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South Carolina

Francis Marion National Forest

July 12, 2023 Raven About The Parks 3 Comments

Francis Marion National Forest

South Carolina

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Southern Region

414,700 acres (258,864 federal/ 155,836 other)

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

Overview

Located on South Carolina’s coast between Myrtle Beach and Charleston, Francis Marion National Forest was devastated by the 130-mile-per-hour winds of Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Young and damaged trees have grown back in the subtropical coniferous and maritime forests, although some attractions like the Sewee Shell Ring Boardwalk have never been rebuilt. Other historic sites in the National Forest include the 1768 St. James Church, Battery Warren from the Civil War, and Watahan Historical Area, which has colonial plantations and the site of a 1782 Revolutionary War battle. On the Santee River, Guilliard Lake Scenic Area has three trails that visit an old-growth baldcypress forest, but the National Forest’s four Wildernesses are mostly inaccessible wetlands.

Highlights

Sewee Visitor and Environmental Education Center, Buck Hall Recreation Area, Battery Warren Historic Site, Huger Recreation Area, Honey Hill Recreation Area, I’on Swamp Interpretive Trail, Shell Ring Trail, Palmetto Trail

Must-Do Activity

Sewee Visitor and Environmental Education Center is a good place to start a visit, and includes an exhibit on reintroducing red wolves. Not far away, Sewee Shell Ring Boardwalk was never rebuilt after Hurricane Hugo in 1989, but the trail to the boardwalk remains open (despite what you might read online). A one-mile loop trail takes visitors to a 4,000-year-old ceremonial ring made of oyster shells and a 600-year-old shell midden, but no longer out into the salt marsh. Another historic walk is the I’on Swamp Interpretive Trail where signs explain the embankments and ditches built by slaves to create rice paddies.

Best Trail

A free permit is required to backpack the Palmetto Trail on its 47-mile stretch through Francis Marion National Forest. The easternmost seven miles of this statewide trail was opened in 2003 running from the Swamp Fox Trailhead to Buck Hall Recreation Area (fee) on the Intracoastal Waterway bordering Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. Both trailheads are easily accessible from Highway 17. This sandy section of the Palmetto Trail is known as the Awendaw Passage because it follows Awendaw Creek for most of its length. There are bridges and boardwalks built over the wettest areas, but very few good places to set up a campsite due to the density of the forest understory.

Watchable Wildlife

We saw a variety of wildlife in Francis Marion National Forest, including coastal species you do not find in any other National Forest, like crabs and mussels. The salt marshes provide habitat for large birds like Mississippi kites, ospreys, little blue herons, and great egrets. We spotted red-headed woodpeckers and pileated woodpeckers, and there are also endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers. While backpack camping, we saw fireflies, bats, fox squirrels, and a seldom-seen whippoorwill, a bird known for its distinctive, repetitive calls at night. In Awendaw Creek, we saw a muskrat and four-foot-long rat snake, but did not find any alligators or river otters.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Battery Warren was built by slaves during the Civil War so soldiers could defend the railroad bridge across the Santee River. The earth embankments are still visible at the end of a short trail maintained by the U.S. Forest Service.

Peak Season

Spring

Fees

There is a fee to park and launch a boat at Buck Hall Recreation Area. A free permit (available online) is required to backpack camp on the Palmetto Trail in Francis Marion National Forest.

Road Conditions

The main roads cutting through the National Forest are paved, and even the unpaved roads we drove were flat, packed sand.

Camping

Buck Hall Campground is located at a boat launch on the Intracoastal Waterway, while scenic Edmund Campground has Spanish moss-draped trees near the northern end of Wambaw Creek Wilderness. Huger Campground and Halfway Campground are located along the Palmetto Trail. Extensive wetlands and thick woodlands make dispersed camping and backpacking difficult in Francis Marion National Forest.

Wilderness Areas

Hell Hole Bay Wilderness

Little Wambaw Swamp Wilderness

Wambaw Creek Wilderness

Wambaw Swamp Wilderness

Related Sites

Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park (South Carolina)

Reconstruction Era National Historical Park (South Carolina)

Charles Pinckney National Historic Site (South Carolina)

Croatan National Forest (North Carolina)

Nearest National Park

Congaree

Conifer Tree Species

baldcypress, longleaf pine, shortleaf pine, loblolly pine

Flowering Tree Species

tulip-poplar, sweetgum, American holly, yaupon holly, live oak, overcup oak, water oak, cherrybark oak, willow oak, southern red oak, white oak, American beech, green ash, red bay, red buckeye, swamp cottonwood, water tupelo, water locust, water hickory, bitternut hickory, sweet bay magnolia, Carolina willow, titi, southern bayberry

Explore More – What was Francis Marion’s nickname earned by employing guerilla tactics against the British during the American Revolutionary War?

