2014 Map of Fossil Lake

About this map

Cooke City sits at the southwestern edge of this high-altitude survey, serving as a gateway to the dense network of glacial lakes and peaks along the Montana-Wyoming border. The landscape is defined by the convergence of the Gallatin National Forest, Custer National Forest, and Shoshone National Forest, creating a strictly managed alpine wilderness. High-elevation water bodies like Fossil Lake, Medicine Lake, and the Sky Top Lakes cluster among prominent summits including Mt Rosebud and Mt Dewey. The intricate drainage patterns of Sky Top Cr and various unnamed tributaries illustrate a terrain dominated by rock and water, where transport is limited to the single corridor of Us-212. This map provides clear documentation of the complex hydrography of the Beartooth Plateau, where over two dozen named lakes like Leaky Raft Lake and Showbank Lake are tucked into the high basins.