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Washington

Gifford Pinchot National Forest

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Gifford Pinchot National Forest

Washington

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region

1,409,966 acres (1,321,506 federal/ 88,460 other)

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

Overview

First set aside as Mt. Rainier Forest Reserve in 1897, nearly one-million acres were renamed Columbia National Forest in 1908.  It became Gifford Pinchot National Forest in 1949 to honor the chief of the U.S. Division of Forestry (1898-1905) and first chief of the U.S. Forest Service (1905-1910).  The Yale graduate studied forestry in Europe and his family founded the Yale Forest School (see Grey Towers National Historic Site).  Gifford Pinchot National Forest borders the Columbia River to the south, across from Oregon’s Mt. Hood National Forest.  It stretches north to Mt. Rainier National Park and contains 12,276-foot Mt. Adams (the state’s second tallest volcano) and Mt. St. Helens, which was designated a National Monument after its eruption on Sunday, May 18, 1980.  There are 1,475 miles of trails and more than 4,000 miles of roads in the National Forest, so there is plenty to explore outside the volcanoes. 

Highlights

Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, Silver Star Scenic Area, Lower Falls of the Lewis River, Tatoosh Range, Packwood Lake, Quartz Creek, Ape Cave, Langfield Falls, Horseshoe Lake, Panther Creek Falls, Ice Cave, Mt. Adams, Midway High Lakes Area, Takhlakh Lake, Lava Canyon Trail, Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail

Must-Do Activity

We will cover Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument in a separate post, so here we will focus on the National Forest’s other attractions.  North of Mt. St. Helens, a half-mile trail follows Quartz Creek through an old-growth forest of huge Douglas-firs.  To the south, check out Lava Canyon Trail and Cedar Flats Research Natural Area where old-growth western redcedar trees are draped in lichen.  There are numerous waterfalls in the National Forest, including dual Panther Creek Falls that drops 175 feet side by side and the triple Falls Creek Falls that cascades 150 feet.  This lush region is also known for its berry picking, especially the renowned Sawtooth Berry Fields. 

Best Trail

Ape Cave is a lava tube located south of Mt. St. Helens, which at 2.5 miles is the third longest in North America.  The cave is not named for a fossil discovery, but rather the local Boy Scout troop that explored its interior in the 1950s after its discovery.  It is believed that the lava tube formed during a basaltic flow 1,900 years ago.  Ape Cave Trail is a National Recreation Trail receiving approximately 170,000 visitors annually (a timed reservation is required).  There are two layers to the cave, a smoother 0.8-mile upper level and a rougher 1.5-mile lower level that requires scaling an eight-foot lava wall.  Bundle up if you visit, as the underground temperature is 42°F year round.  The 650-foot-long Ice Cave is another lava tube known for its ice stalactites in spring (reservation required).

Watchable Wildlife

Located on the rainy side of the Cascades, Gifford Pinchot National Forest receives plenty of precipitation to feed its many rivers, including the glacier-fed White Salmon National Wild and Scenic River.  Four species of fish identified as threatened inhabit this region’s waters: bull trout, steelhead, chinook salmon, and coho salmon.  Another threatened species, the northern spotted owl requires buffer zones around its nests.  Mammals of Gifford Pinchot National Forest include elk, black-tailed deer, black bears, bobcats, and several species of marmots.  The wettest parts of the forest, especially in riparian corridors, have a variety of frogs, salamanders, and newts.

Instagram-worthy Photo

There are numerous waterfalls in this forest due to its high annual rainfall and steep elevation gradients.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

An America the Beautiful Pass or Northwest Forest Pass ($5 day use) is required at many parking areas in the National Forest, including Ice Cave and Ape Cave (where a timed reservation is required from recreation.gov). 

Road Conditions

The major roads are paved to viewpoints in Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, but there are plenty of unpaved roads throughout the National Forest, some requiring high-clearance vehicles. 

