Bridger-Teton National Forest

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bridger-Teton National Forest
IUCN Category VI (Managed Resource Protected Area)

Location	Wyoming, USA
Nearest city	Big Piney, WY
Coordinates	43°26′0″N 110°41′0″W / 43.43333, -110.68333
Area	3.4 million acres (13,800 km²)
Established	July 1, 1908
Governing body	U.S. Forest Service

Bridger-Teton National Forest is located in western Wyoming, United States. The forest consists of 3.4 million acres (13,800 km²), making it the second largest National Forest outside of Alaska. The forest stretches from Yellowstone National Park, along the eastern boundary of Grand Teton National Park and from there rides along the western slope of the Continental Divide to the southern end of the Wind River Range. The forest also extends southward encompassing the Salt River Range and Wyoming Range mountains near the Idaho border. Located within the forest are the Gros Ventre, Bridger Wilderness and Teton Wildernesses, totaling 1.2 million acres (4,900 km²). Other points of interest contained in the forest include Gannett Peak (13,804 ft/4,207 m) , the tallest mountain in Wyoming, and the Gros Ventre landslide, which is one of the largest readily visible landslides on earth. All of the forest is in turn a part of the 20 million acre (81,000 km²) Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Moonrise over Sleeping Indian Peak Bridger-Teton National Forest

While Gannett Peak is the highest summit in the forest, another 40 named mountains rise above 12,000 feet (3,658 m). The high altitudes and abundant snowfall, exceeding 600 inches (50 ft/15 m) at some locations, provides a constant supply of water for streams and rivers. 1,500 lakes also help provide water for the Yellowstone, Snake and Green Rivers, which all have their headwaters in the forest. Seven of the largest glaciers outside of Alaska are located within the forest boundaries.

The primary tree species include lodgepole pine, engelmann spruce, douglas fir, aspen and whitebark pine. Willows, grasses and sagebrush are found on the lower altitudes, while above the timberline alpine meadows are common. Threatened and endangered species found within the forest boundaries include grizzly bears, wolf, black-footed ferret and peregrine falcon. Most of the mammals that existed in the region prior to white settlement can still be found here. Elk, moose, mule deer, bighorn sheep, bison, coyote, marmot, pronghorn, and mountain lion are but a few of the 75 species of mammals known to exit in the forest. Four subspecies of cutthroat trout also are found here including the relatively rare Snake River Cutthroat Trout. 355 species of birds have been sighted including bald eagles, trumpeter Swans, sandhill cranes, hawks, and clark's nutcracker.

Over 2,000 miles (3,200 km) of hiking trails are located in the forest providing access into wilderness areas and interlinking with trails in Yellowstone National Park. There are several dozen vehicle accessible campgrounds that have picnic tables and tent sites as well as room in some circumstances for recreational vehicles. Nighttime temperatures can be below freezing any time of the year and mosquitos in the late spring and early summer are common. Summertime high temperatures average in the 70's and the wintertime lows can drop below -50 degrees.

U.S. Highways 26/287 cross over the continental divide at Togwotee Pass and enter the forest from the north, and U.S. Highways 89 and 191 provide access to the forest in the vicinity of Jackson, Wyoming and forest lands to the south. Forest offices are located in Pinedale, Kemmerer, Big Piney, Buffalo and Greys River. The forest headquarters is located in Jackson.

In descending order of land area the forest is located in parts of Sublette, Teton, Lincoln, Park, and Fremont counties.