Mount Jefferson (Bitterroot Range)

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Mount Jefferson
JeffersonFlowers.jpg
Mount Jefferson and Flowers (Indian Paintbrush)
Highest point
Elevation 10,216 ft (3,114 m) NAVD 88 [1]
Prominence 3,363 ft (1,025 m) [2]
Coordinates 44°33′43″N111°30′18″W / 44.561983°N 111.504899°W / 44.561983; -111.504899 [1]
Geography
USA Montana relief location map.jpg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Mount Jefferson
Location on Montana / Idaho border
Location Fremont County, Idaho and Beaverhead County, Montana. U.S.
Parent range Centennial Mountains, Bitterroot Range
Topo map USGS Mount Jefferson
Climbing
Easiest route scramble from Sawtell Peak

Mount Jefferson is a mountain located on the Continental Divide between Fremont County of northeastern Idaho and Beaverhead County of southwestern Montana. Mount Jefferson is the highest point of the Centennial Mountains, whose crest runs along the Continental Divide and can be climbed using a class 2 route (scramble) from the access road to neighboring Sawtell Peak.

The south and west slopes of Mount Jefferson drain into Hell Roaring Creek, thence into Red Rock Creek, the Red Rock River, the Beaverhead River, the Jefferson River, the Missouri River, the Mississippi River, and into the Gulf of Mexico. Brower's Spring, the source of Hell Roaring Creek, on the mountain's east flank in Montana, is considered the absolute headwaters of the Missouri River. [3] The northeast slope of Mount Jefferson drains into the South Fork of Duck Creek, thence into Henrys Lake, the Henrys Fork of the Snake River, the Columbia River, and into the Pacific Ocean.

The mountain is named for United States Founding Father and third president, Thomas Jefferson.

References

  1. 1 2 "Sawelle". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce . Retrieved April 8, 2008.
  2. "Mount Jefferson, Idaho/Montana". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved April 8, 2008.
  3. Nell, Donald F.; Demetriades, Anthony (2005). "The True Utmost Reaches of the Missouri". Montana Outdoors (July–August, 2005). Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Archived from the original on April 23, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2008.
Northwest aspect of Mount Jefferson seen from Widgeon Pond, with Nemesis Mountain slightly right Widgeon Pond, Red Rock Lakes NWR (14282591676).jpg
Northwest aspect of Mount Jefferson seen from Widgeon Pond, with Nemesis Mountain slightly right