| Beartooth Mountains | |
| Range | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| States | Montana, Wyoming |
| Part of | Rocky Mountains |
| Highest point | Granite Peak |
| - elevation | 12,807 ft (3,904 m) |
| - coordinates | |
| Orogeny | Laramide |
The Beartooth Mountains are located in south central Montana and northwest Wyoming, U.S. and are part of the 900,000 acre (3,600 km²) Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, within Custer, Gallatin and Shoshone National Forests. The Beartooths are the location of Granite Peak, which at 12,807 feet (3,904 m) is the highest point in the state of Montana. The mountains are just northeast of Yellowstone National Park[1] and are part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The mountains are traversed by road via the Beartooth Highway (U.S. 212) with the highest elevation at Beartooth Pass (10,947 ft, 3,345 m). The name of the mountain range is attributed to a rugged peak found in the range, Beartooth Peak, that has the appearance of a bear's tooth.
The Beartooth Mountains sit upon the larger Beartooth Plateau, the largest true high elevation plateau in the United States.
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The remoteness of the region contributed to their obscurity until the 1870s. The Crow tribe of Native Americans utilized the valleys of the mountains for hunting game animals and for winter shelter from the harsh winds of the plains. Though trappers entered the region in the 1830s, formal exploration by the U.S. Government did not occur until 1878. Since then, almost 400 species of plants have been discovered and the Beartooths are considered to be the most biologically unique mountain range in North America. The region is also one of the few remaining with sizable populations of Grizzly Bears outside of Alaska and Canada. Black Bears, mountain goats, Bighorn Sheep, elk, moose, wolverine, mountain lion, and lynx are also found here.
Since 2000 the wolf has also reappeared in the region, probably migrating out of Yellowstone National Park. Primarily plants and grasses exist above the 9,000 foot (2,700 m) timberline and spruce, fir, Whitebark Pine, and Lodgepole Pine are found below.
The Beartooth mountains are composed of Precambrian granite and crystalline metamorphic rocks dated at approximately 4 billion years old, making these rocks some of the oldest on Earth. The Stillwater igneous complex within the mountains is the location of the largest known deposits of platinum and chromium and the second largest deposits of nickel found in the U.S.
Huge expansive plateaus are found at altitudes in excess of 10,000 feet (3048 m) with over 25 peaks exceeding 12,000 feet (3,658 m). The mountains have over 300 pristine lakes and some waterfalls in excess of 300 feet (91 m). The highest alpine areas are easily subject to resource damage due to human encroachment which can take decades or more to recover, due to the short 6 to 12 week growing season. Winters are severe with heavy snow and incessant winds. Approximately 25 small glaciers exist in the Beartooths with Grasshopper Glacier being one of the more distinctive.
The highest peaks of the Beartooth Mountains are clustered in three groups, topped by Granite Peak, Mount Wood (12,649 ft 3855 m), and Castle Mountain (12,612 ft 3844 m). The cluster containing Mount Wood is named the Granite Range.[2] The largest of these three contiguous areas above 10,000 feet (3,000 m), which extends into Wyoming, is the one dominated by Castle Mountain.
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