Gros Ventre River
Encyclopedia
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...
in the state of 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...
. It rises in the Gros Ventre Wilderness
Gros Ventre Wilderness
The 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.U.S. Wilderness Areas do not allow motorized or mechanized vehicles, including bicycles...
in western Wyoming, and joins the Snake River in the Jackson Hole
Jackson Hole
Jackson Hole, originally called Jackson's Hole, is a valley located in the U.S. state of Wyoming, near the western border with Idaho. The name "hole" derives from language used by early trappers or mountain men, who primarily entered the valley from the north and east and had to descend along...
valley. In 1925, the massive Gros Ventre landslide
Gros Ventre landslide
The Gros Ventre landslide is located in the Gros Ventre Wilderness of Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyoming, United States. The Gros Ventre landslide is east of Jackson Hole valley and Grand Teton National Park....
dammed the river and formed Lower Slide Lake
Lower Slide Lake
Lower Slide Lake is located in Bridger-Teton National Forest, in the U. S. state of Wyoming. The natural lake was created on June 23, 1925 when the Gros Ventre landslide dammed the Gros Ventre River. The lake was once much larger, however part of the rock dam failed less than two years later, on...
. The natural dam collapsed in 1927, flooding the downstream town of Kelly, Wyoming
Kelly, Wyoming
Kelly is an unincorporated community in Teton County in the U.S. state of Wyoming. Kelly is .situated along the Gros Ventre River on the eastern side of the Jackson Hole valley, is part of the Jackson, WY–ID Micropolitan Statistical Area and has a US Post Office with zip code 83011.The settlement...
. The river is noted for the excellent 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...
fishing]]along its length, where native Snake River Fine-spotted Cutthroat Trout average 12 to 16 in (30.5 to 40.6 ), with some to 20 inches (50.8 cm).