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Arizona

Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni–Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument

July 17, 2024 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni–Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument

Arizona

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management

Established 2023

917,618 acres

Website: https://www.blm.gov/national-conservation-lands/arizona/ancestral-footprints

Overview

This new National Monument is situated on both the North and South Rim of the Grand Canyon, but outside the boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park. It includes the entirety of the Tusayan District of Kaibab National Forest on the South Rim, as well as two sections east and west of the 9,000-foot Kaibab Plateau on the Arizona Strip. Its name is derived from the Havasupai words Baaj Nwaavjo, which translate as “where indigenous peoples roam,” plus the Hopi term I’tah Kukveni, which means “our ancestral footprints.” According to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) website it is pronounced “Baahj-Nuh-Waahv-Joh, Ee-Tah-Kook-Venny.” The National Monument was created primarily to prevent future uranium mining claims in this area and further protect evidence of thousands of years of human habitation (see Best Trail).

Learn more about the other 137 National Monuments in our book Monumental America: Your Guide to All 138 National Monuments. It is now available for sale on Amazon.com.

Highlights

Red Butte, Hull Cabin, Apex Logging Camp, Grand Canyon Airport Historic District, Marble Canyon, Snake Gulch, Arizona National Scenic Trail

Must-Do Activity

Red Butte is located just east of paved Highway 64/180 on the way to Grand Canyon National Park’s South Rim. A short 3.3-mile out-and-back trail with 912 feet of elevation gain is found at this geological formation sacred to the Havasupai, Hualapai, Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni people. Also in this area, Hull Cabin dates back to 1889 and Apex Logging Camp was situated along the Grand Canyon Railroad between 1928 and 1936 (although not much remains other than the foundation of a one-room schoolhouse). The Arizona National Scenic Trail runs through this part of Kaibab National Forest before entering the Grand Canyon and crossing the Kaibab Plateau.

Best Trail

Snake Gulch-Kanab Creek Trail #59 starts at the end of unpaved Forest Road 642 (about five miles from the end of pavement on Forest Highway 22). It soon passes an old homestead and turns left to enter the canyon, part of the extensive Kanab Creek Wilderness (and within the National Monument boundary). The first pictographs can be seen about 2.5 miles in and from then on consistently on the north side of the canyon. The images are primarily done in red paint from the Basketmaker People who resided in this region from 300 BCE to AD 800. We hiked in seven miles then turned around as it started to get really hot in late June, but the trail through the canyon continues 21 miles to where it connects with Ranger Trail #41. Our favorite pictographs were located about four miles in, which would make a good turnaround point for a day hike.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Stop at the historic Navajo Bridge that crosses the Colorado River at Marble Canyon where four public lands meet: Grand Canyon National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, and Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument.

Peak Season

Spring and fall, as summer can be very hot

Hours

Navajo Bridge Visitor Center (National Park Service)

https://www.nps.gov/glca/planyourvisit/visitorcenters.htm

Fees

None

Road Conditions

There are many unpaved and four-wheel-drive-only roads spread across this area, but Highway 64/180 to the South Rim is paved. High clearance is recommended to access Snake Gulch-Kanab Creek Trailhead. Highway 67 and most Forest Roads on the Kaibab Plateau are closed in winter due to heavy snowfall.

Camping

There are good, dispersed camping options throughout Kaibab National Forest, including along the dirt roads just outside the east entrance of Grand Canyon National Park’s South Rim before entering the Navajo Nation.

Vermilion Cliffs National Monument (Arizona)

Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument (Arizona)

Pipe Spring National Monument (Arizona)

Explore More – When were beefalo (bison and cattle mix) introduced to the House Rock Valley area west of Marble Canyon (and now found roaming inside Grand Canyon National Park and Kaibab National Forest)?

Learn more about the other 137 National Monuments in our book Monumental America: Your Guide to All 138 National Monuments

Arizona

Kaibab National Forest

July 10, 2024 Raven About The Parks 1 Comment

Kaibab National Forest

Arizona

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Southwestern Region

1,601,066 acres (1,560,165 federal/ 40,901 other)

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/kaibab

Overview

Kaibab National Forest is located both north and south of Grand Canyon National Park, although the paved road from Jacob Lake to the North Rim is closed throughout the winter months due to heavy snowfall on the 9,000-foot Kaibab Plateau. There are numerous dirt roads to explore on each side of the canyon that in 2023 were encompassed into Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument (see our next blog post). The Grand Canyon Forest Reserve was first set aside in 1893, then became Kaibab National Forest in 1908 before Grand Canyon National Park was removed from its acreage a decade later. In 1934, the southern Tusayan National Forest was joined to form the present boundaries.

