Caribou-Targhee National Forest

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Caribou-Targhee National Forest
IUCN Category VI (Managed Resource Protected Area)

Location	Idaho-Wyoming-Utah, USA
Nearest city	Pocatello, ID
Coordinates	42°47′0″N 111°33′0″W / 42.78333, -111.55
Area	2,630,722 acres (10,646.15 km²)
Established	1903
Governing body	U.S. Forest Service

Caribou-Targhee National Forest is located in the states of Idaho and Wyoming, with a small section in Utah in the United States. The forest is broken into several separate sections and extends over 2.63 million acres (4,110.5 sq mi, or 10,646.15 km²). To the east the forest borders Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park and Bridger-Teton National Forest. Most of the forest is a part of the 20 million acre (81,000 km²) Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Camas flowers and the west vista of the Teton Range from Caribou-Targhee National Forest

Caribou and Targhee National Forests were combined from original forest lands created in 1891. Two designated wilderness areas are located in the easternmost sections of the forest, bordering on National Park lands. The 123,451 acre (500 km²) Jedediah Smith Wilderness is adjacent to Grand Teton National Park on the western slope of the Teton Range. Known for karst limestone formations, the wilderness has many caves and provides excellent views of the less often seen west face of the Teton peaks. The smaller 10,715 acre (43 km²) Winegar Hole Wilderness borders Yellowstone National Park and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway, and was set aside primarily to protect prime grizzly bear habitat.

While western sections of the forest have a mixture of sagebrush and grasses, the higher elevations in the east support lodgepole pine, and numerous species of spruce and fir. In addition to grizzlies most of the major megafauna associated with Yellowstone National Park can be found in Caribou-Targhee National Forest. Black bear, wolf, elk, moose, mule deer, bison mountain lion and pronghorn have all been seen on forest lands. An active peregrine falcon recovery program was begun to return this bird species to some of their ancestral range. Cutthroat trout, brook trout and pike are found in the streams and lakes and the forest is considered one of the best fishing areas in the world for cutthroat trout.

Minnetonka Cave is one of only two caves administered by the U.S. Forest Service

Dozens of campgrounds and 1,600 miles (2,500 km) of trails allow access to much of the forest. There are two trails that access the high altitude Alaska Basin immediately west of the main Teton Range peaks and allow access to trails in Grand Teton National Park.

Caribou National Forest, the smaller and more southerly of the two, is located in southeastern Idaho, western Wyoming, and northern Utah, and has a total area of 987,221 acres (1,542.53 sq mi, or 3,995.14 km²). There are local ranger district offices located in Malad City, Montpelier, Pocatello, and Soda Springs in Idaho.

The larger and more northerly Targhee National Forest is located in eastern Idaho and northwestern Wyoming, and has an area of 1,643,501 acres (2,567.97 sq mi, or 6,651.01 km²). ^[1] There are local ranger district offices located in Ashton, Driggs, Dubois, and Island Park in Idaho.

The combined Caribou-Targhee National Forest is managed by the Forest Service from offices in Idaho Falls, Idaho.