In northwest Alaska, an area roughly the size of Delaware is set aside to protect an 85-mile stretch of the Kobuk River. Kobuk Valley National Park also includes the Waring Mountains to the south and the Baird Mountains that border Noatak National Preserve. Hunters have been coming for at least 12,500 years to Onion Portage where caribou gather to cross the river. In the 1960s, archeologist J. Louis Giddings built a cabin and cache so he could excavate a two-acre plot. He and his assistants dug through 30 artifact-bearing layers that provided evidence of nine cultural periods from the Akmak Complex to the Arctic Woodland Eskimo.
Great Kobuk Sand Dunes, Onion Portage Archeological District
Must-Do Activity
The Northwest Arctic Heritage Center in Kotzebue is located 75 river miles from the western edge of the park. Riverside ranger stations operate in the summer at Kallarichuk in the west and Onion Portage in the east. A flightseeing tour of the park typically lands on the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes, which are the remnant of a dune field that once covered as much as 200,000 acres after the Pleistocene glaciation. Float trips take at least a week on the wide Kobuk River or the rougher Salmon River, which is designated a Wild and Scenic River. The Kobuk River starts within a narrow canyon with Class V rapids inside Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, but soon flattens out and becomes a braided channel, like many rivers in Alaska.
Best Trail
There are no established trails in the park, but it is easy to wander through the sand dunes and soft enough to go barefoot.
Photographic Opportunity
The Great Kobuk Sand Dunes are a geological anomaly sitting north of the Arctic Circle, once studied by NASA as an analog for polar dunes on Mars.
There are no roads into Kobuk Valley National Park, so most visitors arrive by small airplane, which can cost around $5,000 to charter for the day. If you are leaving from Fairbanks, we recommend flying with Sven from Aviation Expeditions who will do a combination trip that also lands in Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve.
Camping
Backcountry camping is allowed throughout the park, but is not permitted on the 81,000 acres of Native Corporation lands that are typically situated along the rivers.
Related Sites
Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve (Alaska)
Located in western Montana, the elevation of Lolo National Forest ranges from less than 2,400 feet on the Clark Fork River below Thompson Falls to the top of 9,186-foot Scapegoat Mountain. West of Missoula off Interstate 90, the Ninemile Historic Remount Depot preserves a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp and pack stock training facility. Founded in 1907, the Savenac Historic Tree Nursery Area is also well developed for visitors, including an arboretum and cabin rentals in what were formerly the cookhouse and bunkhouse.
Know someone who loves the National Forests? Gift them our travel guidebook Out in the Woods so they can learn more about this and the 154 other National Forests.
Highlights
Rattlesnake National Recreation Area, Lolo Pass Visitor Center, Lolo National Historic Trail, Fort Fizzle, Blue Mountain Recreation Area, Cascade Falls, Savenac Nursery, Petty Creek Bighorn Sheep Viewing Site, Clearwater Canoe Trail, Stark Mountain Vista, Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
Must-Do Activity
Lolo National Forest surrounds Missoula, where the Aerial Fire Depot and Smokejumper Center offers guided tours and exhibits. Right outside of the city are numerous hiking trails in Blue Mountain Recreation Area and Rattlesnake National Recreation Area, which contains 73 miles of trails (and has its own blog entry on our website). Following a path used by the Corps of Discovery in 1805, the Lolo National Historic Trail shadows Highway 12 west into Idaho (see Clearwater National Forest). Take time to stop at the Lolo Pass Visitor Center managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Best Trail
Morrell Falls National Recreation Trail leads to a 90-foot-tall waterfall on the western slope of the Swan Range. The trail is 5.5 miles out-and-back, mostly flat with some short inclines as it cuts through a burned area now full of beargrass and fireweed. The waterfall cascades down a rocky outcrop and is well lit in the afternoon. The trailhead is located 7.5 miles from Highway 83 on a good gravel road that has well-signed intersections. Also nearby, the Pyramid Pass Trailhead provides access to the Bob Marshall Wilderness in adjacent Flathead National Forest.