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

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Utah

Fishlake National Forest

June 21, 2023 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Fishlake National Forest

Utah

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Intermountain Region

1,539,737 acres (1,461,226 federal/ 78,511 other)

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

Overview

Much of Fishlake National Forest is at high elevation in central Utah, which is also true of its namesake Fish Lake that sits at 8,800 feet. Fish Lake is the largest natural mountain lake in Utah and lent its name to the Fish Lake Cutoff on the Old Spanish Trail, which ran from Santa Fe to Los Angeles. There are hundreds of miles of trails open to ATVs in the National Forest, including the 238-mile Paiute ATV Trail and the Gooseberry ATV Trails accessible from Interstate 70. There are also plenty of trails for hikers, backpackers, mountain bikers, and equestrians, including the trail that crosses the South Fork of North Creek Trail 60 times as it covers ten miles leaving from beautiful Blue Lake at the base of Mt. Baldy.

Highlights

Beaver Canyon Scenic Byway, Wildcat Guard Station, Tushar Mountains, Delano Peak, Bullion Falls, Pistol Rock, Koosharem Canyon, Fishlake Scenic Byway, Fool Creek Canyon petroglyphs, Blue Lake, Bullion Canyon Trail System, Skyline National Recreation Trail, Lakeshore Trail, Old Spanish National Historic Trail

Must-Do Activity

Fish Lake’s most famous resident is the aspen clone dubbed Pando (meaning “I spread” in Latin). Connected by a single root system, stems of Pando cover 106 acres and it is estimated to have started growing 80,000 years ago, arguably making it the oldest and heaviest living organism on the planet. Campers enjoy the popular Lakeshore Trail that is in four discontinuous sections adding up to about 15 miles. We found the road to Pelican Promontory on the north side of the lake too rough for our passenger vehicle and the five-mile Pelican Canyon Trail too overgrown to follow after a mile, although we did see (and hear) a northern goshawk on nest.

Best Trail

In the Tushar Mountains, Beaver Canyon Scenic Byway (Highway 153) switchbacks its way up to several trailheads for the 8.3-mile-long Skyline National Recreation Trail. We attempted to access Lake Stream Trailhead in the middle, but found the road at Puffer Lake required high-clearance. Instead, we drove the rough quarter-mile spur road to Big Flat Trailhead (at 10,220 feet in elevation) and hiked two miles to a rocky outcrop with good views. We did not attempt to drive to the trail’s western terminus at Big John Flat Trailhead that sits beneath 12,173-foot Delano Peak.

Watchable Wildlife

We first heard and then saw a northern goshawk on a nest (see photos) as we struggled to follow the overgrown Pelican Canyon Trail at Fish Lake. Additional birds of note are bald eagles, kestrels, several species of owls, turkey vultures, Canada geese, white pelicans, and wild turkeys. Ungulates found here are elk, mule deer, pronghorns, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, and even some moose. Other large mammals include black bears, bobcats, mountain lions, red foxes, coyotes, pine martens, minks, badgers, porcupines, beavers, snowshoe hares, and pika. As you might expect from a National Forest named Fishlake, fishing is a popular activity in the lakes and streams for rainbow trout, lake trout, splake, and other species, even in the winter.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Stop at the informational pullout on the Fishlake Scenic Byway to read about the Fish Lake Cutoff of the Old Spanish Trail, then get your photo with the metal cutouts of a pack train in the sagebrush flats near Zedd’s Meadow.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

$5 day use fee at Ponderosa Picnic Area or America the Beautiful pass

Road Conditions

There are some rough roads in this area that require high-clearance vehicles, including the ones to Pelican Promontory and Puffer Lake. Fishlake Scenic Byway and Beaver Canyon Scenic Byway are paved, but connecting between the two required driving some good gravel roads that were already snow free during our mid-June visit.