Camping

Iron Creek Campground north of Mt. St. Helens has two short trails, a quarter-mile trail through old-growth forest and one that follows a river 1.5 miles under a canopy of Douglas-fir and western redcedar.  Dispersed camping is allowed throughout the National Forest, and we have camped here to avoid the crowds while visiting the beautiful waterfalls of Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, part of Oregon’s Mt. Hood National Forest.

Wilderness Areas

Dark Divide Roadless Area

Glacier View Wilderness

Goat Rocks Wilderness (also in Wenatchee National Forest)

Indian Heaven Wilderness

Mount Adams Wilderness

Tatoosh Wilderness

Trapper Creek Wilderness

William O. Douglas Wilderness (also in Wenatchee National Forest)

Related Sites

Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument (Washington)

Ross Lake National Recreation Area (Washington)

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site (Washington)

Nearest National Park

Mount Rainier

Border with Mount Rainier National Park
Hiking a washed out road near the Nisqually Entrance to Mount Rainier NP
Bigleaf maple
Mt. St. Helens
Mt. Adams
Grand fir cones
Pacific rhododendron

Conifer Tree Species

Douglas-fir, western redcedar, Pacific silver fir, noble fir, subalpine fir, mountain hemlock, western hemlock, whitebark pine, lodgepole pine, Alaska yellow-cedar

Flowering Tree Species

balsam poplar, paper birch, willow, red alder, bigleaf maple, Pacific rhododendron

Explore More – In addition to the White Salmon River, which four other waterways in the National Forest have been recommended to be added to the Wild and Scenic River System?

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

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Virginia, West Virginia

George Washington National Forest

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George Washington National Forest

Virginia, West Virginia

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Southern Region

1,795,084 acres (1,065,369 federal/ 729,715 other)

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

Overview

First established as the Shenandoah National Forest in 1918, George Washington National Forest covers portions of the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains.  It includes the northern 60 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway and a significant stretch of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail south of Shenandoah National Park.  The National Forest’s proximity to Washington, D.C. and Baltimore makes it a major recreation destination, particularly for trail runners.  It is now co-managed with the more western Jefferson National Forest, together encompassing 230,000 acres of old-growth forests, 139,461 acres of Wilderness areas, and more than 2,000 miles of trails.

Highlights

Mt. Pleasant National Scenic Area, Big Walker Mountain Scenic Byway, Highland Scenic Tour, Massanutten Visitor Center, Sherando Lake, White Rock Creek Falls, Lake Moomaw, Woodstock Tower, Upper Shamokin Falls, Slacks Overlook, High Knob Fire Tower, Maple Flats, Bird Knob Loop Trail, Lion’s Tale National Recreation Trail, Waterfall Mountain Loop Trail, McDowell Battlefield Trail, Big Schloss Trail, Crabtree Falls Observation Trail, Story Book Trail, Pig Iron Loop Trail, Dragons Tooth Trail, Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Must-Do Activity

Driving the Blue Ridge Parkway through George Washington National Forest is a must-do, but there are other attractions to be found in this ridgeline-running forest.  Not far east off Interstate 81, it is a short drive up a gravel road to Woodstock Lookout Tower, where a short, flat trail accesses the metal structure that provides views of the Seven Bends of the Shenandoah River.  Downhill on the eastern side of that ridge (and protected from freeway noise) is the free Little Fort Campground with nine campsites.  There is a charge to ride the Peters Mill Gap and Taskers Run ATV/OHV trails (covering 40 miles) that leave from the campground.  A one-mile hiking trail leaves from Campsite 8 and climbs up to Woodstock Tower.

Best Trail

Crabtree Falls Observation Trail (day use fee) is easy to access from paved State Route 56 east of the Blue Ridge Parkway.  There are actually five waterfalls here with a total drop of 1,200 feet spread over a half-mile.  The first overlook of the lower falls is only 500 feet from the parking lot and is handicap accessible.  From there, the trail switchbacks up 1.7 miles one-way to a fourth and final view of the falls, then continues on another two miles to the Appalachian National Scenic Trail after gaining more than 1,000 feet in elevation. 

