The Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River (sometimes called the Clark's Fork River ) is a tributary of the Yellowstone River , 150 mi (241 km) long in the U.S. states of Montana and Wyoming .
18-624: It rises in southern Montana, in the Gallatin National Forest in the Beartooth Mountains , approximately 4 mi (6 km) northeast of Cooke City and southwest of Granite Peak . It flows southeast into the Shoshone National Forest in northwest Wyoming, east of Yellowstone National Park , then northeast back into Montana. It passes Belfry , Bridger , Fromberg , and Edgar , and joins
36-664: Is a United States National Forest located in South-West Montana . Most of the Custer-Gallatin goes along the state's southern border, with some of it a part of North-West Wyoming . The forest area comprises a total of 3,411,239 acres (13,804.79 km ) with around 2,129,194 acres (8,616.54 km ) located in the Gallatin Forest area and 1,282,045 acres (5,188.25 km ) within the Custer. Most of
54-895: Is a headwater tributary of the Missouri River , approximately 183 miles (295 km) long, in Wyoming and Montana . Its confluence with the Jefferson and Gallatin rivers near Three Forks, Montana forms the Missouri River. The Madison rises in Teton County in northwestern Wyoming at the confluence of the Firehole and Gibbon rivers, a location in Yellowstone National Park called Madison Junction . It first flows west, then north through
72-487: Is a popular snowmobile center during the winter. Nighttime temperatures can be below freezing any time of the year, and mosquitoes in the late spring and early summer are abundant. Summertime high temperatures average in the 70s Fahrenheit (21–26 °C), and the wintertime lows can drop below −40 degrees. Most of the precipitation falls in the form of snow with some places averaging over 33 ft (10 m) annually. Madison River The Madison River
90-709: The 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake formed Quake Lake just downstream from Hebgen Dam. Downstream from Ennis, the Madison flows through Bear Trap Canyon, known for its class IV-V whitewater . The Bear Trap Canyon section is part of the Lee Metcalf Wilderness area. The river was named in July ;1805 by Meriwether Lewis at Three Forks. The central fork of the three, it was named for U.S. Secretary of State James Madison , who later succeeded Thomas Jefferson as President in 1809. The western fork,
108-784: The 4,000 mi (6,400 km) of streams and rivers there are major tributaries of the Yellowstone River , which bisects the western and eastern sections of the forest running through Paradise Valley . Major tributaries of the Missouri River , the Gallatin and Madison Rivers , also are found in the forest. The habitat supports over 300 wildlife species, including grizzly bear , bald eagle , and peregrine falcon . Many western North American species are represented in this climax ecosystem including elk , mule deer , bison , moose , bighorn sheep , pronghorn , cougar , gray wolf and black bear . Many species of fish inhabit
126-754: The Gallatin National Forest and Custer National Forest were merged administratively in order to combat rising costs, with a new management plan created for both national forests in 2020. Since 2014, the Gallatin and Custer National Forests are managed together as the Custer–Gallatin National Forest with a headquarters in Bozeman, Montana and an additional office in Billings . There are seven local ranger district offices for
144-716: The Gallatin borders Yellowstone National Park and is a part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem , an area which encompasses almost 20,000,000 acres (81,000 km ) in and around the park. The Custer National Forest is spread out along Eastern Montana and the North-West side of Wyoming, with most of its land being held in Montana. The forest stretches through about six counties, including Park , Gallatin , Sweet Grass , Madison , Carbon , and Meagher . There are six separate mountain ranges within
162-644: The Northern U.S. Forest Service, eventually being named after Albert Gallatin (1761–1849), a U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and scholar of Native American languages and cultures. In 1959, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake occurred in Madison Canyon outside of Yellowstone National Park, resulting in a massive landslide that blocked the Madison River and formed what we know as Quake Lake. As of 2014,
180-709: The Yellowstone approximately 2 mi (3 km) southeast of Laurel . This article related to a river in Montana is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a river in Wyoming is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Gallatin National Forest The Gallatin National Forest (now known as the Custer-Gallatin National Forest)
198-579: The east. The forest includes two wilderness areas, the Absaroka–Beartooth and the Lee Metcalf , along with some of the tributaries for the Yellowstone , Madison , and Missouri rivers. While the lower elevations are often covered in grasses and sagebrush , higher altitudes support Douglas fir , with several species of spruce , cottonwood and aspen being the dominant tree species. Of
SECTION 10
#1732781038123216-539: The forest including the Gallatin , Madison , Bridger , Crazy , Absaroka , and Beartooth Ranges. The Beartooth's are home to Granite Peak , which at 12,799 ft (3,901 m), is the highest point both in the forest and in Montana. A separate section of the forest north of Livingston, Montana, is located in the Crazy Mountains which rise over 7,000 ft (2,100 m) above the Great Plains to
234-413: The forest providing access to wilderness areas and interlinking with trails in Yellowstone National Park . There are almost 40 vehicle accessible campgrounds scattered throughout the forest, numerous picnic areas, and even cabins that can be rented for a nominal fee through the forest's district offices. West Yellowstone, Montana provides access both into the forest and to Yellowstone National Park and
252-493: The forest, with locations in West Yellowstone , Livingston , Bozeman , Gardiner , Ashland , and Red Lodge for Montana and Camp Crook for South Dakota. There's access to the forest off Interstate 90 South on U.S. Highway 89 from Livingston, Montana, to Gardiner, Montana, or South on U.S. 191 from Bozeman, Montana, to West Yellowstone. Over 2,290 mi (3,690 km) of hiking trails are located in
270-541: The largest, was named for President Jefferson and the east fork for Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin . The Madison is a class I river in Montana for the purposes of access for recreational use . The Madison River is widely regarded as one of the finest trout fisheries in the world. It is classified as a blue ribbon fishery in Montana, where fly fisherman target brown trout , rainbow trout , cutthroat trout , and mountain whitefish . Grizzly bears and wolves reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park roam
288-709: The mountains of southwestern Montana to join the Jefferson and the Gallatin rivers at Three Forks. The Missouri River Headwaters State Park is located on the Madison at Three Forks. In its upper reaches in Gallatin County, Montana , the Hebgen Dam forms Hebgen Lake . In its middle reaches in Madison County, Montana , the Madison Dam forms Ennis Lake and provides hydroelectric power . In 1959,
306-421: The numerous rivers and other bodies of water, including white sucker , longnose sucker , mountain sucker , longnose dace , western mosquitofish , mottled sculpin , and gamefish such as Yellowstone cutthroat trout , mountain whitefish , and the introduced rainbow trout , brown trout , and brook trout . Various subspecies of trout are plentiful in the streams and they contribute to the forest being one of
324-528: The preeminent fly fishing regions in the United States. The population of Yellowstone cutthroat trout in and near Gallatin National Forest have been at risk of hybridization with rainbow trout. The forest is a cross roads and homelands of a number of Indian tribes, and subject to the treaties, cultural traditions and practices of various tribes. The forest was founded in 1899 as a part of
#122877