
Lovell, Wyoming
Lovell is a town in Big Horn County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 2,281 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lovell is located at ....
, and Sheridan
Sheridan, Wyoming
Sheridan is a city in Sheridan County, Wyoming, United States. The 2010 census put the population at 17,444 and a Micropolitan Statistical Area of 29,116...
.
Further reading
- Georgen, Cynde. In the shadow of the Bighorns: A history of early Sheridan and the Goose Creek valley of northern Wyoming. Sheridan, Wyoming: Sheridan County Historical Society, 2010. ISBN 978-0-9792871-7-6