Elephant Peak
{{Short description|Mountain in Montana, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Elephant Peak
| photo = Elephant Peak.jpg
| photo_caption = South aspect
| elevation_ft = 7938
| elevation_ref ={{cite peakbagger|pid=72774|title=Elephant Peak, Montana|access-date=2023-08-31}}
| prominence_ft = 1678
| prominence_ref ={{cite web|url=https://listsofjohn.com/peak/26667|title=Elephant Peak - 7,938' MT|website=listsofjohn.com|access-date=2023-08-31}}
| isolation_mi = 8.38
| parent_peak =
| etymology =
| country = United States
| state = Montana
| region_type = County
| part_type = Protected area | part = Cabinet Mountains Wilderness
| map = Montana#USA
| relief = 1
| map_caption = Location in Montana##Location in the United States
| label_position = right
| range = Cabinet Mountains
| coordinates = {{coord|48.0884317|N|115.6320787|W|type:mountain_region:US-WA_scale:100000_source:gnis|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_ref ={{cite gnis|id=783041|name=Elephant Peak|access-date=2023-08-31}}
| topo = USGS Elephant Peak
| first_ascent =
| easiest_route =
}}
Elephant Peak is a {{convert|7938|ft|meter|adj=mid|-elevation|abbr=off|sp=us}} mountain summit located on the border shared by Lincoln and Sanders counties in Montana.
Description
Elephant Peak is located {{convert|20|mi}} south of Libby, Montana, in the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness, on land managed by Kaniksu National Forest and Kootenai National Forest. It is set west of the Continental Divide in the Cabinet Mountains which are a subrange of the Rocky Mountains. Elephant Peak ranks as the fourth-highest summit in the Cabinet Mountains, fourth-highest summit in Lincoln County and the fifth-highest in Sanders County. Precipitation runoff from the mountain's east slope drains into Libby Creek which is a tributary of the Kootenai River, whereas the west slope drains into headwaters of East Fork Bull River which is within the Clark Fork River watershed. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises over {{convert|3500|ft|m}} above Libby Creek in 1.4 mile (2.25 km) and {{convert|3200|ft|m}} above Saint Paul Lake in 1.25 mile (2 km). The mountain's toponym was officially adopted in 1923 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names and the name refers to the appearance of the mountain.
Climate
Based on the Köppen climate classification, Elephant Peak is located in a subarctic climate zone characterized by long, usually very cold winters, and cool to mild summers.{{cite journal | author = Peel, M. C. |author2=Finlayson, B. L. |author3=McMahon, T. A. | year = 2007 | title = Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification | journal = Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. | volume = 11 |issue=5 | pages = 1633–1644 |doi=10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 |bibcode=2007HESS...11.1633P |s2cid=9654551 | issn = 1027-5606| doi-access = free }} Winter temperatures can drop below −10 °F with wind chill factors below −30 °F. This climate supports a small glacier remnant on the north slope of the peak.
See also
- Geology of the Rocky Mountains
- {{Portal-inline|Mountains|size=tiny}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- Elephant Peak: [https://www.yr.no/en/forecast/daily-table/2-5650636/United%20States/Montana/Sanders/Elephant%20Peak weather forecast]
- [https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ds_mark.prl?PidBox=TN1127 National Geodetic Survey Data Sheet]
{{Geographic Location 2
| Center = Elephant Peak
| North = Bald Eagle Peak
| Northeast = Ramsey Creek
| East = Libby Creek
| Southeast = Ojibway Peak
| South = Libby Lakes
| Southwest = Rock Peak
| West = Saint Paul Peak
| Northwest = East Fork Bull River
}}
Category:Mountains of Sanders County, Montana
Category:Mountains of Lincoln County, Montana