| Sawtooth Range | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Thompson Peak |
| Elevation | 10,756 ft (3,278 m) NAVD 88[1] |
| Coordinates | 44°08′30″N115°00′36″W / 44.141533°N 115.009969°W /44.141533; -115.009969 |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 43 mi (69 km) N/S |
| Width | 25 mi (40 km) E/W |
| Area | 678 sq mi (1,760 km2) |
| Geography | |
  Sawtooth Range | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Idaho |
| Counties | Custer,Boise,Blaine andElmore |
| Range coordinates | 43°57′12″N114°59′26″W / 43.95333°N 114.99056°W /43.95333; -114.99056[2] |
| Parent range | Rocky Mountains |
| Borders on | Sawtooth Valley |
TheSawtooth Range is amountain range of theRocky Mountains in centralIdaho,United States, reaching a maximum elevation of 10,751 feet (3,277 m) at the summit ofThompson Peak. It encompasses an area of 678 square miles (1,756 km2) spanning parts ofCuster,Boise,Blaine, andElmore counties, and is bordered to the east by theSawtooth Valley. Much of the mountain range is within theSawtooth Wilderness, part of theSawtooth National Recreation Area andSawtooth National Forest.[3]
The mountains were named for their jagged peaks.[4]
There are 57 peaks with an elevation over 10,000 feet (3,000 m) in the Sawtooth Range, all falling between 10,000 to 10,751 feet (3,048 to 3,277 m) onThompson Peak, the highest point in the range. Another 77 peaks fall between 9,000 and 10,000 feet (2,700 and 3,000 m).[5]
Climbs range in difficulty between the 9,150-foot (2,790 m) Observation Peak, a Class 1 hike, and 8,980-foot (2,740 m) King Spire, a rock route rated Class 5.10 on theYosemite Decimal System.[5][6]
The northern Sawtooth Range formed from theEocene Sawtoothbatholith, while south of Alturas Lake the mountains formed from theCretaceousgranodiorite of theIdaho Batholith.[7][8] The Sawtooth Range has a history ofalpineglaciation, but while no surface glaciers exist today, perennialsnow fields androck glaciers remain, usually on north or east facing slopes. There have been 202 perennial snow fields mapped in the Sawtooth Range.[9] The Sawtooth Range was last extensively glaciated in thePleistocene, but glaciers probably existed during theLittle Ice Age, which ended around 1850 AD.[10][11] Evidence of past glaciation given remnants of the glaciers such asglacial lakes,moraines,horns,hanging valleys,cirques, andarêtes.[10]
In 2010, scientists fromIdaho State University discovered theSawtooth Fault near the base of the mountains, running for 40 mi (64 km), nearStanley andRedfish Lake. The Sawtooth Fault’s latest period of significantseismic activity occurred between roughly 4,000 and 7,000 years ago. Nevertheless, estimates predict that it could be capable of producing a 7.5-magnitude earthquake, felt as far away asBoise, a distance of some 132.7 miles (213.5 km).[12][13]
The Sawtooth Range is home to hundreds of lakes created by vanished alpine glaciers, with nearly 400 lakes in the Sawtooth Wilderness.[14] Five of the six largest lakes in the range are located outside the wilderness (Redfish,Alturas,Pettit,Yellow Belly, andStanley lakes), whileSawtooth Lake is within the wilderness.[3]
Most of the east side of the Sawtooth Range is drained by the main stem of theSalmon River and the west side by the South ForkPayette River. Small portions of the northern and southern ends of the range are in the watersheds of theMiddle Fork Salmon River andBoise River, respectively.[3]
There are 40 trails totaling nearly 350 miles (560 km) in the Sawtooth Wilderness that can be used forday hiking,backpacking, andhorseback riding and accessed from 23 trailheads.[15] Additional trails traverse the foothills of the mountains outside the designated wilderness. Camping is permitted anywhere in the wilderness. There are several developed campgrounds on the western side of range, outside the Sawtooth Wilderness, including at Redfish,Little Redfish, Alturas, Pettit, and Stanley lakes, as well as at Iron Creek. Restrictions on fires and animals apply in some areas.[3]
