Physical Features
Some distinct physical features of the Shoshone include:
- Wyoming's highest point, Gannett Peak, at 13,804 feet
- The largest concentration of glaciers in the lower 48 states
- The Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone Wild and Scenic River
- Three Waters Mountain, which funnels water to the Green, Missouri, and Snake Rivers
- Paleontological specimens, including a petrified forest
- Geology ranging from volcanoes to limestone
Over 25 percent of the Shoshone's 2.4 million acres is a landscape above timberline and 13 percent is mapped as rock, barren, or ice, which projects as large expansive peaks and plateaus. The Shoshone's grasslands and forests, mainly lodgepole pine, Engelmann spruce, and Douglas fir, contribute to healthy watersheds.
The terrain varies widely from sagebrush flats to rugged mountains because the Shoshone is situated on the western edge of the Great Plains and the eastern side of the continental divide. Elevations on the Shoshone range from 4,600 feet at the mouth of Clarks Fork Canyon to 13,804 feet on Gannett Peak.