Elephant Peak

Elephant Peak
Elephant Peak
	South aspect
Highest point
Elevation	7,938 ft (2,420 m)
Prominence	1,678 ft (511 m)
Isolation	8.38 mi (13.49 km)
Coordinates	48°05′18″N115°37′55″W / 48.0884317°N 115.6320787°W
Geography
	Elephant Peak Location in Montana Elephant Peak Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	Montana
County	Lincoln / Sanders
Protected area	Cabinet Mountains Wilderness
Parent range	Cabinet Mountains
Topo map	USGS Elephant Peak

Last updated July 19, 2024

Elephant Peak is a 7,938-foot-elevation (2,420-meter) mountain summit located on the border shared by Lincoln and Sanders counties in Montana.

Description

Elephant Peak is located 20 miles (32 km) south of Libby, Montana, in the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness, on land managed by Kaniksu National Forest and Kootenai National Forest.^[2] It is set west of the Continental Divide in the Cabinet Mountains which are a subrange of the Rocky Mountains.^[1] Elephant Peak ranks as the fourth-highest summit in the Cabinet Mountains,^[1] fourth-highest summit in Lincoln County and the fifth-highest in Sanders County.^[2] Precipitation runoff from the mountain's east slope drains into Libby Creek which is a tributary of the Kootenai River, whereas the west slope drains into headwaters of East Fork Bull River which is within the Clark Fork River watershed. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises over 3,500 feet (1,100 m) above Libby Creek in 1.4 mile (2.25 km) and 3,200 feet (980 m) above Saint Paul Lake in 1.25 mile (2 km). The mountain's toponym was officially adopted in 1923 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names and the name refers to the appearance of the mountain.^[3]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Elephant Peak is located in a subarctic climate zone characterized by long, usually very cold winters, and cool to mild summers.^[4] Winter temperatures can drop below −10 °F with wind chill factors below −30 °F. This climate supports a small glacier remnant on the north slope of the peak.

Related Research Articles

The Kootenai National Forest is a national forest located in the far northwestern section of Montana and the northeasternmost lands in the Idaho panhandle in the United States, along the Canada–US border. Of the 2.2 million acres (8,900 km²) administered by the forest, less than 3 percent is located in the state of Idaho. Forest headquarters are located in Libby, Montana. There are local ranger district offices in Eureka, Fortine, Libby, Trout Creek, and Troy, Montana. About 53 percent of the 94,272-acre (381.51 km²) Cabinet Mountains Wilderness is located within the forest, with the balance lying in neighboring Kaniksu National Forest.

The Cabinet Mountains are part of the Rocky Mountains, located in northwest Montana and the Idaho panhandle, in the United States. The mountains cover an area of 2,134 square miles (5,530 km²). The Cabinet Mountains lie south of the Purcell Mountains, between the Kootenai River and Clark Fork River and Idaho's Lake Pend Oreille. The Cabinet Mountains lie to the east of the Purcell Trench. The Cabinet Mountains form the north side of the Clark Fork River valley in Idaho and Montana. The Cabinet Mountains Wilderness is located east of the Bull River near Noxon, Montana in roughly the center of the range.

Olson Mountain, also known as Mount Olson, is a 7,913-foot-elevation mountain summit located in the Livingston Range, of Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. Olson Mountain rises more than 3,700 feet (1,100 m) above the western shore of Waterton Lake. The mountain was named for a surveyor on the International Boundary Survey, with the name officially adopted in 1929. The nearest higher peak is Campbell Mountain, 1.13 miles (1.82 km) to the north, and Citadel Peaks is two miles to the south. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into Olson Creek before it empties to Waterton Lake.

Clyde Peak is an 8,610-foot-elevation (2,620-meter) mountain summit located in Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. The mountain straddles the border shared by Flathead County and Glacier County. It is situated on the Continental Divide so precipitation runoff from the west side of the mountain drains into Thompson Creek which is part of the Middle Fork Flathead River watershed, and the east side drains into headwaters of Red Eagle Creek, which flows to Red Eagle Lake, thence Saint Mary Lake. It is set in the Lewis Range, and the nearest higher neighbor is Mount Logan 1.44 mile to the northwest. Topographic relief is significant as the southwest aspect rises approximately 4,000 feet in one mile.

