This is the name given to the largely sedimentary mountains to the south of U.S. Highway 26, east of Jackson Hole, but north of the Gros Ventre River. The name comes from Mt. Leidy, a prominent peak in the area.

Twenty years ago the area was largely roadless. While some small roadless areas still exist today in the area today, timber operations opened the country up and resulted in a number of clearcuts. Fortunately, the sawmill in Dubois, WY went "belly up" before the area could be trashed. Today small amounts of timber are harvested, but the old cuts are regenerating well and the Mt. Leidy Highlands are very important wildlife habitat. I would classify much of the area today as "semi-roadless" backcountry.

    A daylight view of Mt. Leidy.
            © Ralph Maughan

The major controversies are (1) a grazing allotment in the area that seems to attract grizzly bears; (2) the general increase of grizzly bears in the area; (3) and plans to lease the area for oil and gas exploration.  Presently, the Bridger-Teton National Forest is planning field trips for citizens so they can assess the environmental impact of drilling and field development.  These field trips have been canceled because large natural mudslides stemming from the wet winter and spring have blocked road access into large portions of the area. The Forest Service is working on an environmental impact statement for oil and gas leasing.  This is very serious business because once leased, an area can be pretty much turned into an oil or gas field if a discovery is made.  I think the FS takes the matter much too lightly because most exploratory wells come up dry.

The northern part of the Highlands have developed a very dense grizzly population in recent years. Some of the bears eat the cows.  Arguments are (1) the damn bears like beef too much (2) the rancher has an allotment with lots of poisonous larkspur and lupine which results in a lot of dead cows, which then attract bears. Wyoming Game and Fish is conducting a study of the matter.

Note: it is mostly an old boar, no. 203, that has developed a fondness for beef on the hoof. The Jackson Hole News even held a contest to give him a better name than just "203". "T-bone" won, although the cowboy on the allotment preferred "OJ." "T-bone", having been trapped once, has proven very difficult to trap a second time.