Highlights

Kaibab Plateau Scenic Byway, Hull Cabin, Snake Gulch, Kendrick Peak, Sycamore Canyon, Beale Wagon Road, Overland Road, Bill Williams Mountain, Kanab Creek Wilderness, Thunder River Trail

Must-Do Activity

The highest point in Kaibab National Forest is 10,418-foot Kendrick Peak located in the Kendrick Peak Wilderness northwest of Flagstaff, which experienced a large wildfire in 2000. Scott started as a student at Northern Arizona University the next year, and has been able to watch this area recover over the decades since. Seven miles of dirt roads leave Highway 180 to access the Kendrick Mountain Trailhead at 7,980 feet in elevation. A steep, switchbacking 4.6-mile one-way trail partly follows a closed road to the top past Old Lookout Cabin (built in 1912). Bull Basin and Pumpkin Trails also lead to Kendrick Peak, but require more dirt road driving. From the summit, views are good north towards the Grand Canyon and east to the taller San Francisco Peaks within Coconino National Forest.

Best Trail

Bill Williams Mountain dominates the skyline in the town of Williams, the southern terminus of the 65-mile-long Grand Canyon Railway. Several routes climb to the top of the peak, but Bixler Saddle Trail starts higher than the others at 7,700 feet. It is accessed by a rocky road that leads to a small parking area at the saddle. From there the trail gains 1,000 feet in elevation in 2.5 miles before connecting with Bill Williams Mountain Trail to finish climbing a half-mile to the lookout tower at 9,256 feet. No matter how you summit, at the top there are breathtaking views in all directions.

Watchable Wildlife

Elk and mule deer are commonly seen on both sides of the Grand Canyon. Apparently, bison were introduced in the early 1900s and now roam freely in the National Forest, in addition to mountain lions, bobcats, and black bears. The canyon formed a natural barrier for the evolution of distantly-related Kaibab squirrels on the North Rim, a subspecies of the Abert’s squirrels found on the South Rim. Common birds include wild turkeys, robins, nuthatches, northern flickers, rufous hummingbirds, Steller jays, American crows, common ravens, and a variety of hawks. Fishing is a popular activity, with some excellent trout streams found in the National Forest.

Instagram-worthy Photo

There are five trailheads that access the 12-mile Sycamore Rim Trail loop, located south of Interstate 40 after driving ten miles of good dirt road. The trail passes through a ponderosa pine forest with overlooks of the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness, also managed by Coconino and Prescott National Forests.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

None

Road Conditions

The paved road from Jacob Lake, Arizona to the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park is closed throughout the winter months due to heavy snowfall. There are countless miles of dirt roads on each side of the canyon that access trailheads and allow for dispersed camping.

Camping

There are numerous campgrounds spread throughout the National Forest, as well as rentals of the historic 1917 Spring Valley Cabin and 1889 Hull Cabin (within the newly created Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument).

Wilderness Areas

Kanab Creek Wilderness

Kendrick Mountain Wilderness (also in Coconino National Forest)

Saddle Mountain Wilderness

Sycamore Canyon Wilderness (also in Coconino and Prescott National Forests)

Related Sites

Pipe Spring National Monument (Arizona)

Tuzigoot National Monument (Arizona)

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument (Arizona)

Nearest National Park

Grand Canyon

Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center in Jacob Lake

Conifer Tree Species

ponderosa pine, limber pine, southwestern white pine, two-needle pinyon pine, Utah juniper, one-seed juniper, Rocky Mountain juniper, Douglas-fir, white fir, Engelmann spruce

Flowering Tree Species

Gambel oak, quaking aspen, boxelder, Arizona sycamore, Arizona walnut, Fremont cottonwood

Explore More – Kaibab is the Paiute name for the Grand Canyon, which translates as what?

