The Centennial Mountains are the southernmost 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' ...

in the U.S. states of

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...

and

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

. The Centennial Mountains include the Western and Eastern Centennial Mountains. The range extends east from

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 ...

along the Continental Divide to Henrys Fork NNW of

Ashton, Idaho Ashton is a city in Fremont County, Idaho, United States. The population was 1,127 at the 2010 census, and it is part of the Rexburg Micropolitan Statistical Area. The district is noted for seed potato production and bills itself as the world's ...

; bounded on the west by Beaver Creek, on the north by Centennial Valley and Henrys Lake Mountains, on the east by Henrys Lake Flat, and on the south by Shotgun Valley and the Snake River Plain. The highest peak in the range is Mount Jefferson. They are one of only a few ranges within the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico ...

that trend west to east, and the Continental Divide runs along their ridge line. The Western Centennial Mountains extends west from the Eastern Centennial Mountains along the Continental Divide to Monida Pass, 25 mi NE of

Dubois, Idaho Dubois (, ) is a city in Clark County, Idaho, United States. The population was 511 at the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Clark County. The city was named in 1892 for Fred Dubois (1851−1930), a prominent politician in Idaho's ...

; Snake River Plain, on the north by Centennial Valley, and the east by a line connecting Odell Creek and an unnamed tributary, in Montana, to Ching Creek in Idaho. About 100,000 acres of the Centennials are roadless. This includes National Forest lands, the Bureau of Land Management's Centennial Mountains Primitive Area, a portion of

Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge is a remote refuge located in the high elevation of the Centennial Valley, in the southwestern region of the U.S. state of Montana. Adjacent to Gallatin National Forest and near Yellowstone National Park, t ...

, state and private land, and part of a

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

Agricultural Research Station for sheep. Around 326

vascular plant Vascular plants (), also called tracheophytes () or collectively Tracheophyta (), form a large group of land plants ( accepted known species) that have lignified tissues (the xylem) for conducting water and minerals throughout the plant. They ...

species have been identified in the Centennials, an unusual plant diversity for the Yellowstone region. Grizzly bears inhabit the area, as nearly all species indigenous to 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 the Earth. It is located within the northern Rocky Mountains, in areas of northwestern Wyoming, southwestern M ...

are present. The north slope of the Centennials rises abruptly 3,000 feet above the Centennial Valley.

Notes

{{Authority control Bitterroot Range Mountain ranges of Idaho Mountain ranges of Montana Landforms of Clark County, Idaho Landforms of Fremont County, Idaho Ranges of the Rocky Mountains

See also

Notes