Watchable Wildlife

Extensive sections of old-growth forest can be found in Mt. Pleasant National Scenic Area and much of the Rich Hole and Ramsey’s Draft Wildernesses.  This provides habitat for a healthy population of black bears, as well as white-tailed deer, bobcats, raccoons, river otters, martens, and weasels.  Large birds found in George Washington National Forest include wild turkeys, turkey vultures, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, and several types of hawks.  Wetlands, like Maple Flats, are home to cricket frogs, painted turtles, spotted turtles, and many species of salamanders, such as marbled, Cow Knob, Cheat Mountain, Shenandoah, and tiger salamanders.  Over 100 species of freshwater fish reside here, and fishing is popular activity in the Jackson River and 152-foot-deep Lake Moomaw.

Instagram-worthy Photo

With five major cascades dropping 1,200 feet in total, there are plenty of places to catch your breath and snap some photographs along the steep Crabtree Falls Observation Trail.

Peak Season

Spring and fall

Fees

There is a day use fee for hiking Crabtree Falls Observation Trail and riding the Peters Mill Gap and Taskers Run ATV/OHV trails. 

Road Conditions

Parking at Crabtree Falls is paved and RV accessible, and the one unpaved road we took to Woodstock Tower and Little Fort Campground was in good shape.

Camping

There are many designated campgrounds found throughout George Washington National Forest, including the free, nine-site Little Fort Campground not far east off Interstate 81 (see Must-Do Activity).  Although dispersed camping can be hard to find, we read there are sites on the four-wheel-drive road (SR 826) at the top of Crabtree Falls Observation Trail near where it meets the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. 

Wilderness Areas

Barbours Creek Wilderness (also in Jefferson National Forest)

Priest Wilderness

Ramsey’s Draft Wilderness

Rich Hole Wilderness

Rough Mountain Wilderness

Saint Mary’s Wilderness

Shawvers Run Wilderness (also in Jefferson National Forest)

Three Ridges Wilderness

Related Sites

Booker T. Washington National Monument (Virginia)

Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park (Virginia)

Jefferson National Forest (Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky)

Daniel Boone National Forest (Kentucky)

Nearest National Park

Shenandoah

Crabtree Falls Trailhead is used by AT thru-hikers
Crabtree Falls
Waiting out the rain on Crabtree Falls Trail
Azalea blooms
Crabtree Falls
Crabtree Falls
Flowering dogwood
Crabtree Falls
Woodstock Tower
Scott’s mother at Woodstock Tower
View from Woodstock Tower
Looking down from Woodstock Tower

Conifer Tree Species

eastern hemlock, eastern white pine, shortleaf pine, Table Mountain pine, red spruce, eastern redcedar

Flowering Tree Species

tulip-poplar, American beech, shagbark hickory, white oak, black oak, northern red oak, rock chestnut oak, pin oak, yellow birch, gray birch, sweet birch, striped maple, red maple, black gum, sassafras, basswood, flowering dogwood, sourwood, cucumber magnolia, mountain laurel, quaking aspen, paper birch, witch hazel, dwarf willow, winterberry, rhododendron

Explore More – In 1972, what company sponsored the planting of the National Children’s Forest in a burned-out area east of Jordan Mines?

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

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Montana

Gallatin National Forest

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Gallatin National Forest

Montana

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Northern Region

2,151,461 acres (1,819,515 federal/ 331,946 other)

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/custergallatin/home

Overview

Gallatin National Forest borders much of the north and west sides of Yellowstone National Park, providing important wildlife habitat in the Absaroka-Beartooth and Lee Metcalf Wilderness areas.  The National Forest also contains portions of the Bridger Range and Crazy Mountains north of Bozeman and Interstate 90.  The Gallatin Petrified Forest is only accessible by trail, either from a short two-mile one-way jaunt (that gains 650 feet of elevation) or by backpacking the 27-mile Gallatin Divide-Devils Backbone Trail.  Free permits are available from Forest Service Ranger Stations to collect up to 20 cubic-inches of petrified wood each year.  Since 2014, it has been co-managed as the Custer-Gallatin National Forest, stretching east into South Dakota.