Learn more about this and the 154 other National Forests in our new guidebook Out in the Woods

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Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia

Jefferson National Forest

June 12, 2024 Raven About The Parks 3 Comments

Jefferson National Forest

Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Southern Region

1,670,846 acres (723,531 federal/ 947,315 other)

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/g w j

Overview

In western Virginia, Jefferson National Forest contains Mt. Rogers, the state’s highest point at 5,729 feet (see our post on Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area). There are 17 designated Wildernesses in Jefferson National Forest, second only to the 19 in Alaska’s massive Tongass National Forest. In 1995, George Washington and Jefferson National Forests were administratively combined. Is it just us, or does that name seem to celebrate George Jefferson from the 1970s sitcom? It is supposed to commemorate native-Virginian Thomas Jefferson who was the original author of the 1776 Declaration of Independence and the third President of the U.S. The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 created both the Bear Creek (5,503 acres) and Seng Mountain (6,455 acres) National Scenic Areas as specially designated parts of Jefferson National Forest.

Highlights

Blue Ridge Parkway, Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area, Seng Mountain National Scenic Area, Bear Creek National Scenic Area, Settlers Museum of Southwest Virginia, James River Gorge, Mountain Lake, Apple Orchard Falls, Cave Mountain Lake, Glenwood Iron Furnace, High Knob, Little Stony Creek, Lake Keokee, Olinger Gap Trail, Virginia Creeper Trail, Virginia Highlands Trail, Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Must-Do Activity

We have only visited the Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area (which made it on our Top 10 List) portion of Jefferson National Forest, which sits just north of the North Carolina border. One popular day trip there is to bike the 33-mile-long Virginia Creeper Trail, which is also open to hikers and horse riders. Last used in 1977, the former railroad grade runs 18 miles downhill from Whitetop Station Visitor Center to the town of Damascus, and local outfitters can provide shuttles to the trailheads and rental bikes. The trail drops 1,600 feet in total (sometimes at a 7% grade); no wonder those steam locomotives were “creeping” up the hill. Outside the National Forest, another 15 miles of railroad bed runs to Abingdon and includes the lowest point on the trail at the scenic South Holston Trestle.

Best Trail

Apple Orchard Falls has a drop of 200 feet and can be accessed from Sunset Fields Overlook at Milepost 78 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Considered the most popular hike in Jefferson National Forest, the steep trail is only 1.3 miles long one-way, but gains more than 1,000 feet in elevation. A six-mile loop can be completed by connecting to the Cornelius Creek Trail with a total elevation gain of 1,438 feet. Olinger Gap Trail is another short, scenic route that connects the 3.7-mile Lake Keokee Loop Trail and the 14-mile Stone Mountain Trail.

Watchable Wildlife

Jefferson National Forest has elevations ranging from 649 feet at the James River up to 5,729 feet, offering a variety of habitats. Its most famous residents may be the wild miniature ponies that hang out in the heath balds around Mt. Rogers. Like George Washington National Forest, there are several types of rare salamanders found here, including the golden pygmy salamander. Noteworthy mammals are white-tailed deer, black bears, bobcats, raccoons, river otters, martens, and weasels. Large birds found in Jefferson National Forest include wild turkeys, turkey vultures, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, and several types of hawks.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Spring and early summer are a great time to visit to see blooming azalea, mountain laurel, and rhododendron bushes.

Peak Season

Spring and fall

Fees

$5 day-use fee at Beartree Recreation Area

Road Conditions

The Peaks of Otter Visitor Center on the paved Blue Ridge Parkway is managed by the National Park Service adjacent to Jefferson National Forest. There are unpaved roads scattered throughout the mountains, including a rough road off Forest Road 606 that comes close to the 15-foot-tall Falls of Dismal (also accessible by hiking trail).

Camping

Beartree, Hurricane, Cane Patch, Laurel Falls, Cave Springs, Bark Camp Lake, Cave Mountain Lake, Pines, and White Rocks are only a selection of the many designated campgrounds in Jefferson National Forest. There is a 25-foot right-of-way for backpack camping on both sides of the Virginia Creeper Trail, except on private property.