Watchable Wildlife
There are 60 species of mammals found in Lolo National Forest, including grizzly/brown bears, black bears, mountain lions, gray wolves, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, elk, moose, and mule deer. Among the largest of the more than 300 birds spotted are bald eagles, golden eagles, and trumpeter swans. The five rivers and over 100 lakes are home to 30 varieties of ducks and 20 types of fish.
Photographic Opportunity
Located on the western slope of the Swan Range, 90-foot-tall Morrell Falls is accessed on a 5.5-mile out-and-back hike.
quaking aspen, Rocky Mountain maple, western serviceberry
Explore More – What is the origin of the name Lolo?
Know someone who loves the National Forests? Gift them our travel guidebook Out in the Woods so they can learn more about this and the 154 other National Forests.
Lincoln National Forest is best known as the birthplace of Smokey Bear, a black bear cub that survived a 1950 wildfire in the Capitan Mountains and became a national symbol. The nearby Smokey Bear Historical State Park is the final resting place for the famous bear that passed away at Washington D.C.’s National Zoo in 1976. Lincoln National Forest includes parts of the Guadalupe, Sacramento, Sierra Blanca/White Mountains, Capitan, and Gallinas ranges. There are several long trails through the National Forest, including the 20-mile Crest Trail in the White Mountain Wilderness and the 11-mile South Base Trail in the Capitan Wilderness. All but one mile of the 29-mile-long Rim Trail is open to OHVs.
Highlights
Sunspot Scenic Byway, Billy the Kid Scenic Byway, Trestle Recreation Area, Sitting Bull Falls, Sierra Blanca Peak, Rim Trail, Willie White Trail, Dog Canyon National Recreation Trail, Capitan Peak Trail
Must-Do Activity
Sunspot Scenic Byway (State Road 6563) provides great views and access to one of the world’s largest solar observatories that is open for tours on summer weekends. At its remote southern end, the National Forest borders both Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks. Roads only connect with the latter, where a short detour takes you to the half-mile trail for 150-foot-tall Sitting Bull Falls. In 1898, the Alamogordo and Sacramento Mountain Railway was constructed to access timberland 4,747 feet in the mountains above. One of its scenic remnants is the 320-foot trestle over Mexican Canyon near Cloudcroft. Lincoln National Forest has six fire lookouts listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the stone Monjeau Lookout built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) that is accessible on a steep dirt road. Given its proximity to Carlsbad Caverns National Park, it is not surprising that there are hundreds of caves in the National Forest that require a permit to explore.
Best Trail
Dog Canyon National Recreation Trail follows a prehistoric travel route into the Sacramento Mountains east of White Sands National Park. The trailhead starts in Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, which has a nice campground and charges a day use fee (though we have seen cars avoid this by parking just outside its entrance). The 5.5-mile one-way trail climbs quickly above a beautiful canyon providing views of the Tularosa Basin before leveling out. Past the cabin ruins at the three-mile point, look for fossils along the trail as it again steeply rises into the agave and cacti-studded mountains. After gaining more than 3,000 feet in elevation, it dead ends at Forest Road 90B.
Watchable Wildlife
Ecosystems in the National Forest vary widely since it is spread across several mountain ranges and encompasses Chihuahuan Desert, pinyon-juniper woodlands, pine forests, and alpine meadows above 11,000 feet. Game species include elk, mule deer, black bear, mountain lion, and exotic Barbary sheep.
Photographic Opportunity
Look for fossils in the rocks along Dog Canyon National Recreation Trail.
Peak Season
Spring and fall
Fees
None
Road Conditions
The Sunspot Scenic Byway and the road into Oliver Lee Memorial State Park are both paved and maintained, although the paved access road (137) through Lincoln National Forest to the north part of Guadalupe Mountains National Park has many potholes in it. Be aware that there are also four-wheel-drive only roads to some trailheads.
Camping
There are a few developed campgrounds in the middle of the National Forest off Highway 82. Although not all areas are open to dispersed camping, popular spots include Upper Bonito Dispersed Camping Area northwest of Ruidoso and Lower Karr Canyon south of Cloudcroft.