Highlights

Earthquake Lake Visitor Center, film, Fairy Lake, Devils Slide, Flathead Pass, Big Timber Canyon, Palisade Falls, Spire Rock Campground, Natural Bridge, Kersey Lake, Hardscrabble Peak, Pine Creek Falls, Bridger Mountains National Recreation Trail, Spanish Creek Trail, Red Canyon Trail, Petrified Forest Interpretive Trail

Must-Do Activity

Earthquake Lake Geologic Area stretches along Highway 287 to commemorate the events that occurred around midnight on August 17, 1959 when a magnitude 7.5 earthquake hit West Yellowstone, Montana.  The strongest earthquake ever recorded in the Rocky Mountains caused a hillside to crumble and block the Madison River and form Quake Lake, which is still there today.  Seiches (“lake tsunamis”) on Hebgen Lake and landslides claimed 28 lives and trapped hundreds campers.  The next day, after Forest Service smokejumpers parachuted in to assist survivors, the most seriously injured were evacuated out by helicopter.  Today there is an interpretive auto tour with multiple stops along the highway.  In addition, a visitor center operates in the summer where they show a film and the 0.3-mile Landslide Trail has signs explaining the events and how the massive Memorial Boulder crossed from one side of the valley to the other in less than 20 seconds (see Instagram-worthy Photo).

Best Trail

Pine Creek Falls is located 1.3 miles from the Pine Creek Campground after a 400 foot elevation gain.  The popular route first enters a burned forest then crosses a bridge over the creek at a half-mile before reaching the waterfall where most hikers turn around.  The trail gets steeper as it continues another four miles to Pine Creek Lake climbing about 3,400 feet, including one grueling stretch that ascends 1,800 feet in only 1.3 miles.

Watchable Wildlife

There are more than 4,000 miles of streams and rivers in the National Forest, including major tributaries of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers.  This makes Gallatin National Forest one of the premiere fly fishing destinations in the U.S. and also attracts bald eagles and ospreys.  Due to its proximity to Yellowstone National Park, there are also gray wolves and grizzly bears.  Other large mammals include elk, mule deer, moose, bighorn sheep, pronghorns, mountain lions, and black bears.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Memorial Boulder and Sister Boulder used to be located across the valley, but during the 1959 earthquake these six-million-pound dolomite slabs crossed the half-mile distance in less than 20 seconds.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

None

Road Conditions

The roads are paved up to the Earthquake Lake Visitor Center, Pine Creek Campground, and Big Sky Mountain Village (south of Bozeman).  It is 13 miles (mostly unpaved) from Highway 89 to the Petrified Forest Interpretive Trail, and there is a free campground where Rock Creek Road dead ends at the trailhead.  There are also many miles of four-wheel-drive roads to explore throughout the National Forest.

Camping

There are many campgrounds in Gallatin National Forest (like Eagle Creek just outside Gardiner on the northern border of Yellowstone National Park), as well as dispersed camping options. 

Wilderness Areas

Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness (also in Custer and Shoshone National Forests)

Lee Metcalf Wilderness (also in Beaverhead National Forest)

Related Sites

Custer National Forest (Montana-South Dakota)

Big Hole National Battlefield (Montana)

Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest (Montana)

Nearest National Park

Yellowstone

Looking past a boulder to the lake that was created by the landside
Glacier lily
Gallatin Skyline Trail
Looking into Gallatin NF from Yellowstone NP
Tiff on the Gallatin Skyline Trail
Can you find the camouflaged pika?
Livingston, MT
Pine Creek Trail
Pine Creek
Pine Creek Falls
Pine Creek Falls
Pine Creek Falls
Bridger Mountains from Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman

Conifer Tree Species

lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, whitebark pine, subalpine fir, Douglas-fir, Engelmann spruce

Flowering Tree Species

quaking aspen, balsam poplar, cottonwood, alder, mountain maple, mountain ash

Explore More – Why was the National Forest named after Albert Gallatin?

