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| The Bighorn
National Forest is 80 miles long and 30 miles wide. |
| The Forest covers
1,115,073 acres. |
| Elevations range
from 5,500 feet to 13,175 feet |
- Cloud Peak
is 13,175 feet
- Black Tooth Mountain is 13,005 feet |
| The most common tree is lodgepole pine. |
| The Forest has 32
campgrounds, 14 picnic areas, 2 visitor centers, 2 ski areas, 7 lodges, 2 recreation
lakes, 3 Scenic Byways and over 1,500 miles (2419 Km) of trails. |
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| The Big Horn River,
flowing along the west side of the Forest, was first named by American Indians due to the
great herds of Bighorn Sheep at its mouth. Lewis and Clark transferred the name to the
mountain range in the early 1800's. |
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100
Years -- 1000 Uses !
For thousands of years, human cultures
have inhabited the Big Horn region, using mountain resources to improve their
quality-of-life.
During the 1800's the Big Horns provided
teepee poles, lumber for nearby Fort Phil Kearny, beaver pelts, medicinal plants, abundant
big game, summer grazing for cattle and sheep and clear, cool water. On February 22, 1897,
Grover Cleveland signed legislation creating the Bighorn National Reserve, in recognition
of the value these mountains hold for the American people and their livelihood.
Today, much remains the same. The Big Horns still provide products and uses like wood,
water, livestock forage, and minerals. Of equal or even greater worth are the intangible
resources that move our mind and soothe our souls -- wildlife and wildflowers, magnificent
scenic vistas, mountain trails, fresh air and the freedom of wide open spaces. |
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