| Sweet Grass Hills | |
|---|---|
 Sweet Grass Hills in Montana from Red Rock Coulee, Alberta | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | West Butte |
| Elevation | 6,983 ft (2,128 m) |
| Coordinates | 48°52′N 111°22′W / 48.867°N 111.367°W |
| Geography | |
  Sweet Grass Hills | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Montana |
The Sweet Grass Hills (Blackfoot: kátoyissiksi, Cheyenne: vé'ho'ôhtsévóse, Kalispel-Pend d'Oreille: ččaɫalqn, "three peaks"[1]) are a small group of low mountains rising more than 3,000 feet (910 m) above the surrounding plains southwest of Whitlash, Montana, in Liberty and Toole County, Montana.[2][3] The tallest point in the hills is West Butte at 6,983 feet (2,128 m).[4] Quite prominent in the local area, they are clearly visible from US Highway 2 to the south, I-15, and can sometimes be seen as far North as the Crowsnest Highway (Highway 3) near Medicine Hat in Alberta as well as from the West, near Glacier National Park and Browning, Montana. Visibility may vary depending on local air temperatures or heat domes that may increase or decrease the apparent height of the features. Other named peaks in the small group are Gold Butte (6,512 ft [1,985 m]), East Butte (with two peaks, the taller of which is Mount Brown at 6,958 ft [2,121 m]), and Mount Lebanon (5,807 ft [1,770 m]). The Sweet Grass Hills are an example of the island ranges that dot the central third portion of the state of Montana. These island ranges, completely surrounded by the 'sea' of plains and not geographically (or often geologically) part of the Rocky Mountains to the west, are "biological hotspots", containing more species than the prairie below.
- ^ Pete, Tachini. Seliš Nyoʻnuntn = Medicine for the Salish Language: English to Salish Translation Dictionary. 2nd ed. Pablo, MT : Lincoln, NE: Salish Kootenai College Press; Distributed by University of Nebraska Press, 2010.
- ^ "Sweet Grass Hills". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ "Sweetgrass Hills". Peakbagger. Retrieved 2010-04-14.
- ^ "West Butte, Montana". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2010-04-14.