Unit 67-2

Palisades Peak and the Palisades Reservoir provide prominent landmarks for orientation and navigation. Key drainages include Sheep Creek, Indian Creek, Rainey Creek, and North Fork Palisades Creek—major water courses that also serve as travel corridors through the steep terrain. The cluster of peaks including Oliver Peak, Needle Peak, and Thompson Peak dominate the skyline from the reservoir.

Blanchard Ridge and Rocky Ridge offer elevation for glassing, while Alpine Hot Springs and Sherman Springs mark reliable water sources for planning routes through high country.

The unit spans from mid-elevation valleys around 5,200 feet to high alpine terrain above 9,900 feet, with steep mountainous terrain dominating throughout. Dense conifer forests cover much of the unit—primarily lodgepole pine, spruce, and fir—with scattered openings in the high parks and meadows above treeline. Lower valley bottoms support riparian vegetation along major creeks while the steep sideslopes transition from continuous forest at mid-elevation to more open alpine tundra on the highest ridges.

This elevation range and forest density creates excellent moose habitat in the willow-lined creeks and marshy areas.

Over 560 miles of road network provides connected access throughout the unit, though exact density metrics indicate this is a well-roaded basin compared to true wilderness units. U.S. 26 and State Highway 33 form major access corridors, with secondary roads and forest service roads penetrating the unit's interior. The accessible road network likely concentrates some hunting pressure early in season, but the steep terrain and large elevation gain mean that physical effort separates hunters from truly productive moose habitat.

Multiple staging areas near Palisades and Irwin provide convenient overnight options.

Unit 67-2 spans portions of Bonneville, Jefferson, Madison, and Teton Counties in southeastern Idaho, bounded by State Highway 33 to the north and U.S. 26 to the south and west, with the Wyoming state line forming the eastern boundary. The unit encompasses the Palisades Reservoir basin and surrounding mountain terrain, centered roughly between the towns of Palisades and Irwin. This moderate-sized unit sits in the transition zone between the Snake River Plain to the west and the high Teton and Gros Ventre ranges to the east, creating diverse elevation and habitat bands across its boundaries.

Water is abundant throughout the unit. The Palisades Reservoir provides a major water body, while multiple reliable creeks and streams drain the high country—Sheep Creek, North Fork Indian Creek, Rainey Creek, and their tributaries form the primary drainage systems. These creeks support lush riparian vegetation crucial for moose.

Alpine Hot Springs and Sherman Springs offer reliable high-elevation water sources. The combination of snow melt, perennial streams, and springs means moose water sources are generally available throughout the unit, making water location less critical to hunting strategy than in drier basins.

Moose is the target species for this unit. Hunt the creek bottoms and riparian zones where willows concentrate—the dense forest and abundant water create ideal moose habitat in valleys like Irwin Canyon, Roller Canyon, and along the major creek drainages. Early season requires accessing high-elevation willow parks and meadows above 8,000 feet where moose retreat during warm weather.

Mid-season focus on mid-elevation creeks as bulls move through rut habitat. Late season pushes moose back to lower drainages with better forage. The steep terrain means glassing from ridgetops is challenging—hunting these drainages requires foot traffic along creeks themselves, working from bottom to top.

Physical conditioning is essential; expect 1,500-2,000 foot elevation gains between valley floors and productive high country.