Camping

The Aquarius Ranger Station is available for rental from May through October, as are the historic cabins at the Gooseberry Administrative Site. There are several campgrounds at Fish Lake and others located throughout the National Forest, in addition to one scenic spot on a ridge adjacent to the Second Crossing of Salina Creek in the White Mountains.

Wilderness Areas

None

Related Sites

Dixie National Forest (Utah)

Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)

Cedar Breaks National Monument (Utah)

Nearest National Park

Capitol Reef

Conifer Tree Species

subalpine fir, white fir, Engelmann spruce, Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, singleleaf pinyon pine, Utah juniper

Flowering Tree Species

quaking aspen, Gambel oak, bigtooth maple, Fremont cottonwood, sagebrush

Explore More – Which famous American explorer named the Old Spanish Trail in the 1840s (hint: he has a National Forest named after him, but maybe not the one you first think)?

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

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New York

Finger Lakes National Forest

June 7, 2023 Raven About The Parks 3 Comments

Finger Lakes National Forest

New York

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Eastern Region

16,259 acres (16,259 federal/ 0 other)

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

Overview

America’s newest National Forest was formally established in 1985. Its existence is the result of the federal government purchasing abandoned farmland in the 1930s on the Backbone Ridge between Seneca and Cayuga Lakes. Management shifted from the Soil Conservation Service to the Forest Service in 1954, but it did not become Finger Lakes National Forest for another 30 years. According to Iroquois legend, the Finger Lakes were formed when the Great Spirit laid hands on the land to bless it and the finger imprints filled with water. Visitors come for hiking and bird watching, and, in addition, two acres next to Blueberry Patch Campground are managed for blueberry picking in the late summer.

Highlights

Camp Fossenvue, Seneca Lake, Blueberry Patch Recreation Site, Backbone Trail, Gorge Trail, Interlocken Trail, No Tan Takto Trail, Burnt Hill Trail, North Country National Scenic Trail

Must-Do Activity

Although it is the second smallest National Forest in the U.S., Finger Lakes National Forest has 38 miles of trails (including a spur of the North Country National Scenic Trail). In 1996, the former Camp Fossenvue at Caywood Point on the shores of Seneca Lake was given to the National Forest. The camp was founded in 1875 by seven women and was considered radical for its time by allowing women to engage in outdoor recreation and inviting notable suffragettes like Susan B. Anthony. The Boy Scouts purchased the property in 1924 and later sold it to the Trust for Public Land. The lake is accessed from the parking lot off State Route 414 by walking down a steep, half-mile-long gravel road with a 30% grade in places.

Best Trail

The Gorge Trail is three miles out-and-back between trailheads on Burnt Hill Road and Mark Smith Road, crossing the Backbone Ridge. The hike follows a pretty creek through a second growth forest of eastern hemlocks and various hardwood trees to access the Gorge Ponds and the 12-mile long Interlocken Trail, which is popular with cross-country skiers in the winter. On a rainy afternoon in May, we saw several red newts on the trail and a mix of wildflowers, such as May-apples.

Watchable Wildlife

The first red newts we had ever seen were on the Gorge Trail, crawling through the duff on a rainy May afternoon. These bright-orange amphibians are hard to miss among the green plants and brown decaying organic matter, but watch your step as they were right in the middle of the trail. Finger Lakes National Forest also has white-tailed deer, gray squirrels, raccoons, coyotes, and bobcats, as well as 160 species of birds. There are blueberry patches and old fruit tree orchards within the forest, which are good places to look for foraging animals. Seneca Lake reaches 630 feet in depth and is home to many types of gamefish.

Instagram-worthy Photo

The sole remaining cabin at Camp Fossenvue is named the “Queen’s Castle” for Elizabeth Smith Miller, but no entry is permitted to the structure built in 1899 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places a century later.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

None

Road Conditions

There are several unpaved roads in the National Forest, including Burnt Hill Road and Mark Smith Road, but we found all of them to be in good condition.

Camping

On Backbone Ridge, Blueberry Patch Campground is developed for vehicles under 24 feet in length and offers vault toilets. Nearby, the Backbone Horse Campground has five campsites for horse trailers and six additional sites for all users. Free dispersed camping is allowed throughout the forest (except in pastures from May 15 to October 31 due to cattle grazing) with one shelter available at the south end of the Interloken Trail.