Wilderness Areas

Barbours Creek Wilderness (also in George Washington National Forest)

Beartown Wilderness

Brush Mountain East Wilderness

Brush Mountain Wilderness

Garden Mountain Wilderness

Hunting Camp Creek Wilderness

James River Face Wilderness

Kimberling Creek Wilderness

Lewis Fork Wilderness

Little Dry Run Wilderness

Little Wilson Creek Wilderness

Mountain Lake Wilderness

Peters Mountain Wilderness

Raccoon Branch Wilderness

Shawvers Run Wilderness (also in George Washington National Forest)

Stone Mountain Wilderness

Thunder Ridge Wilderness

Booker T. Washington National Monument (Virginia)

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park (Kentucky-Tennessee-Virginia)

Nearest National Park

New River Gorge

Conifer Tree Species

eastern hemlock, eastern white pine, Virginia pine, shortleaf pine, pitch pine, Table Mountain pine, red spruce, Fraser fir

Flowering Tree Species

American beech, yellow birch, mountain maple, sugar maple, white oak, black oak, northern red oak, rock chestnut oak, bear oak, hickory, basswood, sweet buckeye, American elm, sourwood, mountain laurel, azalea, rhododendron

Explore More – What is the scientific name for Virginia creeper, the native vine with palmately compound leaves?

Learn more about this and the 154 other National Forests in our new guidebook Out in the Woods

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Virginia

Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area

June 5, 2024 Raven About The Parks 4 Comments

Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area

Virginia

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Southern Region

154,816 acres

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/gwj/recarea/?recid=77722

Overview

In southwestern Virginia, Jefferson National Forest manages Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area, which was established in 1966. Although it is only 154,816 acres in extent, Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area encompasses the highest point in Virginia at 5,729 feet, four federally designated Wilderness areas (totaling 18,500 acres), and nearly 500 miles of trails. At Raven Cliff Recreation Area, a short trail crosses an interesting bridge over Cripple Creek to access an old iron furnace that operated until the early 1900s. Nearby at Collins Cove is a rare example of an old-growth cove hardwood forest.

It even made it on our Top 10 National Recreation Areas list.

Highlights

Seng Mountain National Scenic Area, Mt. Rogers, Whitetop Mountain, Elk Garden, Raven Cliff Recreation Area, New River Recreation Area, Beartree Recreation Area, Comer’s Rock, Falls Branch Waterfall, New River State Park, Grayson Highlands State Park, Two Ponds Nature Trail, Virginia Creeper Trail, Horse Heaven Trail, Iron Mountain Trail, Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Must-Do Activity

Pat Jennings Visitor Center is located six miles south of Interstate 81 in Brushy Mountain, and there are two visitor centers situated along the Virginia Creeper Rail Trail (see our post on Jefferson National Forest). There are multiple routes to reach the summit of Mt. Rogers, but the two shortest are both 4.5 miles one-way from Elk Garden (on State Route 600) or Grayson Highlands State Park (that gains about 1,350 feet in elevation). At Massie Gap, we encountered a herd of wild miniature ponies that had no fear of humans and liked to lick the salt from our skin, but watch your fingers because they will bite.

Best Trail

There are about 500 miles of hiking trails within Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area, including 78 miles of the famous Appalachian National Scenic Trail (or A.T.). The A.T. runs through the Lewis Fork Wilderness, which also features the Virginia Highlands, Mt. Rogers, Grassy Branch, Helton Creek, Cliffside, Pine Mountain, and Sugar Maple Trails. The A.T. also traverses the Little Wilson Creek Wilderness, as do the First Peak, Bearpen, Kabel, Hightree Rock, and Little Wilson Creek Trails.

Instagram-worthy Photo

A beat-up USGS marker can be found at the highest point in Virginia on 5,729-foot Mt. Rogers, located on a short spur trail off the A.T.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

$5 day use fee at Beartree Recreation Area

Road Conditions

All the roads we drove in Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area were paved.

Camping

There are eight campgrounds, four horse camps, and two rental cabins in Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area. Grindstone Campground has nature trails and an amphitheater, Hurricane Campground offers a one-mile loop trail, and Raccoon Branch Campground is popular with trout fishermen. We stayed at Chestnut Hollow Campground in Grayson Highlands State Park and had the place to ourselves in early May. There is a 25-foot right-of-way for backpack camping on both sides of the Virginia Creeper Trail (see our post on Jefferson National Forest), except on private property.

