Topo map USGS Targhee Pass | Elevation 2,156 m Traversed by U.S. Route 20 | |
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Similar Raynolds Pass, Rocky Mountains, Bannock Pass, Monida Pass, Harriman State Park | ||
Targhee Pass is a mountain pass located on the Continental Divide in the Henrys Lake Mountains, along the border between southeastern Idaho and southwestern Montana, at an elevation of 7072 feet (2156 m) above sea level. The pass is named for a Bannack Indian chief.
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Map of Targhee Pass, Montana 59758, USA
U.S. Highway 20 crosses the pass, approximately 15 mi (24 km) west of West Yellowstone, Montana, on the western boundary of Yellowstone National Park. The pass provides the most direct access to Yellowstone Park from southern Idaho.
The pass is located in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. Henrys Lake, the headwaters of the Henrys Fork, a tributary of the Snake River is located just west of the pass. Hebgen Lake, a reservoir on the Madison River, a tributary of the Missouri River, is located just north of the pass.
Nez Perce War
During the 1877 Nez Perce War, Chief Joseph's band of Nez Perce traversed the pass on August 22 while evading U.S. Cavalry forces under the command of General Oliver O. Howard. The Nez Perce had just engaged the army at the Battle of Camas Creek in Idaho. After entering Montana Territory the Indians moved east up the Madison River into Yellowstone National Park.