Wilderness Areas

None

Harriet Tubman National Historical Park (New York)

Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site (New York)

Nearest National Park

Cuyahoga Valley

Conifer Tree Species

eastern hemlock, eastern white pine

Flowering Tree Species

northern red oak, shagbark hickory, black walnut, witch-hazel, sugar maple, white ash, yellow birch, gray dogwood, black willow, elderberry, azalea

Explore More – Fossenvue is an anagram of what three-word phrase?

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

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California

Eldorado National Forest

June 1, 2023 Raven About The Parks 4 Comments

Eldorado National Forest

California, Nevada

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

887,721 acres (686,667 federal/ 201,054 other)

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

Overview

Located in California’s Sierra Nevada, Eldorado National Forest has ghost towns dating back to the 1849 gold rush. El Dorado is Spanish for “the golden one,” which often referred to the fabled Lost City of Gold sought by the Conquistadors. The single-word spelling Eldorado may have been a clerical error dating back to the creation of the National Forest in 1910. Elevations range from 1,000 feet in the foothills to more than 10,000 feet in the Sierra Nevada. In addition to 297 lakes and reservoirs, it contains 611 miles of fishable streams in the drainages of the North Fork of the Mokelumne River, Cosumnes River, and the Middle and South Forks of the American River. There are 349 miles of trails in Eldorado National Forest, including a portion of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail that follows mountain ridges on the west side of Lake Tahoe.

Highlights

Carson Pass Scenic Highway, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Tallac Historic Site, Caldor Auto Tour, Silver Lake, Crystal Basin Recreation Area, Loon Lake, Ice House Reservoir, Traverse Creek, Horsetail Falls, Fourth of July Lake, Cascade Falls Loop Trail, Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail

Must-Do Activity

The Forest Service’s Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is composed of 150,000 acres of Eldorado, Tahoe, and Toiyabe National Forests surrounding Lake Tahoe. It was established in 1973 to preserve and restore the ecosystem of one of the nation’s most popular playgrounds. Averaging 1,000 feet in depth, Lake Tahoe is famous for its water clarity and, although it has no outlet to the ocean, it is dammed on the Truckee River to control water levels. After the 1858 discovery of the Comstock Lode in nearby Virginia City, Nevada, extensive deforestation occurred around the lake. This eventually led to conservation efforts to place 78% of its watershed into National Forests starting in 1899. Hiking trails uphill from the lake’s shoreline (mostly privately owned) are almost entirely within National Forests, including the circumnavigating Tahoe Rim Trail.

Best Trail

Near the National Forest’s border with Lake Tahoe, the 63,960-acre Desolation Wilderness is the country’s most visited Wilderness area on a per acre basis. With the exception of thru-hikers on the Tahoe Rim and Pacific Crest Trails, a daily quota limits the number of backpackers in the Desolation Wilderness. Even day hikers are required to carry a permit and a bear box is recommended for all overnight users. We took a smoke-obscured hike five miles one-way from Lower Echo Lake up to Lake Aloha in the Desolation Wilderness, a popular stop for backpackers.

Watchable Wildlife

A Mediterranean climate exists in the lower elevation ranges of the National Forest, while alpine regions can receive more than 15 feet of snowfall, so there is a wide diversity of wildlife. In the conifer forests of the Sierra Nevada look for mule deer, black bears, weasels, martens, mountain lions, and bobcats. California quail, mountain quail, sooty grouse, and wild turkeys are common game birds. Watch the skies for raptors like bald eagles, ospreys, red-tailed hawks, and turkey vultures.

Instagram-worthy Photo

By the time we visited in mid-August, Cascade Falls was barely a trickle compared to its raging snowmelt flow in the springtime. The strenuous one-mile hike from Bayview Trailhead was still worth the effort for the sweeping views of Cascade Lake and Lake Tahoe’s Emerald Bay (at least when it is not so smoky).

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

None

Road Conditions

Eldorado National Forest has 2,367 miles (3,809 km) of roads, including 400 miles of private roads. Many of these are rough and unpaved and may require high-clearance or four-wheel drive, especially the infamous Rubicon Trail on the western shore of Lake Tahoe.

Camping

Bayview Campground is located across Highway 89 from Lake Tahoe at the Bayview Trailhead near scenic Eagle Falls and Emerald Bay State Park. Woods Lake has a campground and a 3.5-mile trail to Fourth of July Lake, plus there are campgrounds at Fallen Leaf Lake, Ice House Reservoir, Loon Lake, Upper Valley Reservoir, and Silver Lake.

