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Bighorn National Forest
About
Bighorn National Forest is located in northern Wyoming, United States and consists of over 1.1 million acres (4,500 km²). Created as a US Forest Reserve in 1897, it is one of the oldest government-protected forest lands in the U.S. The forest is well east of the continental divide and extends from the Montana border for a distance of 80 miles (130 km) along the spine of the Big Horn Mountains, an outlying mountain range separated from the rest of the Rocky Mountains by Bighorn Basin. Elevations range from 5,000 feet (1,500 m) along the sagebrush and grass-covered lowlands at the foot of the mountains, to 13,189 feet (4,020 m) on top of Cloud Peak, the highest point in the Big Horn Mountains. Around 99% of the land is above 1,500 metres (4,900 ft).[3] The forest is named after the Bighorn River, which is partially fed by streams found in the forest. While the river and forest used the name "Bighorn" all in one word, the mountains associated with the forest are referred to as the "Big Horns". Streams in the range are fed primarily by snowmelt and snowmelt mixed with driving rainfall.[3]
