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Bighorn National Forest
National forest in Wyoming, United States
National forest in Wyoming, United States
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Bighorn National Forest |
| photo | MedicineWheel.jpg |
| photo_caption | The Medicine Wheel National Historic Landmark in the National Forest |
| map | USA#Wyoming |
| relief | 1 |
| mapframe | yes |
| mapframe-zoom | 7 |
| mapframe-wikidata | yes |
| location | Sheridan, Big Horn, Johnson, and Washakie counties, Wyoming, United States |
| nearest_city | Sheridan, WY |
| coordinates | |
| area_acre | 1,107,571 |
| area_ref | |
| established | February 22, 1897 |
| governing_body | U.S. Forest Service |
| website | [Bighorn National Forest](http://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/bighorn) |
| mapframe-zoom = 7 | mapframe-wikidata = yes
The Bighorn National Forest is a U.S. National Forest 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 mi along the spine of the Bighorn Mountains, an outlying mountain range separated from the rest of the Rocky Mountains by Bighorn Basin. Elevations range from 5,000 ft along the sagebrush and grass-covered lowlands at the foot of the mountains, to 13,189 ft on top of Cloud Peak, the highest point in the Bighorn Mountains. Around 99% of the land is above 1500 m. The forest is named after the Bighorn River, which is partially fed by streams found in the forest. Streams in the range are fed primarily by snowmelt and snowmelt mixed with driving rainfall.
Within the forest is the Cloud Peak Wilderness area in which no motorized or mechanical equipment is allowed. The only access into the 189,000 acre wilderness is on foot or horseback. There are 1,500 mi of trails in the forest, along with 32 improved campgrounds, lodges, and three scenic vehicular byways. U.S. Route 14 in Wyoming, also known as the Bighorn Scenic Byway, crosses the middle of the 30 mi wide forest. The Medicine Wheel Passage (U.S. Highway 14A) crosses in the north passing the Medicine Wheel National Historic Landmark, while the Cloud Peak Skyway (U.S. Route 16) crosses the highest pass in the forest (Powder River Pass 9,677 ft) and is located in the southern section of the forest.
The forest headquarters is located in Sheridan, Wyoming. There are local ranger district offices in Buffalo, Greybull, and Sheridan. Visitor centers are located at Burgess Junction and near Shell Falls. Burgess Junction, at the intersection of Route 14 and Route 14A about 25 miles from Dayton, also has a ranger station, visitor accommodation, and campgrounds.
History
The Bighorn National Forest was established as the Big Horn National Forest on 22 February 1897, and encompasses 1,198,080 acres. On 1 July 1908 the name was changed to the Bighorn National Forest through an executive order. In September 1981 the national forest had 1,115,171 acres, with 1,107,670 of those acres being National Forest land.
Climate
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, the Bighorn National Forest has a mostly subarctic climate, abbreviated "Dfc" on climate maps.
|Jan record high F = 57 |Feb record high F = 56 |Mar record high F = 57 |Apr record high F = 70 |May record high F = 75 |Jun record high F = 87 |Jul record high F = 88 |Aug record high F = 88 |Sep record high F = 81 |Oct record high F = 74 |Nov record high F = 65 |Dec record high F = 55
|Jan avg record high F = 46.7 |Feb avg record high F = 45.7 |Mar avg record high F = 50.0 |Apr avg record high F = 57.8 |May avg record high F = 67.2 |Jun avg record high F = 74.8 |Jul avg record high F = 81.1 |Aug avg record high F = 79.8 |Sep avg record high F = 75.8 |Oct avg record high F = 65.5 |Nov avg record high F = 53.2 |Dec avg record high F = 46.1 |year avg record high F = 82.0
|Jan avg record low F = -15.2 |Feb avg record low F = -16.5 |Mar avg record low F = -8.2 |Apr avg record low F = 0.3 |May avg record low F = 12.7 |Jun avg record low F = 25.5 |Jul avg record low F = 32.3 |Aug avg record low F = 30.7 |Sep avg record low F = 19.0 |Oct avg record low F = 1.3 |Nov avg record low F = -9.4 |Dec avg record low F = -16.3 |year avg record low F = -25.5
|Jan record low F = -44 |Feb record low F = -45 |Mar record low F = -24 |Apr record low F = -18 |May record low F = 0 |Jun record low F = 5 |Jul record low F = 21 |Aug record low F = 20 |Sep record low F = -5 |Oct record low F = -22 |Nov record low F = -28 |Dec record low F = -48
|Jan snow depth inch = 31.3 |Feb snow depth inch = 34.9 |Mar snow depth inch = 40.5 |Apr snow depth inch = 38.7 |May snow depth inch = 17.5 |Jun snow depth inch = 2.0 |Jul snow depth inch = 0.0 |Aug snow depth inch = 0.1 |Sep snow depth inch = 4.3 |Oct snow depth inch = 11.9 |Nov snow depth inch = 17.6 |Dec snow depth inch = 25.6 |year snow depth inch = 49.0
|access-date = August 4, 2022 |access-date = August 4, 2022 Bald Mountain is a small peak on the northern plateau of the Bighorn Mountains.
|access-date = October 12, 2023 |access-date = October 12, 2023 The SNOTEL weather station, Bone Springs, is slightly north of Cedar Mountain.
|access-date = October 12, 2023 |access-date = October 12, 2023
Ecology and recreation
The Bighorn National Forest contains primarily forest along with alpine meadows and lakes at higher elevations. The forest is primarily lodgepole pine, along with several species of spruce, fir, and aspen. While grizzly bears have not inhabited the forest since the early 20th century, black bears are widespread. Grizzly bears have made a comeback in the decades. Other large mammals include cougars, elk, mule deer, pronghorn, and moose. Coyotes are also present in this forest. Numerous lakes are found within the forest and most are naturally stocked with trout and at least 100 other fish species. Meadow Lark Lake is a popular recreation area created by the construction of a dam built by Company 841 of the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1936. Water quality sampling from the lakes shows the highest acid rain deposition of any mountain chain in the Rockies.
Gallery
File:Centrocercus urophasianus Bighorn National Forest.jpg|Sage Grouse in Bighorn National Forest File:Moose and baby - Bighorn National Forest.jpg|A moose cow and her calf near the Shell Ranger Station File:Northern Flicker - Bighorn National Forest.jpg|A northern flicker in a tree File:Twin Buttes - June 2017.jpg|Wildflowers blooming in the short high altitude summer File:Bighorn National Forest - July 12 2017.jpg File:Bighorn National Forest - August 2017.jpg File:Autumn in Bighorns - September 2017 01.jpg
References
References
- (January 2012). "Land Areas of the National Forest System". U.S. Forest Service.
- "The National Forests of the United States". Forest History Society.
- wohl, Ellen. "Assessment of Stream Ecosystem Function and Sensitivity in the Bighorn National Forest, Wyoming".
- [http://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/bighorn Forest Service]
- "USFS Ranger Districts by State".
- "Burgess Junction Visitor Center". USDA Forest Service: Bighorn National Forest.
- "The National Forests of the United States". Forest History Society.
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