Smoky Mountains | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Peak | Saviers Peak |
Elevation | 10,441 ft (3,182 m) |
Coordinates | 43°49′19″N114°42′47″W / 43.821944°N 114.713056°W |
Dimensions | |
Length | 45 mi (72 km)N/S |
Width | 39 mi (63 km)E/W |
Area | 877 sq mi (2,270 km2) |
Geography | |
Country | United States |
State | Idaho |
Parent range | Rocky Mountains |
The Smoky Mountains are part of the Rocky Mountains and located on the west side of the Wood River Valley near Sun Valley, Idaho, in the Western United States. The range is within Sawtooth National Forest, while part of it is within the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. [1] The highest point in the range is Saviers Peak at 10,441 ft (3,182 m). [2]
The Smoky Mountains area closely surrounded by other mountain ranges including the Sawtooth Mountains to the northwest, Boulder Mountains to the north, Pioneer Mountains to the east, and Soldier Mountains to the south. The Smoky Mountains are located within the watersheds of the Big Wood, Salmon, and Boise Rivers. The mountains are most easily accessed from Idaho State Highway 75, although many unimproved and improved dirt roads, including National Forest road 227, enter and cross the mountains.
The Smoky Mountains were named from the frequent forest fires in the mountains. In 2007 the Castle Rock Fire burned 48,000 acres (19,000 ha) of the Smoky Mountains near Ketchum. [3] [4]
Galena Summit is a high mountain pass in the western United States in central Idaho, at an elevation of 8,701 feet (2,652 m) above sea level. The pass is located in the Boulder Mountains, in the northwest corner of Blaine County, within the Sawtooth National Recreation Area of the Sawtooth National Forest.
Bald Mountain is a mountain in the western United States in south central Idaho, adjacent to the city of Ketchum in Blaine County. The mountain has one of the higher summits of the Smoky Mountains of Idaho, located in the Sawtooth National Forest. The forested Smoky Mountains were named for their propensity for summer forest fires.
The Sawtooth Wilderness is a federally-protected wilderness area that covers 217,088 acres (87,852 ha) of the state of Idaho. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it was designated the Sawtooth Primitive Area in 1937 to preserve the exceptional scenic beauty of the Sawtooth Mountains. On August 22, 1972 Public Law 92-400 designated the Primitive Area as the Sawtooth Wilderness and part of the newly created Sawtooth National Recreation Area. As part of the National Wilderness Preservation System, the Sawtooth Wilderness is an area where human development and use are restricted and people are to remain only visitors. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the Sawtooth Wilderness has some of the clearest air in the lower 48 states.
Sawtooth National Forest is a National Forest that covers 2,110,408 acres in the U.S. states of Idaho and Utah. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it was originally named the Sawtooth Forest Reserve in a proclamation issued by President Theodore Roosevelt on May 29, 1905. On August 22, 1972 a portion of the forest was designated as the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA), which includes the Sawtooth, Cecil D. Andrus–White Clouds, and Hemingway–Boulders wilderness areas. The forest is managed as four units: the SNRA and the Fairfield, Ketchum, and Minidoka Ranger Districts.
The Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA) is a national recreation area in central Idaho, United States that is managed as part of Sawtooth National Forest. The recreation area, established on August 22, 1972, is managed by the U.S. Forest Service, and includes the Sawtooth, Hemingway–Boulders, and Cecil D. Andrus–White Clouds wilderness areas. Activities within the 730,864-acre (2,957.70 km2) recreation area include hiking, backpacking, White water rafting, camping, rock climbing, kayaking, mountain biking, fishing, and hunting.
The Sawtooth Range is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in central Idaho, United States, reaching a maximum elevation of 10,751 feet (3,277 m) at the summit of Thompson Peak. It encompasses an area of 678 square miles (1,756 km2) spanning parts of Custer, Boise, Blaine, and Elmore counties, and is bordered to the east by the Sawtooth Valley. Much of the mountain range is within the Sawtooth Wilderness, part of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area and Sawtooth National Forest.
The Big Wood River is a 137-mile-long (220 km) river in central Idaho, United States, that is a tributary of the Malad River.