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.

Kansas

Cimarron National Grassland

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Cimarron National Grassland

Kansas

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region

116,319 acres (108,176 federal/ 8,143 other)

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

Overview

Following the devastating “Dust Bowl,” several Congressional Acts in the 1930s allowed the federal government to purchase and restore damaged agricultural lands in the Great Plains.  Most of the 20 National Grasslands have their origin in these times, which is why they are often a patchwork of federal and private ownership.  Cimarron National Grassland is no exception, although its fairly contiguous swath of government land in the southwest corner of Kansas represents the largest parcel of public land in the entire state.  Today recreation is one of the multiple uses of this landscape, that also includes cattle grazing and oil/gas drilling.  There are 200 stock ponds here (a few stocked with gamefish), plus the Cimarron River, which even when appearing dry often flows a foot below the surface.  Cimarron is a Spanish word for a feral horse, like an American mustang.

Highlights

Point of Rocks, Cimarron Overlook, Middle Spring, Cottonwood Picnic Area, Cimarron Recreation Area, Turkey Trail, Companion Trail, Santa Fe National Historic Trail

Must-Do Activity

Point of Rocks is the third-highest point in Kansas and was a major landmark on the Cimarron Route of the Santa Fe National Historic Trail that later became a permanent settlement.  There are no buildings left here, but the parking lot offers interpretive signs and a great view across the Cimarron River.  A steep trail from the top accesses the Companion Trail that parallels the Santa Fe National Historic Trail for 19 miles through the National Grassland.  A mile back towards Highway 27, Middle Spring is on the National Register of Historic Places as one of only three reliable water sources along the Cimarron Route. 

Best Trail

The Turkey Trail is open to OHVs and connects 10.5 miles from Cottonwood Picnic Area to Cimarron Recreation Area, where the Cimarron River Trail continues east for another ten miles or so.

Watchable Wildlife

Cimarron National Grassland is one of the best places in Kansas for birdwatching with more than 360 species identified.  There are two lesser prairie-chicken leks with permanent blinds set up for watching spring mating rituals.  During our short visit we spotted ravens, turkey vultures, shrikes, redwing blackbirds, mourning doves, meadowlarks, red-headed woodpeckers, barn swallows, kingbirds, Bullock’s orioles, canvasbacks, and some variety of hawk.  Based on the signs there are also mountain plovers and burrowing owls, which inhabit the burrows of prairie dogs and can imitate the sound of a prairie rattlesnake.  When we arrived at the smoke-obscured overlook for Point of Rocks we startled a group of four mule deer, and we also read that elk were reintroduced here at one point.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Cottonwood Picnic Area is fenced off from river access, but it has picnic tables and a playground with old-school equipment like teeter-totters.  There is also a fun table with metal seats from old tractors and two old tractors unearthed in 2003 after being buried to stabilize the river bank following floods in the 1930s.

Peak Season

Spring

Fees

None

Road Conditions

Paved Highway 27 cuts north-south through the National Grassland bisecting the unpaved Sea of Grass Auto Tour, which we found to be in good shape at least for the three miles to Point of Rocks.

Camping

Cimarron Recreation Area offers 14 campsites, fishing ponds, and a corral for horses, plus dispersed camping is allowed in most of the National Grassland.

Related Sites

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve (Kansas)

Fort Larned National Historic Site (Kansas)

Nicodemus National Historic Site (Kansas)

Nearest National Park

Great Sand Dunes

Companion Trail at Point of Rocks
Mule deer
Fossils in the sandstone
Point of Rocks
Point of Rocks
Point of Rocks
Scott at Point of Rocks
Santa Fe National Historic Trail marker
Tiff at Cimarron Overlook
Middle Spring
Tiff at Middle Spring
Cimarron River floodplain
Cottonwood Picnic Area
Cottonwood Picnic Area
Red-headed woodpecker on a cottonwood snag
Raven about the grassland

Explore More – Passed in 1937, what Congressional Act requires 25% of revenue generated by the National Grasslands to be returned to the county for schools and roads?

