Scenic USA - Wyoming

Scenic USA offers a collection of select photographs from a wide variety of attractions, points of interest, historic sites, state parks and
national parks found throughout the United States. Each photo feature is coupled with a brief explanation.
For further detailed information, links to other related sites are provided.

Sleeping Indian Mountain

Photos by Rob Jones

     This Wyoming scene, Gros Ventre Wilderness Elk covered with a fresh fallen snow, somehow creates a new and different world. There is a stillness, a wonderful quietness about this winter moment that can't be seen, only felt. The doe senses that something is not quite right in her domain. Maybe it's an unknown scent, or a slight movement easily detected against this white, pure winter world. In the background is Sleeping Indian Mountain, an area in the Gros Ventre Wilderness. With a little imagination you'll Gros Ventre Wilderness Buffalo see the profile of an Indian, with a full headdress, lying on his back and looking toward the heavens.
     Something quite extraordinary occurred in the Gros Ventre River Valley, right here on Sleeping Indian Mountain. After a spring of wet weather, the side of Sleeping Indian Mountain (Sheep Mountain) gave way, sending 50 million cubic yards of debris crashing into the river below. With one of the largest rockslide ever witnessed, the river was blocked with a 200 foot high dam made of rock and timber. Even though this rock slide occurred in 1925, the huge scar still remains just east of Kelly, Wyoming.

    Forest Service Map