The Whitefish Range is a mountain range

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...

 stretching north-south from British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 to 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,...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is about 76 miles (122.3 km) long and 58 miles (93.3 km) wide. Water flowing from its east side drains down the North Fork Flathead River

North Fork Flathead River

The North Fork Flathead River is a river flowing through British Columbia , Canada south into the U.S. state of Montana. It is one of the three primary forks of the Flathead River, a tributary of the Pend Oreille River, via Clark Fork. The river is sometimes considered the upper headwaters of the...

 and its west side drains into the Whitefish River

Whitefish River (Montana)

The Whitefish River is a tributary of the Flathead River in the U.S. state of Montana. It is part of the Columbia River basin, as the Flathead River is a tributary of Clark Fork, which is tributary to the Pend Oreille River, which is tributary to the Columbia River.-Course:The Whitefish River...

, both part of the Columbia River

Columbia River

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...

 drainage basin.

The mountain range is located north of Columbia Falls

Columbia Falls, Montana

Columbia Falls is a city in Flathead County, Montana, United States. The population was 3,645 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Columbia Falls is located at ....

 north of Flathead Lake

Flathead Lake

Flathead Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in the western part of the contiguous United States. With a surface area of between and , it is slightly larger than Lake Tahoe. The lake is a remnant of the ancient inland sea, Lake Missoula of the era of the last interglacial. Flathead Lake...

, and east of Eureka

Eureka, Montana

Eureka is a town in Lincoln County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,017 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Eureka is located at , approximately from Kalispell....

. The Flathead River

Flathead River

The Flathead River, in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Montana, originates in the Rocky Mountains near Glacier National Park and flows southwest into Flathead Lake, then after a journey of , empties into the Clark Fork. The river is part of the Columbia River drainage basin, as the Clark...

 separates it from the Swan Range

Swan Range

The Swan Range is a mountain range in western Montana in the United States . Its peaks typically rise to around . The range is bounded by the South Fork Flathead River to the east, the Flathead River to the north and northwest, the Swan River to the west, and lie to the southwest of Glacier...

, which would otherwise continue the Whitefish Range southwards. The Whitefish Range, however, is not particularly high. The highest peaks in the U.S. are Nasukoin Mountain, 8086 feet (2,464.6 m), and Lake Mountain, 7814 feet (2,381.7 m). In Canada, the highest peak is Mount Doupe, 8740 feet (2,664 m).

The Whitefish Range is located west of Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park (Canada)

Glacier National Park is one of seven national parks in British Columbia, and is part of a system of 43 parks and park reserves across Canada. It protects a portion of the Columbia Mountains. It also contains the Rogers Pass National Historic Site, designated for its importance in the construction...

 and consists mostly of wilderness. It supports a variety of conifers including western red cedar and Douglas fir, and large mammals including 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, 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, mountain lions, and other species of fish, small mammals, and amphibians.