The Beaverhead Mountains, highest point Scott Peak, el. , are a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have aris ...

straddling the

Continental Divide A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not ...

in the U.S. states of

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

and

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

. (See also the GNIS link here.) They are a sub-range of the

Bitterroot Range The Bitterroot Range is a mountain range and a subrange of the Rocky Mountains that runs along the border of Montana and Idaho in the northwestern United States. The range spans an area of and is named after the bitterroot (''Lewisia rediviva ...

, and divide

Beaverhead County, Montana Beaverhead County is the largest county by area in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,371. Its county seat is Dillon. The county was founded in 1865. Much of the perimeter of the county is the Continental ...

from

Lemhi County, Idaho Lemhi County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,974. The largest city and county seat is Salmon. The county was established in 1869 and named after Fort Lemhi (or Limhi), a remote Morm ...

and

Clark County, Idaho Clark County is a rural county in the U.S. state of Idaho; its county seat and largest city is Dubois. As of the 2020 census, the population was 790, making it the least populous county in the state. History Establishment of stage coach stop ...

Geography

The Beaverheads encompass an area of . They lie to the east of the

Bitterroot Mountains The Northern and Central Bitterroot Range, collectively the Bitterroot Mountains ( Salish: čkʷlkʷqin), is the largest portion of the Bitterroot Range, part of the Rocky Mountains and Idaho Batholith, located in the panhandle of Idaho and w ...

, to the south-west of the Big Hole Basin and the Pioneer Mountains and to the west of the

Centennial Mountains The Centennial Mountains are the southernmost sub-range of the Bitterroot Range in the U.S. states of Idaho and Montana. The Centennial Mountains include the Western and Eastern Centennial Mountains. The range extends east from Monida Pass alon ...

. Passes in the mountains include

Lemhi Pass Lemhi Pass is a high mountain pass in the Beaverhead Mountains, part of the Bitterroot Range in the Rocky Mountains and within Salmon-Challis National Forest. The pass lies on the Montana-Idaho border on the Continental Divide, at an elevation ...

Bannock Pass Bannock Pass is a high mountain pass in the Beaverhead Mountains, part of the Bitterroot Range in the Rocky Mountains. The pass lies on the Montana-Idaho border on the Continental Divide, at an elevation of above sea level. The pass is crossed ...

, Big Hole Pass, Big Hole Pass II, Junction Pass and

Monida Pass Monida Pass is a high mountain pass in the northern Rocky Mountains of the western United States, at an elevation of above sea level on Interstate 15, and on the Union Pacific Railroad. On the Continental Divide in the Bitterroot Range, it ...

. The Beaverheads are further subdivided into the West Big Hole Mountains, the Big Hole Divide, the

Tendoy Mountains The Tendoy Mountains are a small mountain range northwest of Lima in Beaverhead County in the U.S. state of Montana. The mountains are a subrange of the Beaverhead Mountains, part of the Bitterroot Range. The highest point in the range is Dixon ...

, the Italian Peaks, and the Garfield Peaks.

Climate

Homer Youngs Peak is a mountain in the West Big Hole roadless area.

Etymology

The mountains take their name from

Beaverhead Rock Beaverhead Rock, also known as Point of Rocks, is a rock formation overlooking the Beaverhead River in Montana protected as Beaverhead Rock State Park. It is located on Montana State Highway 41, south of Twin Bridges, Madison County. It was ...

, to the north of the mountains. Major summits in the Beaverheads include Garfield Mountain (10,961 ft) and Eighteenmile Peak (11,141 ft).

Roadless areas

The Beaverheads contain two large roadless areas, one predominantly in Montana and the other predominantly in Idaho.