Baby barrel cactusMillipedeAgave bloomsCheckered whiptail lizardScott with a buckhorn chollaBeetleSpiny crevice lizardFossilsOcotillo bloomScott’s mother on Dog Canyon National Recreation Trail
East of the Continental Divide in Montana, Lewis and Clark National Forest is split across eight mountain ranges east and west of the Missouri River. The largest western section butts up against Glacier National Park to the north and includes parts of the Scapegoat and the Bob Marshall Wilderness areas, which provide crucial habitat for grizzly/brown bears and world-class places for backpacking. The Lewis and Clark Forest Reserve dates back to 1897, with the now-defunct Jefferson and Absaroka National Forests added in 1932 and 1945 respectively. Since 2014, it has been co-managed with Helena National Forest.
Highlights
King Hill Scenic Byway, Cataract Falls, Sun River Gorge, Gibson Reservoir, Mt. Wright, Deep Creek Loop National Recreation Trail, Windy Mountain Trail, Crystal Cascades Trail, Crystal Lake Shoreline Loop Trail, Continental Divide National Scenic Trail
Must-Do Activity
We have always wanted to visit the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service’s 25,000 square-foot Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Great Falls, Montana. It features an exhibit hall, hiking trails, and a 158-seat theater, and it is open daily in the summer and Wednesday through Sunday in the offseason. We have also wanted to backpack in the rugged Snowy Mountains, which draw backcountry skiers in the winter and horseback riders in the summer. We will have to return to this central part of Montana, which includes one of our favorite places to explore: Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument run by the Bureau of Land Management.
Best Trail
One of the most famous formations along the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail is the 15-mile long Chinese Wall, a 1,000-foot-tall cliff composed of five-million-year-old limestone. Its closest access is 15 miles one-way from the South Fork Sun Trailhead, which is often marked as Packers on maps at the end of the gravel Benchmark Road (Forest Road 235). The trail begins by following the South Fork Sun River before crossing a bridge and entering the Bob Marshall Wilderness. We got a late start on the way in and came across a grizzly/brown bear grazing near the trail that evening and, on the drive out, we stopped to photograph three moose near Wood Lake Campground and a common loon in Anderson Lake.
Watchable Wildlife
Grizzly/brown bears are the most famous residents of the National Forest. Additional mammals include black bears, mountain lions, Canada lynxes, wolverines, mule deer, Columbian white-tailed deer, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, elk, and moose. Bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, and three types of grouse are often spotted. There are excellent fly-fishing opportunities in the 1,600 miles of rivers and streams.
None except for the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Great Falls, which costs $8 per person or you can use an America the Beautiful pass.
Road Conditions
We drove the gravel Benchmark Road (Forest Road 235), which was long and in excellent condition.
Camping
There are 29 vehicle-accessible campgrounds in Lewis and Clark National Forest, including Wood Lake Campground near the South Fork Sun Trailhead. Backcountry and dispersed camping options abound.
Last year we published our guidebook 50 States of Great: Road Trip Guide to America, so we decided to start a new type of blog post where we create a travel itinerary for all 50 states, in addition to our usual National Forest and National Park entries. After starting with Kansas, Georgia, Idaho, Rhode Island, Minnesota, and Hawai‘i we decided to do a state in the southwest. Arizona probably needs two separate itineraries, with the southern deserts being a great destination in the winter and the high-elevation northern part of the state better in the summer (see Day 8+). We made an ambitious seven-day plan starting in the south, with plenty of options to extend the trip. Scott grew up in Arizona, so he could have easily made this a four-week itinerary and still left out many good options.
On the Mexican border sits 330,689 acres of undeveloped Sonoran Desert recognized as a UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve in 1976. Its namesake cactus is more common further south and shares this landscape with 27 other species of cacti, including the famous saguaro. The park’s jagged Ajo Mountains are mostly volcanic rhyolite and to see them at their best, we recommend driving the 21-mile dirt road loop in the evening before turning in for the night at the excellent Twin Peaks Campground, run by the National Park Service (NPS).
Arizona has 19 National Monuments (more than any other state), so if you flew into Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix start with the one located right off Interstate 10.
