Wood Mountain Hills | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Elevation | 1,013 m (3,323 ft) |
Prominence | 200 m (660 ft) |
Coordinates | 49°14′00″N106°30′02″W / 49.2334°N 106.5006°W |
Geography | |
Location | Saskatchewan, Canada |
Parent range | Missouri Coteau |
Wood Mountain Hills [1] are a hilly plateau in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The hills are located in the southern part of the province and are part of the Missouri Coteau, which is part of the Laurentian Divide between the watersheds of the Hudson Bay drainage basin of the Arctic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico of the Atlantic Ocean. [2] The hills are in a semi-arid region known as Palliser's Triangle in the Great Plains ecoregion of North America.
The Wood Mountain Hills are known locally as "the Bench" and, at a height of 1,013 metres (3,323 ft) above sea level, are the second highest point of land in Western Canada east of the Rocky Mountains. The highest point is just to the west in the neighbouring Cypress Hills. [3]
The south-eastern part of the Wood Mountain Hills was one of the few places in Canada that wasn't covered in ice during the Last Glacial Period. This preserved tertiary sands and gravels at higher the elevations while other parts of the hills have glacial drift and deep-cut valleys and coulees carved by glacial meltwaters that are separated by flat-topped buttes. The Rock Creek Badlands, also called Killdeer Badlands, [4] were formed by these melting glaciers. The badlands run along the southern slopes of the plateau.
The highest point of the upland at 1,013 metres above sea level is Pinto Butte, [5] which is located at the western end and straddles the watershed divide. Most of the watershed to the north of the hills is in the Old Wives Lake endorheic drainage basin with Wood River and its tributaries being the primary water course. The southern slopes drain primarily into the Milk River drainage basin. Some of the tributaries that flow south from the hills include Frenchman River, Denniel Creek, Breed Creek, Little Breed Creek, Otter Creek, Bluff Creek, McEachern Creek, West Poplar River, Poplar River, East Poplar River, Weatherall Creek, Rock Creek, [6] and Johnson Creek. [7]
The Wood Mountain Hills are mostly covered in grasses and are in the mixed-grass prairie ecozone of Canada. Common grasses include spear grass, wheatgrass, and blue grama grass. In areas with more moisture, such as at the bottom of coulees and alongside streams, trees and shrubs, such as aspen, green ash, wolf willow, and buffalo berry, grow. In drier locations, plants such as sage, rabbitbrush, greasewood, mosses, lichens, and cacti can be found. [8]
Throughout the hills and in the East Block of Grasslands National Park, wildlife such as bats, black-tailed prairie dogs, swift foxes, burrowing owls, greater sage-grouses, eastern yellow-bellied racers, and greater short-horned lizards can be found. [9]
There are several Saskatchewan parks located throughout the Wood Mountain Hills.
The Cypress Hills are a geographical region of hills in southwestern Saskatchewan and southeastern Alberta, Canada. The hills are part of the Missouri Coteau upland.
Battle Creek is a river that begins in the south-eastern region of the Canadian province of Alberta, near the border with Saskatchewan, in the Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park. From Alberta, Battle Creek flows east and across the border into Saskatchewan. It flows south out of Saskatchewan across the Canada–United States border into Montana, where it joins the Milk River in Blaine County, Montana.
The Missouri Coteau, or Missouri Plateau, is a large plateau that stretches along the eastern side of the valley of the Missouri River in central North Dakota and north-central South Dakota in the United States. In the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta this physiographic region is classified as the Uplands Missouri Coteau, which is a part of the Great Plains Province or Alberta Plateau Region, which extends across the southwest corner of the province of Saskatchewan as well as the southeast corner of the province of Alberta. Historically, in Canada the area was known as the Palliser's Triangle and regarded as an extension of the Great American Desert and unsuitable for agriculture and thus designated by Canadian geographer and explorer John Palliser. The terrain of the Missouri Coteau features low hummocky, undulating, rolling hills, potholes, and grasslands. Apart from being a geographical area, the Missouri Coteau also has a cultural connection to the people of the area, the Métis people of South Dakota, along with other Indigenous groups. The history of this plateau is large, and the Missouri Coteau has a significance to these people.
Grasslands National Park is a Canadian national park located near the village of Val Marie, Saskatchewan, and one of 44 national parks and park reserves in Canada's national park system. This national park is north of the U.S. state of Montana and lies adjacent to the international boundary.
Wood Mountain Regional Park is a conservation and recreation area in its natural state set aside as a regional park in south-western region of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The park is set in the semi-arid Palliser's Triangle in an upland area called Wood Mountain Hills. It is in the Rural Municipality of Old Post No. 43, 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) south of the village of Wood Mountain along Highway 18.
Highway 2 is a provincial highway in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is the longest highway in Saskatchewan at 809 km (503 mi). The highway is partially divided and undivided. However, only about 18 kilometres (11 mi) near Moose Jaw, 11 kilometres (7 mi) near Chamberlain, and 21 kilometres (13 mi) near Prince Albert are divided highway. Highway 2 is a major north-south route beginning at the Canada–US border at the Port of West Poplar River and Opheim, Montana customs checkpoints. Montana Highway 24 continues south. It passes through the major cities of Moose Jaw in the south and Prince Albert in the north. Highway 2 overlaps Highway 11 between the towns of Chamberlain and Findlater. This 11 kilometres (7 mi) section of road is a wrong-way concurrency. The highway ends at La Ronge, where it becomes Highway 102.
