Editing Flathead County, Montana (section)

==Geography==
The county includes much of [[Flathead Lake]], the [[Flathead Valley]], and the [[Flathead River]]. These natural treasures were created by glacial activity which ended approximately 10,000 years ago. The Flathead Valley is the southern extension of a prominent valley called the [[Rocky Mountain Trench]], which runs from the Yukon Territory in Canada as far south as Flathead Lake. The Trench in northwestern Montana was created by subsidence along a major extensional fault, which continues today. After the valley formed, glaciers flowing down the Trench from British Columbia, and into it from the surrounding mountain ranges left a flat valley floor and dammed the Flathead River drainage to create Flathead Lake. Several tribes have long used the Flathead Lake, and the [[Bitterroot Salish]], [[Kootenai]], and [[Pend d'Oreilles]] tribes are represented on the [[Flathead Reservation]]. The western part of [[Glacier National Park (U.S.)|Glacier National Park]] is located in the county.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|5256|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|5088|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|169|sqmi}} (3.2%) is water.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_30.txt|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205145322/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_30.txt|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 5, 2014|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=November 28, 2014|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}</ref> It is the third-largest county in Montana by land area and second-largest by total area.

===Ecology===
Wildlife includes bobcats, black bears, coyotes, deer, elk, grizzly bears, lynx, mountain lions, and wolves.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Long|first=Ben|date=March 6, 2020|title=Finding a Middle Ground on Wolves and Wolf Management|url=https://www.outdoorlife.com/story/hunting/finding-a-middle-ground-on-wolves-and-wolf-management/|access-date=August 4, 2021|website=Outdoor Life|language=en-US}}</ref>

===National protected areas===
{{div col|colwidth=18em}}
* [[Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail]] (part)
* [[Flathead National Forest]] (part)
* [[Glacier National Park (U.S.)|Glacier National Park]] (part)
* [[Kootenai National Forest]] (part)
* [[Lolo National Forest]] (part)
* [[Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge]]
{{div col end}}