Desert bighorn sheep can be seen in this remote part of southwest Arizona south of Quartzsite. Cibola and Imperial National Wildlife Refuges along the Colorado River are good spots for birding.
Southwest of Tucson, Arizona in a nondescript stretch of desert are the remains of an underground Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) silo built in 1963, during the height of the Cold War. The nuclear warhead and rocket fuel was long ago removed from the site, but otherwise everything has been preserved. A tour guide takes you below ground in the original elevator to explain the steps required to unleash this devastating weapon.
The Catalina Highway ascends from Tucson through multiple life zones from saguaro-dotted desert to ponderosa pine forests at more than 9,000 feet in elevation. The expansive vistas along the drive are worth the many switchbacks, with Windy Point Vista is an especially beautiful wayside in the pinyon-juniper woodland zone. At the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains, also within Coronado National Forest, tram rides are available through beautiful Sabino Canyon Recreation Area.
If you didn’t get your fill of cacti the first day, you will at this park with separate sections east and west of Tucson. If you only have time for one, we recommend the eastern Rincon Mountain District.
South of Tucson in Tubac, San Cayetano de Tumacácori is a Spanish mission founded in 1691 by Padre Kino and abandoned in 1848. It became a National Monument in 1908 when it was restored to its ruined state based on photographs dating from 1868.
The highly decorated cave was not discovered until 1974, when its location was kept a tight secret while efforts were made to preserve it for future visitors. There are two guided tours on paved trails offered, and if you space out your reservations far enough you can take a hike on the 2.4-mile Foothills Loop Trail in between.
Bisbee
The copper mining center of Bisbee was once the largest city between El Paso and San Francisco. The well-maintained Victorian architecture and flights of steep staircases give this border town a unique atmosphere.
The park does not actually contain a statue or large memorial to Coronado. It does have a steep three-quarter mile trail to a 600-foot long limestone cave bearing Coronado’s name, which visitors can explore on their own with flashlights.
Tucked away in the southeastern corner of Arizona, millions of years of erosion left behind a spectacular collection of rhyolite rock formations that rise above surrounding evergreen trees. All the trails are good, but we recommend an all-day hike through Echo Canyon to the Heart of Rocks Loop where you will find formations resembling camels, ducks, and anything else you can imagine.
Salt River Canyon
Start driving north and be sure to stop for photos where U.S. Highway 60 drops steeply into this gorgeous canyon between Globe and Show Low.
Optional stop at Wilcox Playa Wildlife Area
In the winter, sandhill cranes stay in large numbers in the wetlands south of Wilcox and Interstate 10.
To visit the NPS visitor center, the literal “must-do activity” is to hike 1.5 miles from the trailhead. You do pass interpretive signs, a cemetery, and ruins along the way.
A paved walkway behind the Rainbow Forest Museum is a great place to start, as NPS rangers give guided tours there throughout the day. It is worth a hike to Agate House and a connection to the Giant Logs Trail to see more petrified wood, but be sure to bring water with you in the summer since there is no shade.
“Standin’ on the corner” statue in Winslow
Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey probably could not have guessed when they penned the 1970s anthem “Take It Easy” that it would inspire a statue in an Arizona town on historic Route 66. Perhaps even more fitting is the mural behind it that shows the reflection of a girl driving a flatbed truck. Located off Interstate 40, Winslow is a great place “to loosen your load.”
Cameron Trading Post
As a kid, Scott’s family would always spend the night at the hotel here before taking friends and family to the Grand Canyon National Park. Try the mutton stew or Indian taco in the restaurant at this historic spot.
Optional stop at Meteor Crater
There is a good museum at this big, round hole in the ground along Interstate 40. It is definitely worth seeing once in your life.
Heading north from Flagstaff, a 36-mile loop drive through Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument to adjacent Wupatki National Monument passes by the red-hued cinder cone through ponderosa pine forests and sunflower-filled meadows on its way to an arid, rocky high desert region that is dotted with Sinagua ruins from around AD 1100. Nearby cliff dwellings were built in Walnut Canyon National Monument around the same time by another group of Sinagua. To get up close with the cliff dwellings inside shallow limestone caves requires a hike down 200 stairs on the one-mile loop Island Trail.
