The Kootenai National Forest is a
national forest located in the far northwestern section of
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 ...
and the northeasternmost lands in the
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 ...
panhandle in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, along the
Canada–US border. Of the administered by the forest, less than 3 percent is located in the state of Idaho. Forest headquarters are located in
Libby, Montana. There are local ranger district offices in
Eureka
Eureka (often abbreviated as E!, or Σ!) is an intergovernmental organisation for research and development funding and coordination. Eureka is an open platform for international cooperation in innovation. Organisations and companies applying th ...
,
Fortine,
Libby,
Trout Creek, and
Troy, Montana. About 53 percent of the
Cabinet Mountains Wilderness is located within the forest, with the balance lying in neighboring
Kaniksu National Forest
The Kaniksu National Forest (pronounced "Kuh-NICK-su") is a U.S. National Forest located in northeastern Washington, the Idaho Panhandle, and northwestern Montana. It is one of three forests that are aggregated into the Idaho Panhandle National ...
.
Snowshoe Peak in the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness, at , is the highest peak within the forest. Mountain ranges included in the forest include the Whitefish,
Purcell
Henry Purcell (, rare: September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer.
Purcell's style of Baroque music was uniquely English, although it incorporated Italian and French elements. Generally considered among the greatest Eng ...
,
Bitterroot
Bitterroot (''Lewisia rediviva'') is a small perennial herb in the family Montiaceae. Its specific epithet ("revived, reborn") refers to its ability to regenerate from dry and seemingly dead roots.
The genus '' Lewisia'' was moved in 2009 fro ...
,
Salish, and
Cabinet ranges.
The
Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail traverses the Forest. More than of the trail are within the Kootenai.
The
Kootenai
The Kutenai ( ), also known as the Ktunaxa ( ; ), Ksanka ( ), Kootenay (in Canada) and Kootenai (in the United States), are an indigenous people of Canada and the United States. Kutenai bands live in southeastern British Columbia, northern ...
and the
Clark Fork rivers are the major rivers and are fed by abundant rainfall that is more than double that amount found elsewhere in Montana. Three major
hydroelectric dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...
s exist in the Kootenai National Forest. Libby Dam on the Kootenai River creates a -long lake known as
Lake Koocanusa
Lake Koocanusa () is a reservoir in British Columbia (Canada) and Montana (United States) formed by the damming of the Kootenai River by the Libby Dam in 1972. The Dam was formally dedicated by President Gerald Ford on August 24, 1975.
The la ...
(a play on Kootenai-Canada-United States of America), which extends into Canada. The shores of the lake are all forested with no private property easements. The lowest elevation in Montana is where the Kootenai River leaves the state, above sea level. Other rivers in the forest include the
Yaak, Fisher, Tobacco and Vermillion, with water flowing from over 100 lakes.
The climate of the Kootenai has been described as "modified Pacific maritime" in character, meaning that compared to the remainder of Montana, this area's climate resembles that found along the
Pacific coast. The character becomes "modified" by occasional intrusions of arctic air masses, more common elsewhere in Montana, which can bring winter
temperature
Temperature is a physical quantity that expresses quantitatively the perceptions of hotness and coldness. Temperature is measurement, measured with a thermometer.
Thermometers are calibrated in various Conversion of units of temperature, temp ...
s down to . Winters also feature heavy snowfalls in the mountains.
Access into the forest is via
U.S. Highway 2,
U.S. Highway 93
U.S. Route 93 (US 93) is a major north–south United States highway, numbered highway in the western United States. The southern terminus is at U.S. Route 60 in Arizona, US 60 in Wickenburg, Arizona. The northern terminus is at the ...
, and Montana State Highways 37, 56, 200, and 508.
The national forest is located overwhelmingly (almost 95 percent) in
Lincoln County, Montana
Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,677. Its county seat is Libby. The county was founded in 1909 and named for President Abraham Lincoln. The county lies on Montana's ...
, but extends into neighboring counties. In descending order of forestland area, they are
Flathead County in Montana,
Bonner and
Boundary
Boundary or Boundaries may refer to:
* Border, in political geography
Entertainment
* ''Boundaries'' (2016 film), a 2016 Canadian film
* ''Boundaries'' (2018 film), a 2018 American-Canadian road trip film
*Boundary (cricket), the edge of the pla ...
counties in Idaho, and
Sanders County in Montana.
See also
*
Gibralter Fire
*
List of forests in Montana
References
External links
*
*
*
{{authority control
National Forests of Idaho
National Forests of Montana
National Forests of the Rocky Mountains
Protected areas established in 1907
Protected areas of Lincoln County, Montana
Protected areas of Flathead County, Montana
Protected areas of Sanders County, Montana
Protected areas of Bonner County, Idaho
Protected areas of Boundary County, Idaho
1907 establishments in Montana