Citadel Peaks is a mountain ridge located in the Goat Haunt area of Glacier National Park, in Glacier County of the U.S. state of Montana. This arête with a row of sharp points is part of the Livingston Range, and is approximately four miles east of the Continental Divide. Neighbors include Olson Mountain, two miles (3.2 km) to the north, Mount Cleveland four miles (6.4 km) to the east, and Kootenai Peak 2.7 miles (4.3 km) to the south. Topographic relief is significant as Citadel Peaks rises over 3,800 feet above Waterton Lake in less than two miles, and 3,000 feet above Lake Janet in one mile. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains to the south end of Waterton Lake. The first ascent of Citadel Spire, a major pinnacle on the ridge, was made in 1967 by Jerry Kanzler, Jim Kanzler, Ray Martin, and Clare Pogreba. This geographical feature's name was officially adopted in 1929 by the United States Board on Geographic Names. To the Pikuni people, Citadel Peaks is known as "Ataniawxis", meaning "The Needles".

Explorer Peak is a 12,708-foot elevation (3,873 m) mountain summit located in Duchesne County, Utah, United States.

Yard Peak is a 12,706-foot elevation (3,873 m) mountain summit located on the common border that Duchesne County shares with Summit County in the U.S. state of Utah.

Wasatch Peak is a 13,156-foot elevation (4,010 m) mountain summit located in Summit County, Utah, United States.

Little Regret Peak is an 11,090-foot elevation (3,380 m) mountain summit located in Custer County, Idaho, United States.

Mount Grant is an 8,590-foot-elevation (2,618 meter) mountain summit located in Flathead County in the U.S. state of Montana.

Gardner Point is a 7,405-foot-elevation (2,257-meter) mountain summit in Flathead County, Montana.

Saint Paul Peak is a 7,714-foot-elevation (2,351-meter) mountain summit in Sanders County, Montana.

Rock Peak is a 7,583-foot-elevation (2,311-meter) mountain summit in Sanders County, Montana.

Engle Peak is a 7,583-foot-elevation (2,311-meter) mountain summit in Sanders County, Montana.

Flat Top Mountain is a 7,608-foot-elevation (2,319-meter) mountain summit located along the border shared by Lincoln and Sanders counties in Montana.

Ibex Peak is a 7,676-foot-elevation (2,340-meter) mountain summit in Sanders County, Montana.

Ojibway Peak is a 7,303-foot-elevation (2,226-meter) mountain summit located on the border shared by Lincoln and Sanders counties in Montana.

A Peak is an 8,634-foot-elevation (2,632-meter) mountain summit located on the border shared by Lincoln and Sanders counties in Montana.

Boat Mountain is a 9,071-foot (2,765-metre) mountain summit in Gallatin County, Montana, United States.

Scotchman Peak is a 7,018-foot-elevation (2,139 m) mountain summit in Bonner County, Idaho, United States.

References

1 2 3 "Elephant Peak, Montana". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
1 2 3 4 "Elephant Peak - 7,938' MT". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
1 2 "Elephant Peak". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2023-08-31.
↑ Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11 (5): 1633–1644. Bibcode:2007HESS...11.1633P. doi: 10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 . ISSN 1027-5606. S2CID 9654551.

External links

Elephant Peak: weather forecast
National Geodetic Survey Data Sheet

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[pb-1] 1 2 3 "Elephant Peak, Montana". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2023-08-31.

[listsofjohn-2] 1 2 3 4 "Elephant Peak - 7,938' MT". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2023-08-31.

[gnis-3] 1 2 "Elephant Peak". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2023-08-31.

[Peel-4] Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11 (5): 1633–1644. Bibcode:2007HESS...11.1633P. doi: 10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 . ISSN 1027-5606. S2CID 9654551.

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