Loading map...

2017 Map of White Sand Lake

Name: 2017 Topographic Map of White Sand Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2017
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2017

About this map

The Idaho-Montana border snakes along a high alpine divide, crossing through the heart of this high-elevation wilderness. This borderland is defined by a dense network of glacial basins and high-altitude water bodies, including White Sand Lake, Big Creek Lakes, and Parachute Lake. The terrain is strictly divided by the crest of the Bitterroot Mountains, with the landscape falling away into the Clearwater National Forest to the west and the Bitterroot National Forest to the east.

Strategic mountain crossings like Packbox Pass and Bear Creek Pass mark the few traversable points across the Idaho County and Ravalli County line. These high passes and peaks, such as Totem Peak, overlook a complex drainage system where Colt Killed Creek and Big Flat Creek begin their descent. The map illustrates a landscape primarily shaped by its hydrology, where small lakes like Garnet Lake and Pearl Lake sit in high cirques above steep valley walls.