The size is relatively large for the genus. The hind legs are long, the feet are densely covered with long hair.
Whiskers are never all black, some are white or partly white.
The tail is large, grizzled and dark above, white beneath. The species is confined to the intermountain area of North America. It ranges from just above the Canadian border south to Arizona and New M xico. The species uses burrows and forms depending on the nature of the environment. Individuals living in dense sagebrush or riparian growth probably send most of their time above ground.