Wilderness Areas

Desolation Wilderness

Mokelumne Wilderness (also in Stanislaus and Toiyabe National Forests)

Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area (California)

Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park (California)

Nearest National Park

Yosemite

Conifer Tree Species

red fir, white fir, Douglas-fir, incense-cedar, ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, Jeffrey pine, gray pine, sugar pine, foxtail pine, western juniper

Flowering Tree Species

Pacific dogwood, California buckeye, manzanita

Explore More – Traverse Creek near Placerville is known for its exposed serpentine rock, which contains what elements toxic to many trees and plants?

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

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Oregon

Deschutes National Forest

April 12, 2023 Raven About The Parks 3 Comments

Deschutes National Forest

Oregon

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

1,853,929 acres (1,596,900 federal/ 257,029 other)

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

Overview

Bend, Oregon is the gateway to Deschutes National Forest, with the beautiful Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway located west of town. To the south, Newberry National Volcanic Monument is also managed by the U.S. Forest Service, which we will cover in our next blog post. The Deschutes River was named La Rivière aux Chutes by French trappers because Celilo Falls was located near its confluence with the Columbia River. Deschutes National Forest contains five Wilderness areas, six National Wild and Scenic Rivers, Metolius Conservation Area, and part of Oregon Cascade Recreation Area (mostly in Umpqua National Forest).

Highlights

Newberry National Volcanic Monument, Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway, Devils Lake, Mt. Bachelor, Sparks Lake, Broken Top, Three Sisters, McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass Scenic Byway, Skeleton Cave, Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail

Must-Do Activity

The 66-mile-long (89-mile loop) Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway curves around the mountains west of Bend past numerous lakes reflecting multiple snow-capped peaks—a real photographers’ paradise. To spend the golden hours up here, consider staying at campgrounds on the shores of Lava Lake or Sparks Lake with excellent views of Broken Top and South Sister Peak. Like Mt. Hood to the north, 9,065-foot Mt. Bachelor is known for its ski resort. A summer trip up Pine Marten Express Lift offers unsurpassed panoramas of the Cascades and Newberry National Volcanic Monument.

Best Trail

Sisters Mirror Lake is four miles and 650 feet up from a trailhead on the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway and is located on the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. Just as a warning, this entire trail was thick with aggressive mosquitoes on our hike in mid-July.

Watchable Wildlife

Elk, pronghorn, and mule deer are large ungulates found in Deschutes National Forest. Carnivorous mammals include black bears, coyotes, mountain lions, and bobcats. Large birds frequently seen are bald eagles, Canada geese, mallards, and whistling swans, and the northern spotted owl is a species of concern. There are many lakes found throughout the National Forest that support a variety of gamefish, including bull trout (a threatened species).

Instagram-worthy Photo

Sparks Lake is a great place to watch the sun set behind the Cascades.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

There is a day use fee for Newberry National Volcanic Monument.

Road Conditions

Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway is paved, as are the main roads into Newberry National Volcanic Monument, but there are many miles of logging roads to explore, too.

Camping

Campgrounds on the shores of Lava Lake or Sparks Lake provide views of Broken Top and South Sister Peak. Walk-in campsites on crystal clear Devils Lake offer a bit more secluded experience.

Wilderness Areas

Diamond Peak Wilderness (also in Willamette National Forest)

Mt. Jefferson Wilderness (also in Mt. Hood and Willamette National Forests)

Mt. Thielsen Wilderness (also in Umpqua and Winema National Forests)

Mt. Washington Wilderness (also in Willamette National Forest)

Three Sisters Wilderness (also in Willamette National Forest)

Crooked River National Grassland (Oregon)

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument (Oregon)

Nearest National Park

Crater Lake

Conifer Tree Species

ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, western white pine, sugar pine, western juniper, Douglas-fir, western redcedar, white fir, subalpine fir

Flowering Tree Species

quaking aspen, balsam poplar, Bebb willow

Explore More – The namesake of the Deschutes River (Celilo Falls) is now underwater behind what dam on the Columbia River?

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.

Francis Marion National Forest

Fishlake National Forest

Finger Lakes National Forest

Eldorado National Forest

Deschutes National Forest

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