Montana

Deerlodge National Forest

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Deerlodge National Forest       

Montana

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Northern Region

1,369,894 acres (1,227,155 federal/ 142,739 other)

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

Overview

President Theodore Roosevelt originally created the Big Hole Forest Reserve in 1908 after the area around Butte, Montana was clearcut by the Anaconda Copper Mining Company.  There are still many remnants of historical mining found throughout Deerlodge National Forest.  In 1996, it became part of Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, the largest of the many National Forests in Montana.  The smaller and more northerly Deerlodge section includes portions of the Boulder Mountains, Highland Mountains, Flint Creek Range, John Long Mountains, and Elkhorn Mountains, as well as part of the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness.

Highlights

Pintler Scenic Loop, Skalkaho Pass, Elkhorn ghost town, Boulder River, Sheepshead Recreation Area, Delmoe Lake, Pipestone Rock, Maud South Canyon Loop Trail, Lost Cabin National Recreation Trail

Must-Do Activity

Butte, Montana is surrounded by mountains that are part of Deerlodge National Forest and many dirt roads explore this area.  One road leads to Delmoe Lake, six miles east of Butte and located near Pipestone Rock, once a source of stone for making various implements.  Ghost towns accessible by road include the mining settlements of Elkhorn and Highland City.  The Deer Lodge Mound is a 40-foot-tall geothermal formation that resembles a medicine lodge with steam emitting from its top.  Historically, the mineral-laden water attracted large herds of deer.  It is currently on the grounds of the Warm Springs State Hospital and is visible from Interstate 90.

Best Trail

Although the official trailhead for Haystack Mountain National Recreation Trail is 1.2 miles uphill from Interstate 15, we had to park along the frontage road because access required a high-clearance vehicle.  This added about 700 feet of elevation gain to the 2,000 feet from the trailhead and made the total hike eight miles out-and-back.  There is not much shade along the route that ends in a mountaintop boulder field with stunning panoramic views and the remnants of a fire lookout tower.

Watchable Wildlife

Due to its proximity to Yellowstone National Park, Deerlodge National Forest still has most of its pre-settlement carnivores: grizzly bears, black bears, mountain lions, Canadian lynx, coyotes, and gray wolves.  Grazing ungulate species include moose, elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, and pronghorns.  Bald eagles and ospreys are common around bodies of water.  Mountain whitefish, golden trout, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, brook trout, lake trout, arctic grayling, and burbot are some of the gamefish sought by fishermen.

Instagram-worthy Photo

The boulder field at the end of Haystack Mountain National Recreation Trail provides 360° views (even on a smoky day), which is why it once housed a fire lookout tower.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

None

Road Conditions

There are many rough roads in Deerlodge National Forest, including the one to the official trailhead for Haystack Mountain National Recreation Trail, 1.2 miles uphill from an Interstate 15 frontage road. 

Camping

There are campgrounds throughout the National Forest, including several along the Boulder River and one on the southern side of Toll Mountain.

Wilderness Areas

Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness (also in Beaverhead and Bitterroot National Forests)

Related Sites

Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site (Montana)

Beaverhead National Forest (Montana)

Bitterroot National Forest (Montana-Idaho)

Nearest National Park

Yellowstone

Red-shouldered hawk
Scott on the Haystack Mountain National Recreation Trail

Conifer Tree Species

lodgepole pine, whitebark pine, ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, subalpine larch

Flowering Tree Species

quaking aspen, balsam poplar, Bebb willow, sagebrush

Explore More – The Anaconda Copper Mine is one of the largest open pit mines in the world, but what originally brought miners to this region in the 1800s?

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.