Located within the forest are the Gros Ventre, Bridger and Teton Wildernesses, totaling 1.2 million acres (4,900 square kilometers). Other points of interest contained in the forest include Gannett Peak at 13,804 feet (4,207 m), the tallest mountain in Wyoming, and the Gros Ventre landslide, which is one of the largest readily visible landslides on earth. All of the forest is in turn a part of the 20-million-acre (81,000-square-kilometer) Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
While Gannett Peak is the highest summit in the forest, another 40 named mountains rise above 12,000 ft (3,660 m). The high altitudes and abundant snowfall, exceeding 600 inches (15 m) at some locations, provides a constant supply of water for streams and rivers. 1,500 lakes also help provide water for the Yellowstone, Snake and Green rivers, which all have their headwaters in the forest. Seven of the largest glaciers outside of Alaska are located within the forest boundaries.
Bridger–Teton National Forest headquarters in Jackson, Wyoming
Over 2,000 mi (3,200 km) of hiking trails are located in the forest providing access into wilderness areas and interlinking with trails in Yellowstone National Park. There are several dozen vehicle accessible campgrounds that have picnic tables and tent sites as well as room in some circumstances for recreational vehicles. Nighttime temperatures can be below freezing any time of the year and mosquitos in the late spring and early summer are common. Summertime high temperatures average at 70 to 79 °F (21 to 26 °C) and the wintertime lows can drop below −50 °F (−46 °C).
Administration
Bridger–Teton National Forest is an administrative combination of Bridger and Teton National Forests, amalgamated in 1973. The Bridger National Forest itself absorbed Wyoming National Forest in 1923. The Wyoming National Forest had been created as the Yellowstone Forest Reserve in 1904, then renamed in 1908.[3] The Teton Forest Reserve was created at the same time, destined to become Teton National Forest.