Related Sites

Jefferson National Forest (Virginia-Kentucky-West Virginia)

Blue Ridge Parkway (North Carolina-Virginia)

Cherokee National Forest (Tennessee-North Carolina)

Nearest National Park

Shenandoah

Scott and Tiff in Grayson Highlands State Park

Explore More – Common to the high elevations of Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area, what exactly is a heath bald?

Hawaii

Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park

May 15, 2024 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park

Hawai‘i

Managed by National Park Service

Established 1916

344,812 acres

Website: nps.gov/havo

Overview

Hawai‘i National Park was created in 1916, before being split in 1961 into this park on the Big Island of Hawai‘i and Haleakala National Park on Maui. Encompassing two of the world’s most active volcanoes (Kīlauea and Mauna Loa), Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is constantly changing. Indigenous people considered Kīlauea Caldera and its bubbling Halemaʻumaʻu Crater as the sacred home of Pele, goddess of the volcano. This area first became a tourist attraction in the 1840s when Volcano House was still a grass shack. A small, wooden hotel was built in 1877 that now serves as Volcano Art Center Gallery, before the larger lodge was finished in the 1940s on the edge of the caldera. A strenuous backpacking trail summits the world’s largest shield volcano, 13,677-foot Mauna Loa, which erupted in 1926, 1942, 1950, 1984, and 2022.

To learn more about the separate Kahuku Unit and how to find solitude in this National Park that saw 1.6-million visitors in 2023, check out our expanded 2nd edition of our guidebook A Park to Yourself: Finding Solitude in America’s 63 National Parks.

Highlights

Volcano Art Center, Halemaʻumaʻu Crater, Chain of Craters Road, Kīlauea Iki Crater, Nāhuku (Thurston Lava Tube), Hōlei Sea Arch, Lava Tree Molds, Mauna Loa Overlook, Kīpukapuaulu Trail, Pu‘u Loa Petroglyphs Trail

Must-Do Activity

Arrive early or late at the visitor center to avoid tour bus crowds, then check with a ranger to find the best overlooks to view any volcanic activity in Halemaʻumaʻu Crater (depicted in our illustration below). Consider returning to view the molten lava after dark, although parking can be a challenge. The Chain of Craters Road leads 20 miles south from the forested caldera rim above 4,078 feet in elevation down to the sparsely vegetated seashore, descending through a wide range of environments before it dead ends into recent lava flows near the Hōlei Sea Arch and 1.5-mile Pu‘u Loa Petroglyphs Trail, where the crisp images chipped into the black lava have been spared from centuries of volcanic activity.

Best Trail

Kīlauea Iki Trail makes a four-mile loop descending 400 feet to the bottom of the crater that was a lake of lava in 1959. It is recommended to hike it in a counter-clockwise direction to avoid ascending the steepest sections.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Kīlauea erupted nonstop from 1983 through 2018, when lava poured in a near constant stream into the ocean, and it has been sporadically active since then. Lava made it into the #1 spot on our Top 10 Natural Phenomena to See in the U.S.

Peak Season

Year round or whenever a volcano is active

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

$30 per vehicle or America the Beautiful pass

Road Conditions

Chain of Craters Road is paved, but can be closed during volcanic eruptions, just as half of Crater Rim Drive has been closed since March 19, 2008. The side road to Hilina Pali Overlook is usually closed beyond Kulanaokuaiki Campground. The one-lane, potholed Mauna Loa Road is doable with a passenger vehicle if you take it slow, as is the unpaved road into the western Kahuku Unit.

Camping

The name of Kulanaokuaiki Campground translates as “shaking earth,” and this nine-site primitive camp has no drinking water, unlike the concessionaire-run Nāmakanipaio Campground and Cabins on Highway 11. Even though this is Hawai‘i, bring some warm clothes as it can be quite rainy and windy, especially when the volcano is erupting; the temperature around Halemaʻumaʻu Crater did not rise above 59°F all day during our 2023 visit.

Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park (Hawai‘i)

Pu’ukohola Heiau National Historic Site (Hawai‘i)

Scott at the bottom of Kīlauea Iki Crater

Explore More – When was the 115,788-acre Kahuku Unit added to the National Park?

*This design we created to celebrate Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park is available on a variety of products at* Cafe Press

We designed this ‘ohi’a lehua logo for the park available on Amazon.com

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni–Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument

Kaibab National Forest

Jefferson National Forest

Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area

Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park

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