West Big Hole

The West Big Hole roadless area is mostly in Montana and is about 215,000 acres in size. It includes parts of the

Beaverhead National Forest Beaverhead County is the largest county by area in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,371. Its county seat is Dillon. The county was founded in 1865. Much of the perimeter of the county is the Continental D ...

in Montana and the

Salmon National Forest Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family Salmonidae, native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (''Salmo'') and North Pac ...

in Idaho, and ranges in elevation from 4,500 feet on the Salmon River in Idaho to 10,620 feet at Homer Youngs Peak in Montana. Rugged peaks, semiarid foothills on the Idaho side, and extensive conifer forests on the Montana side provide habitat for a large

elk The elk (: ''elk'' or ''elks''; ''Cervus canadensis'') or wapiti, is the second largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. ...

herd that winters in Idaho and summers in Montana. The Montana side drains into the

Big Hole River The Big Hole River is a tributary of the Jefferson River, approximately 153 miles (246 km) long, in Beaverhead County, Montana, Beaverhead County, in southwestern Montana, United States. It is the last habitat in the contiguou ...

, a blue-ribbon trout stream. Marshy glacial valleys on the Montana portion constitute some of the best

moose The moose (: 'moose'; used in North America) or elk (: 'elk' or 'elks'; used in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is the world's tallest, largest and heaviest extant species of deer and the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is also the tal ...

habitat in the state. Other wildlife includes

black bear Black bear or Blackbear may refer to: Animals * American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), a North American bear species * Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), an Asian bear species Music * Black Bear (band), a Canadian First Nations group ...

mountain goat The mountain goat (''Oreamnos americanus''), also known as the Rocky Mountain goat, is a cloven-footed mammal that is endemic to the remote and rugged mountainous areas of western North America. A subalpine to truly alpine species, it is a s ...

bighorn sheep The bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis'') is a species of Ovis, sheep native to North America. It is named for its large Horn (anatomy), horns. A pair of horns may weigh up to ; the sheep typically weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates th ...

lynx A lynx ( ; : lynx or lynxes) is any of the four wikt:extant, extant species (the Canada lynx, Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx and the bobcat) within the medium-sized wild Felidae, cat genus ''Lynx''. The name originated in Middle Engl ...

marten A marten is a weasel-like mammal in the genus ''Martes'' within the subfamily Guloninae, in the family Mustelidae. They have bushy tails and large paws with partially retractile claws. The fur varies from yellowish to dark brown, depending on ...

, and deer.

Idaho roadless area

The other large roadless area is mainly in Idaho and is centered on the Italian Peaks portion of the range. This area is about 360,000 acres in size and contains portions of the Beaverhead, Salmon, and Targhee National Forests. Scott Peak, el. 11,393 feet, the highest point in the Beaverheads, is in this roadless area. This area is predominantly semiarid

sagebrush Sagebrush is the common name of several woody and herbaceous species of plants in the genus ''Artemisia (plant), Artemisia''. The best-known sagebrush is the shrub ''Artemisia tridentata''. Sagebrush is native to the western half of North Amer ...

grassland with pockets of coniferous forest, large areas of

quaking aspen ''Populus tremuloides'' is a deciduous tree native to cooler areas of North America, one of several species referred to by the common name aspen. It is commonly called quaking aspen,

, and alpine peaks. Wildlife includes

pronghorn The pronghorn (, ) (''Antilocapra americana'') is a species of artiodactyl (even-toed, hoofed) mammal indigenous to interior western and central North America. Though not an antelope, it is known colloquially in North America as the American ante ...

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of pr ...

, and

mule deer The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer. Unlike the related whit ...

. These two roadless areas, along with the

to the east and other roadless areas along the

to the west, are important biological connectors allowing wildlife to migrate and disperse between two large wildland complexes: The

Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) is one of the last remaining large, nearly intact ecosystems in the northern temperate zone of Earth. It is located within the northern Rocky Mountains, in areas of northwestern Wyoming, southwestern Monta ...

and Central Idaho Wilderness Ecosystem.

Notes

{{Authority control Mountain ranges of Montana Mountain ranges of Idaho Landforms of Beaverhead County, Montana Landforms of Lemhi County, Idaho Landforms of Clark County, Idaho Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest Salmon-Challis National Forest