State Highway 75 is a two-lane highway in the western United States that travels through the Sawtooth Valley of central Idaho. The highway's southern terminus is in Shoshone, and its northern is near Challis. It is designated as one of Idaho's scenic byways and provides access to Sawtooth National Recreation Area and primarily follows the Big Wood River in the south and the main Salmon River in the north, divided by Galena Summit.
The White Cloud Mountains are part of the Rocky Mountains of the western United States, located in central Idaho, southeast of Stanley in Custer County. The range is located within the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA) and partially within the Cecil D. Andrus–White Clouds Wilderness.
Castle Peak is a mountain in the western United States, the highest peak in the White Cloud Mountains of central Idaho and the Idaho Batholith. Located in Custer County, it is the 25th highest peak in the state, and the ninth most prominent.
Alturas Lake is an alpine lake in Blaine County, Idaho, United States, in the Sawtooth Valley in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The lake is approximately 21 miles (34 km) south of Stanley and 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Ketchum. Alturas Lake can be accessed from State Highway 75 via Sawtooth National Forest road 205.
Yellow Belly Lake is an alpine lake in Custer County, Idaho, United States, located in the Sawtooth Valley in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The lake is approximately 15 miles (24 km) south of Stanley and 34 miles (55 km) northwest of Ketchum. Yellow Belly Lake can be accessed from State Highway 75 via Sawtooth National Forest road 205 and 096. Forest road 096 is a high clearance road that goes directly to a trailhead and campground on the shores of Yellow Belly Lake.
Pettit Lake is a large alpine lake in Blaine County, Idaho, United States, located in the Sawtooth Valley in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The lake is approximately 16 miles (26 km) south of Stanley and 33 miles (53 km) northwest of Ketchum.
The Boulder Mountains are part of the Rocky Mountains in the western United States. Located in central Idaho, they stretch from a few miles north of Ketchum to north to near Challis, and part of the range is within the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA) and partially within the Hemingway–Boulders Wilderness. The highest point in the range is Ryan Peak, at 11,714 feet (3,570 m) above sea level.
Ryan Peak, at 11,714 feet (3,570 m) above sea level is the highest peak in the Boulder Mountains of Idaho. Located in Custer County, Ryan Peak is about 0.5 miles (800 m) north of the Blaine County border. The peak is also on the border of Sawtooth National Recreation Area and Salmon-Challis National Forest and partially within the Hemingway–Boulders Wilderness.
The Soldier Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Idaho, spanning northern Camas and eastern Elmore counties. The highest point in the range is Smoky Dome at 10,095 feet (3,077 m), and the range is bounded on the west and north by the South Fork Boise River. The mountains are located within Sawtooth National Forest north of Fairfield, Idaho. The Soldier Mountain Ski Area is located within the range to the east of Smoky Dome.
The Albion Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. states of Idaho (~99%) and Utah (~1%), spanning Cassia County, Idaho and barely reaching into Box Elder County, Utah. The highest point in the range is Cache Peak at 10,339 feet (3,151 m), and the range is a part of the Basin and Range Province. Most of the mountains are part of the Albion Division of the Minidoka Ranger District of Sawtooth National Forest.
Merriam Peak, at 10,920 feet (3,330 m) is one of the peaks of the White Cloud Mountains of Custer County, Idaho. It was named for John H. Merriam who played an instrumental role in protecting the area from being mined for molybdenum. Merriam Peak is located in the middle of the range just north of Castle Peak, the highest point in the range. The peak is located in the White Clouds roadless area of Sawtooth National Recreation Area.
The Sawtooth Valley is a valley in the Western United States, in Blaine and Custer counties of central Idaho. About 30 miles (50 km) long, it is in Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA) in the Sawtooth National Forest. It is surrounded by the Sawtooth Mountains to the west, White Cloud Mountains to the east, Salmon River Mountains to the north, and Boulder and Smoky Mountains to the south. The valley contains the headwaters of the Salmon River, the city of Stanley, and community of Sawtooth City.
Kent Peak, at 11,664 feet (3,555 m) above sea level is the second highest peak in the Boulder Mountains of Idaho. Located on the border of Blaine and Custer counties, Kent Peak is about 0.75 miles (1,210 m) south of the range's highest point, Ryan Peak. The peak is also on the border of Sawtooth National Recreation Area and Salmon-Challis National Forest and partially within the Hemingway–Boulders Wilderness. It is the 34th highest peak in Idaho.