Heart Mountain, Limestone summit in northwestern Wyoming, United States.
Heart Mountain is a limestone summit in northwestern Wyoming that rises from the Bighorn Basin floor. The peak features prominent eastern cliffs and a distinctive curved limestone face that runs north to south across its central ridge.
The limestone and dolomite rocks that make up this mountain were deposited roughly 500 million years ago when the region was covered by a shallow tropical sea. Tectonic forces later transformed the rock into a massive landslide that shaped the landscape.
The Crow named this solitary peak, which later became one of the few recognizable landmarks that explorers documented on their maps. The mountain served as an important reference point for people traveling through the Bighorn Basin.
The main trail to the summit covers about 12 kilometers round trip with steady elevation gain throughout the hike. Visitors should register at Heart Mountain Ranch before starting and be prepared for changing weather at this exposed elevation.
This mountain is the result of Earth's largest known land-based rock slide, where a massive sheet of rock slid tens of kilometers to the southeast. The scale of this geological event is difficult to grasp, but visitors can sense it through the peak's unusual shape and structure.
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