Beartooth Highway
Shoshone National Forest, WY

Located in the Wind River and Absaroka mountain ranges of northwestern Wyoming, lies the 2.4 million-acre Shoshone National Forest. Elevations range from 4,600 feet near Cody to 13,804 feet atop Gannett Peak, the highest point in Wyoming. The higher mountains are snowclad most of the year. Immense areas of exposed rock are interspersed with meadows and forests. Those who hike into the backcountry or drive through the North Fork of the Shoshone River Canyon or over the Beartooth Plateau agree that the varied scenery is superlative.

Established in 1891 as part of the Yellowstone Timberland Reserve, the Shoshone terrain ranges from sagebrush flats to rugged mountains, and its 236 peaks reach over 12,000 feet in elevation. There are also 156 glaciers, more than any other area in the lower 48 states.

The Shoshone encompasses the area from the Montana state line south to Lander, Wyoming, which includes portions of the Absaroka, Wind River, and Beartooth Ranges. The western boundary of the forest south of Yellowstone is the crest of the Continental Divide.

Nearly 1.4 million acres of the forest are designated wilderness areas. There are also more than 1,500 miles of scenic roads traversing the forest. Wildlife on the Shoshone includes deer, elk, moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, grizzly and black bears, as well as numerous smaller animals, birds, and cold water fish.