Gallatin Peak-The Gallatin River was known as “Swift River” by the local Shoshone Indians. The Mountain Range takes its name from the river, which got its current name from Lewis and Clark. They called the three forks of the Missouri the Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin after the President who sent them and his Secretaries of State and Treasury.
Abraham Alfonse Albert Gallatin (1761-1849) was born in Geneva, Switzerland and emigrated to the United States in 1780. He is best known as Jefferson’s Secretary of the Treasury, where he served the longest tenure in history.
Although the Gallatin Mountain Range is to the east of the river, Gallatin Peak is in the Madison Range to the west, but it does overlook the Gallatin Canyon. It was named in 1882 by surveyors John Renshaw and H.S. Chase.
Gallatin peak is the highest mountain in the Spanish Peaks and is visible from all over the Gallatin Valley. While many backcountry skiers have long visited Gallatin Peak in winter to ski it's many couloirs, mostly located on the north face, it also makes an invigorating summer day climb. If you want a more leisurely pace, there are many lakes and streams that offer great camp spots and it is certainly a nice place to spend a few days.