Oregon Trail - Bear Lake Scenic Byway ~ Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Posted by: brwhiz
N 42° 14.019 W 111° 21.106
12T E 470974 N 4675778
The Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge sits on the north end of Bear Lake, between Montpelier and Paris.
Waymark Code: WMJ21V
Location: Idaho, United States
Date Posted: 09/10/2013
Views: 3
From the US Fish and Wildlife Service web site:
Bear Lake Refuge is located in southeast Idaho, about ten miles south of Montpelier. Surrounded by mountains, it lies in Bear Lake Valley at an elevation ranging from 5,925 feet on the marsh to 6,800 feet on the rocky slopes of Merkley Mountain. The refuge office is located in Montpelier.
The 19,000 acre refuge is comprised mainly of a bulrush marsh, open water, and flooded meadows of sedges, rushes, and grasses. Portions of the refuge include scattered grasslands and brush-covered slopes.
Bear Lake Refuge encompasses what is locally referred to as Dingle Swamp or Dingle Marsh. Along with Bear Lake proper, the marsh was once part of a larger prehistoric lake that filled the valley. As it drained and receded, Dingle Marsh was reduced from 25,000 acres to less than 17,000 before it became part of the refuge.