The Kootenai National Forest is a national forest located in the far northwestern section of

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

and the northeasternmost lands in the

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...

panhandle in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, along the Canada–US border. Of the administered by the forest, less than 3 percent is located in the state of Idaho. Forest headquarters are located in Libby, Montana. There are local ranger district offices in

Eureka Eureka (often abbreviated as E!, or Σ!) is an intergovernmental organisation for research and development funding and coordination. Eureka is an open platform for international cooperation in innovation. Organisations and companies applying th ...

, Fortine, Libby, Trout Creek, and Troy, Montana. About 53 percent of the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness is located within the forest, with the balance lying in neighboring

Kaniksu National Forest The Kaniksu National Forest (pronounced "Kuh-NICK-su") is a U.S. National Forest located in northeastern Washington, the Idaho Panhandle, and northwestern Montana. It is one of three forests that are aggregated into the Idaho Panhandle National ...

Kootenai National Forest Ranger Station at Murphy Lake

Snowshoe Peak in the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness, at , is the highest peak within the forest. Mountain ranges included in the forest include the Whitefish,

Purcell Henry Purcell (, rare: September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer. Purcell's style of Baroque music was uniquely English, although it incorporated Italian and French elements. Generally considered among the greatest Eng ...

Bitterroot Bitterroot (''Lewisia rediviva'') is a small perennial herb in the family Montiaceae. Its specific epithet ("revived, reborn") refers to its ability to regenerate from dry and seemingly dead roots. The genus '' Lewisia'' was moved in 2009 fro ...

, Salish, and Cabinet ranges. The Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail traverses the Forest. More than of the trail are within the Kootenai. The

Kootenai The Kutenai ( ), also known as the Ktunaxa ( ; ), Ksanka ( ), Kootenay (in Canada) and Kootenai (in the United States), are an indigenous people of Canada and the United States. Kutenai bands live in southeastern British Columbia, northern ...

and the Clark Fork rivers are the major rivers and are fed by abundant rainfall that is more than double that amount found elsewhere in Montana. Three major hydroelectric

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

s exist in the Kootenai National Forest. Libby Dam on the Kootenai River creates a -long lake known as

Lake Koocanusa Lake Koocanusa () is a reservoir in British Columbia (Canada) and Montana (United States) formed by the damming of the Kootenai River by the Libby Dam in 1972. The Dam was formally dedicated by President Gerald Ford on August 24, 1975. The la ...

(a play on Kootenai-Canada-United States of America), which extends into Canada. The shores of the lake are all forested with no private property easements. The lowest elevation in Montana is where the Kootenai River leaves the state, above sea level. Other rivers in the forest include the Yaak, Fisher, Tobacco and Vermillion, with water flowing from over 100 lakes. The climate of the Kootenai has been described as "modified Pacific maritime" in character, meaning that compared to the remainder of Montana, this area's climate resembles that found along the Pacific coast. The character becomes "modified" by occasional intrusions of arctic air masses, more common elsewhere in Montana, which can bring winter

temperature Temperature is a physical quantity that expresses quantitatively the perceptions of hotness and coldness. Temperature is measurement, measured with a thermometer. Thermometers are calibrated in various Conversion of units of temperature, temp ...

s down to . Winters also feature heavy snowfalls in the mountains. US93 through Kootenai National Forest

Access into the forest is via U.S. Highway 2,

U.S. Highway 93 U.S. Route 93 (US 93) is a major north–south United States highway, numbered highway in the western United States. The southern terminus is at U.S. Route 60 in Arizona, US 60 in Wickenburg, Arizona. The northern terminus is at the ...

, and Montana State Highways 37, 56, 200, and 508. The national forest is located overwhelmingly (almost 95 percent) in

Lincoln County, Montana Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,677. Its county seat is Libby. The county was founded in 1909 and named for President Abraham Lincoln. The county lies on Montana's ...

, but extends into neighboring counties. In descending order of forestland area, they are Flathead County in Montana, Bonner and

Boundary Boundary or Boundaries may refer to: * Border, in political geography Entertainment * ''Boundaries'' (2016 film), a 2016 Canadian film * ''Boundaries'' (2018 film), a 2018 American-Canadian road trip film *Boundary (cricket), the edge of the pla ...

counties in Idaho, and Sanders County in Montana.

References

External links

* * * {{authority control National Forests of Idaho National Forests of Montana National Forests of the Rocky Mountains Protected areas established in 1907 Protected areas of Lincoln County, Montana Protected areas of Flathead County, Montana Protected areas of Sanders County, Montana Protected areas of Bonner County, Idaho Protected areas of Boundary County, Idaho 1907 establishments in Montana

See also

References

External links