Absaroka Range

The Absaroka Range is a mountain range, a sub-range on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains stretching for about 150 mi (240 km) across the Montana-Wyoming border, and forming the eastern boundary of Yellowstone National Park. An Absaroka sub-range in the north, the Beartooth Mountains, includes Granite Peak, which at 12,799 ft (3,901 m), is the highest point in Montana.

The highest peak in the range is Francs Peak at 13,153 ft (4,009 m). There are forty-six other peaks over 12,000 ft (3,658 m).

The range is drained by the Yellowstone River and various tributaries, including the Bighorn River. Image:Pilot and Index Peaks.jpg Much of the Absarokas are protected, not only by Yellowstone Park, but also by the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, North Absaroka Wilderness, Teton Wilderness, and Washakie Wilderness, all located in Custer and Shoshone National Forests.

U.S. Highway 212 from Billings, Montana to Yellowstone climbs over Beartooth Pass (10,796 ft, 3,290 m) in the connected Beartooth Mountains before winding through the Absarokas at the NE gate to Yellowstone National Park. It is only open during the summer.

USS Absaroka was named after this mountain range.