Duck Mountain Provincial Park is a provincial park, located in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) east of the town of Kamsack and stretches about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) eastward to the Saskatchewan / Manitoba boundary. The park covers approximately 150 km2 (58 sq mi). Road access to the park is via Highway 57, which connects Saskatchewan Highway 5 to Manitoba Highway 83.
Highway 34 designates major roads intended for travel by the public between Highway 13 just to the west of Ogema to the US border. The highway used to connect to Montana Secondary Highway 511 at the Port of Big Beaver, however the port closed in 2011. Saskatchewan's main roadways are located in the central/southern geographical land area of rugged badlands, and rolling prairie and grass land in a western Canadian prairie province. This paved highway along with Red Coat Trail and Outlaw Tail, early Red river cart trails encompassed the Big Muddy Badlands.
Highway 58 is an oiled surface provincial highway in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan which handles approximately 100 vehicles per day. It runs from Highway 18 3 kilometres west of Fir Mountain until Highway 1 / Highway 19 near Chaplin in the south-central area of the province. Highway 58 is about 132 kilometres (82 mi) long traversing through the Missouri Coteau. There are multiplexes of 1.6 km (1.0 mi) with Highway 13, 300 m (980 ft) with Highway 43, and 4.9 km (3.0 mi) with Highway 363.
The Big Muddy Badlands are a series of badlands in southern Saskatchewan and northern Montana in the Big Muddy Valley and along Big Muddy Creek. Big Muddy Valley is a cleft of erosion and sandstone that is 55 kilometres (34 mi) long, 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) wide, and 160 metres (520 ft) deep.
Wood Mountain is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of Old Post No. 43 and Census Division No. 3. Its name is derived from the Red River Métis words "montagne de bois", due to the abundance of poplar trees in the otherwise barren region. Highway 18 and Highway 358 intersect south of the community.
Killdeer is an unincorporated community in Rural Municipality of Old Post No. 43, Saskatchewan, Canada. The locality is located near the intersection of Highway 2 and Highway 18 about 270 km (170 mi) southwest of Regina and 13 km (8 mi) north of the Canada–United States border.
Moose Mountain Upland, Moose Mountain Uplands, or commonly Moose Mountain, is a hilly plateau located in the south-east corner of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, that covers an area of about 13,000 km2 (5,000 sq mi). The upland rises about 200 m (660 ft) above the broad, flat prairie which is about 600 m (2,000 ft) above sea level. The highest peak is "Moose Mountain" at 830 m (2,720 ft) above sea level. The area was named Moose Mountain because of the large number of moose that lived in the area. When it was originally used by fur traders, Métis, and the Indigenous peoples, the plateau was called Montagne a la Bosse, which is French for "The Mountain of The Bump or Knob."
Porcupine Hills Provincial Park is the newest provincial park in the Canadian Province of Saskatchewan. It was created in 2018 through the amalgamation of five pre-existing provincial recreation sites south-east of the town of Hudson Bay. The park is in the Porcupine Provincial Forest in the Porcupine Hills, which is a geographical feature in eastern Saskatchewan and western Manitoba. The hills are part of a range of hills called the Manitoba Escarpment.
Bob Creek Wildland Provincial Park is a wildland provincial park located in the Municipal District of Ranchland, in southern Alberta, Canada. It was established on 12 May 1999, modified slightly on 24 June 2003, and is 20,777.69 hectares in area. The park is included in the South Saskatchewan Region Land Use Framework and administered by the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan. Because they are so intertwined, Bob Creek Wildland and Black Creek Heritage Rangeland are managed through the same Management Plan. The park gets its name from the Bob Creek that runs through the center of the park and drains the surrounding hills.
The Cub Hills are a hilly plateau located south-east of the geographical centre of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The hills are in the boreal forest ecozone of Canada and the landforms of the hills were shaped more than 10,000 years ago during last ice age. Throughout the Cub Hills, there are dozens of lakes and rivers and several parks. The Cubs Hills are 150 km (93 mi) north-east of Prince Albert and are in the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District and Census Division #18. Several highways criss-cross the plateau to provide access to the various parks and other amenities.
Waskesiu Upland is a hilly plateau in the central region of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Waskesiu means red deer or elk in the Cree language. The plateau is just south-west of the geographical centre of the province and consists of two main ranges – the Waskesiu Hills to the south and the Thunder Hills to the north The Thunder Hills cover an area of about 225,000 acres. Several notable rivers begin from the upland with ones headed south flowing into the North Saskatchewan River and ones headed north flowing into the Churchill River. Much of the plateau is carpeted in boreal forests and most of the Waskesiu Hills range is within Prince Albert National Park. Besides the national park, there are several provincial recreation sites in and around the upland. The northern part of the upland is part of the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District and is sparsely populated.
St. Victor Petroglyphs Provincial Historic Park is an historical provincial park in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The park is located in the RM of Willow Bunch No. 42, about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south of St. Victor. The 3.9 ha park is situated on the northern slope of the Wood Mountain Upland on a cliff at the top of a partially wooded coulee. The Wood Mountain Hills are a plateau east of the Cypress Hills along the Missouri Coteau in the semi-arid Palliser's Triangle. The site was designated an historic site in the 1960s and became a provincial park in 1986.
Wood River is a river in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It has its source in the Wood Mountain Hills of south-western Saskatchewan and flows in a north-easterly direction to its mouth at Old Wives Lake. Old Wives Lake is a salt water lake with no outflow. As a result, the drainage basin of Wood River is an endorheic one. Along the course of the river, there are several parks, historical sites, and small towns.