Tag Archives: National Forest

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

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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?

List

Top 10 National Recreation Areas in National Forests

May 29, 2024 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

There are 21 National Recreation Areas administered solely by the U.S. Forest Service (and one co-managed with the National Park Service). This is a list of our favorites, since we already ranked our Top 10 National Recreation Areas run by the National Park Service. The U.S. Forest Service also manages nine National Scenic Areas, so we will probably never rank those, but by far the two best are Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge and California’s Mono Basin. Click here to see all our Top 10 lists.

10. Land Between The Lakes (Kentucky-Tennessee)

A planetarium and a bison herd can be found in the land between Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake

9. Grand Island (Michigan)

An undeveloped island beckons hikers and bikers at the western edge of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

8. Winding Stair Mountain (Oklahoma)

Eastern Oklahoma is surprisingly mountainous and densely forested

7. Mt. Rogers (Virginia)

Hike the Appalachian National Scenic Trail to the top of Virginia or hop on a bike to coast down the Virginia Creeper Rail Trail

6. Spring Mountains (Nevada)

Snow frequently falls in these scenic peaks just north of Las Vegas

5. Hells Canyon (Oregon-Idaho)

The whitewater rapids of the Snake River cut what is arguably the deepest canyon in North America

4. Oregon Dunes (Oregon)

Coastal sand dunes interspersed with Douglas-fir forests attract hikers and ORV drivers

3. Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks (West Virginia)

The state’s highest point and a popular rock climbing area are separated by a narrow valley

2. Mt. Baker (Washington)

One of the prettiest roads in the U.S., Mt. Baker Scenic Byway (Highway 542) dead ends at the high elevation of Artist Point

…and finally our #1 National Recreation Area in a National Forest:

1. Sawtooth (Idaho)

The jagged peaks here live up to their name at the intersection of Boise, Challis, and Sawtooth National Forests

Honorable Mentions

Ed Jenkins (Georgia)

Encompassing Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Arapaho (Colorado)

The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail cuts through this lake-filled basin west of Rocky Mountain National Park

Flaming Gorge (Wyoming-Utah)

A red rock canyon on the Green River was dammed to form this pretty border-crossing reservoir

Pine Ridge (Nebraska)

An extension of the Black Hills into northwestern Nebraska, this seldom visited area is home to reintroduced bighorn sheep

Moosalamoo (Vermont)

The Falls of Lana, Silver Lake, Voter Brook Overlook, and Robert Frost Interpretive Trail are all worth a visit

Learn more about these National Recreation Areas and the 155 National Forests they are in with our guidebook Out in the Woods

List

Top 10 Natural Phenomena to See in the U.S.

May 14, 2024 Raven About The Parks 9 Comments

We like to make Top 10 Lists for our readers to prioritize where to go, so here is a new one we came up with specifically to celebrate our 500th blog post. If we already have a post highlighting the type of natural wonder mentioned, we included a link (plus a few extra for future posts). These lists are by no means exhaustive of all the states or public lands where you can witness these phenomena. Click here for all our Top 10 Lists.

10. Natural bridge or arch (Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Nevada, Ohio, Utah, Virginia, Wyoming)

Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Daniel Boone National Forest, Natural Bridges National Monument

9. Sand dune field (California, Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, New Mexico, Texas, Utah)

Death Valley National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Indiana Dunes National Park, Mojave National Preserve, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, White Sands National Park

8. Sea cave (California, Michigan, Oregon, Wisconsin)

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Channel Islands National Park, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

7. Slot canyon (Arkansas, California, New Mexico, Utah)

Capitol Reef National Park, Death Valley National Park, Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument

6. Coral reef (American Samoa, Florida, Hawai‘i, Virgin Islands)

National Park of American Samoa, Buck Island Reef National Monument, Dry Tortugas National Park, Pu‘uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument, Virgin Islands National Park

5. Giant sequoia or coast redwood tree (California)

Giant Sequoia National Monument, Kings Canyon National Park, Los Padres National Forest, Redwood National Park, Sequoia National Park, Sierra National Forest