Geography and Geology
The elevation in the forest ranges from 4,514 feet (1,376 m) at Rock Creek south of Twin Falls to 12,009 feet (3,660 m) above sea level at the top of Hyndman Peak, an elevation gain of 7,495 feet (2,284 m). The mountains of the Minidoka District are part of the Basin and Range Province, while those in the northern section of the forest are part of the Rocky Mountains. The Sawtooth Mountains have at least 50 peaks over 10,000 ft (3,000 m) high.
| Mountain Range | Highest point | Elevation of highest point | Location | Ranger District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pioneer Mountains | Hyndman Peak | 12,009 ft (3,660 m) | 43°44′58″N 114°07′52″W / 43.749432°N 114.131169°W / 43.749432; -114.131169 (Hyndman Peak) | Ketchum |
| White Cloud Mountains | Castle Peak | 11,815 ft (3,601 m) | 44°02′23″N 114°35′07″W / 44.039617°N 114.585378°W / 44.039617; -114.585378 (Castle Peak) | SNRA |
| Boulder Mountains | Ryan Peak | 11,714 ft (3,570 m) | 43°54′08″N 114°24′34″W / 43.902222°N 114.409444°W / 43.902222; -114.409444 (Ryan Peak) | SNRA |
| Sawtooth Mountains | Thompson Peak | 10,751 ft (3,277 m) | 44°08′30″N 115°00′36″W / 44.141533°N 115.010011°W / 44.141533; -115.010011 (Thompson Peak) | SNRA |
| Smoky Mountains | Saviers Peak | 10,441 ft (3,182 m) | 43°49′19″N 114°42′47″W / 43.821944°N 114.713056°W / 43.821944; -114.713056 (Saviers Peak) | Fairfield/Ketchum/SNRA |
| Albion Mountains | Cache Peak | 10,339 ft (3,151 m) | 42°11′08″N 113°39′40″W / 42.185606°N 113.661156°W / 42.185606; -113.661156 (Cache Peak) | Minidoka |
| Soldier Mountains | Smoky Dome | 10,095 ft (3,077 m) | 43°29′36″N 114°56′11″W / 43.493236°N 114.936256°W / 43.493236; -114.936256 (Smoky Dome) | Fairfield |
| Raft River Mountains | Bull Mountain | 9,925 ft (3,025 m) | 41°54′17″N 113°23′20″W / 41.90482°N 113.388868°W / 41.90482; -113.388868 (Bull Mountain) | Minidoka |
| Black Pine Mountains | Black Pine Mtns HP | 9,389 ft (2,862 m) | 42°08′19″N 113°07′32″W / 42.13866°N 113.125608°W / 42.13866; -113.125608 (Black Pine Mountains High Point) | Minidoka |
| Sublett Mountains | Sublett Range HP | 7,492 ft (2,284 m) | 42°22′12″N 112°55′50″W / 42.369989°N 112.93057°W / 42.369989; -112.93057 (Sublett Range High Point) | Minidoka |
The mountains of Sawtooth National Forest have a varied geological history. The northern Sawtooth Mountains formed from the Eocene Sawtooth batholith, while south of Alturas Lake the Sawtooth, Smoky, and Soldier mountains formed from the Cretaceous granodiorite of the Idaho batholith. Foothills of the Smoky Mountains are from the Pennsylvanian and Permian Dollarhide formations. The White Cloud Mountains are underlain by the gray granodiorite of the Idaho batholith, while some of the exposed rock is baked impure limestone from the Permian Grand Prize Formation. The central mass of the Raft River Mountains consists of Precambrian metamorphic rocks with Elba quartzite and interlayered schist on the southern slopes and Cambrian quartzite outcrops on the western part of the range. Below the Sublett Mountains the Phosphoria Formation, a basal phosphorite overlain by a thick sequence of chert and cherty sandstone, reaches its greatest thickness. Soils in the northern part of the forest are generally deep and highly fertile in lowlands but shallow and less so on steep slopes. In the Minidoka Ranger District, soils are generally productive, derived from volcanic and sedimentary material, shallow on steep slopes, and deep in lowlands.
The Boulder, Pioneer, Sawtooth, Smoky, and White Cloud mountains are generally jagged, while the ranges on the Minidoka District, the Albion, Black Pine, Raft River, and Sublett mountains, are generally smooth and rolling. Galena Summit is a mountain pass at 8,701 ft (2,652 m) on Idaho State Highway 75 between Stanley and Ketchum, roughly where the Boulder and Smoky Mountains meet. While not in Sawtooth National Forest, Banner Creek Summit is a 7,037-foot (2,145 m) mountain pass on Idaho State Highway 21 at the northern end of the Sawtooth Mountains at the border of the Boise and Challis National Forests.
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“At present cats have more purchasing power and influence than the poor of this planet. Accidents of geography and colonial history should no longer determine who gets the fish.”
—Derek Wall (b. 1965)