The Henrys Lake Mountains, highest point Sheep Point, el. , (See also ) are a small

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 ...

northwest of

West Yellowstone, Montana West Yellowstone is a town in Gallatin County, Montana, United States, adjacent to Yellowstone National Park. The population was 1,272 at the 2020 census. West Yellowstone is served by Yellowstone Airport. It is part of the Bozeman, MT Microp ...

, in

Madison County, Montana Madison County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,623. Its county seat is Virginia City. The county was founded in 1865; at the time it was part of the Montana Territory. Geography According ...

. These mountains are also referred to as the Lionhead Mountains, and straddle 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 ...

along the Idaho-Montana border. On the northwest corner of these mountains is

Quake Lake Quake Lake (officially Earthquake Lake) is a lake in the western United States, on the Madison River in southwestern Montana. It was created after an earthquake struck on August 17, 1959, with 28 fatalities. Northwest of West Yellowston ...

, created when the

1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake The 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake (also known as the 1959 Yellowstone earthquake) occurred in the western United States on August 17 at 11:37 pm ( MST) in southwestern Montana. The earthquake measured 7.2 on the moment magnitude scale, caused a h ...

caused a massive landslide and dammed the

Madison River The Madison River is a headwater tributary of the Missouri River, approximately long, in Wyoming and Montana. Its confluence with the Jefferson and Gallatin rivers near Three Forks, Montana forms the Missouri River. Course The Madison Ri ...

. Nine subalpine lakes sit in high cirques in the higher reaches, with several peaks topping 10,000'. Coffin Lake is the largest and most popular, on the Montana side. About 32,000 acres are roadless in the Montana portion, with an unknown amount in Idaho. Dense forests, pristine streams, rolling tundra, and grassy parks provide year-round habitat for

grizzly bears The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America. In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horr ...

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. ...

, and

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 ...

. Rocks and soils are inherently unstable, a factor in the landslide that caused much loss of life in 1959. The instability exists because the range is basically limestone blocks sitting on top of shale and Yellowstone volcanic rocks.

Notes

External Links

{{commons category, Henrys Lake Mountains, position=left Mountain ranges of Montana Mountain ranges of Idaho Landforms of Madison County, Montana Landforms of Fremont County, Idaho