Craig Pass
Encyclopedia
Craig Pass is a mountain pass located on the Continental Divide
in Yellowstone National Park
in Wyoming
. The Grand Loop Road
crosses the pass approximately 8 miles (12.9 km) east of Old Faithful Geyser
.
The pass was named by Hiram Chittenden for Ida M. Craig (Wilcox), the daughter of a close friend, General James Craig. Ida Craig was purportedly the first tourist to cross the pass after it was completed in September, 1891.
The small Isa Lake
is located just west of the pass on the Grand Loop Road and is noted for striding the Continental Divide
and draining into two different watersheds—the Atlantic via the Missouri River
and the Pacific via the Snake River
.
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 Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
in Wyoming
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...
. The Grand Loop Road
Grand Loop Road Historic District
The Grand Loop Road Historic District encompasses the primary road system in Yellowstone National Park. Much of the system was originally planned by Captain Hiram M. Chittenden of the US Army Corps of Engineers in the early days of the park, when it was under military administration...
crosses the pass approximately 8 miles (12.9 km) east of Old Faithful Geyser
Old Faithful Geyser
Old Faithful is a cone geyser located in Wyoming, in Yellowstone National Park in the United States. Old Faithful was named in 1870 during the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition and was the first geyser in the park to receive a name...
.
The pass was named by Hiram Chittenden for Ida M. Craig (Wilcox), the daughter of a close friend, General James Craig. Ida Craig was purportedly the first tourist to cross the pass after it was completed in September, 1891.
The small Isa Lake
Isa Lake
Isa Lake is located in Yellowstone National Park, in the U. S. state of Wyoming. The lake straddles the continental divide at Craig Pass and was first discovered in 1891 by Hiram M. Chittenden, who was exploring the best routes for a road to connect Old Faithful and West Thumb geyser basins...
is located just west of the pass on the Grand Loop Road and is noted for striding 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...
and draining into two different watersheds—the Atlantic via the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
and the Pacific via the Snake River
Snake River
The Snake is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...
.