Visit the South Rim of the park from the less busy eastern entrance and stop at the Watchtower and other scenic views along the way. It is worth spending a few nights here and hiking (or riding a mule) to the bottom of the canyon, but that is not for everyone. If you come in the summer, consider a trip to the North Rim or remote Toroweap (online permit required).
Optional stop at Little Colorado River Gorge Navajo Tribal Park
Famous for art galleries and New Age mysticism, the red rock city of Sedona offer plenty of stores and restaurants. Be sure to leave some time to explore some unpaved roads and hiking trails in the surrounding area.
There are numerous trails in the National Forest around Sedona, where sandstone buttes (like Bell Rock and Cathedral Rock) dominate the landscape. The shady West Fork Trail in Oak Creek Canyon is perfect on hot summer days, though in the winter it is also beautiful covered in snow and ice.
Optional stop at Sycamore Canyon Wilderness
This designated Wilderness (55,937 acres) is shared between three National Forests: Coconino, Kaibab, and Prescott. The easiest way in is on the Parsons Trail located outside Clarkdale, west of Sedona. The trailhead is accessed by driving the dirt Forest Road 131 for 10.5 miles from where it splits off near Tuzigoot National Monument.
The Sinagua pueblo at Tuzigoot had about 110 rooms and is estimated to have housed 200 to 300 people. You can walk inside portions of the ruin, including a section with a reconstructed roof.
These cliff ruins east of Phoenix are worth the hike up to, as are many parts of Tonto National Forest, especially the Flat Iron, Hieroglyph Canyon, and Weaver’s Needle.
This is a unique NPS site with livestock (sheep, horses, turkeys) and a hands-on play area for children, as well as the original dusty store which allows visitors to travel back into the late-1800s. There are frequent Navajo rug weaving demonstrations and tours inside the Hubbell Home are available for a fee.
In the heart of the Navajo Nation in northeast Arizona lies this picturesque National Monument. Humans have inhabited this area for 4,500 years, leaving behind numerous pictographs and the dramatic ruins of Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings.
Visitors can reserve spots on the ranger-led day hike to Betatakin cliff dwelling or the 20-person backpacking trips to Keet Seel that are offered twice per month in the summer. The latter is a strenuous trip covering 17 miles total with numerous stream crossings and all water must be carried in. The hardest part is at the end, when a 1,000 foot climb awaits, but it is worth it to be one of the few who get to see Keet Seel, the 150-room ruin that is second in size only to Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde National Park.
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
On the border of Arizona and Utah, entrance into Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park allows you to see the iconic Mitten Buttes in person, which have served as a backdrop for countless films. You can even pitch your tent at The View Campground overlooking the red rock formations.
Havasupai Reservation
It is hard to argue against Mooney Falls and the other waterfalls in Havasu Canyon as being the most outstanding in the state, but it can be difficult (and expensive) to obtain one of the limited reservations available to visit the Havasupai Reservation that borders Grand Canyon National Park.
Retention ponds keep this area green in the hot summer months where ducks paddle and dragonflies buzz through the humid air. When a NPS ranger is present, you can walk around inside Winsor Castle, a Mormon fort that dates back to 1870.
Antelope Canyon
Guided tours are required to access these beautiful slot canyons located on private land on the Navajo Nation
You might want to bring your “selfie stick” to iconic Horseshoe Bend Overlook, a short 0.7-mile one-way hike from the parking area on Highway 89 outside Page.
At Arizona Hot Springs, pools are formed by sandbags in a narrow canyon. It is accessible from Liberty Bell Trailhead by a 6.5-mile out-and-back hike through a beautiful arroyo down to Black Canyon (now the upper reaches of Lake Mohave formed by a dam) on the Colorado River. The trail is closed during the hot summer months, but you can still access it by boat from Willow Beach Marina or just downstream from the Hoover Dam (with a special permit). Further south on Lake Mohave, stop at Emerald Cove for incredible photographs.
Raven About The Parks 