Tag Archives: National Historic Trail

New Mexico

Kiowa National Grassland

September 3, 2025 Raven About The Parks 2 Comments

Kiowa National Grassland

New Mexico

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Southwestern Region

137,131 acres

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r03/cibola/recreation/kiowa-national-grasslands-0

Overview

Kiowa National Grassland encompasses two discrete units in northeast New Mexico, the eastern one bordering Texas and Oklahoma’s Rita Blanca National Grassland. This patchwork of public and private lands is administered together with the larger Cibola National Forest and Black Kettle National Grassland. Elevations range from 4,500 up to 6,300 feet in the western unit where La Frontera del Llano Scenic Byway (NM 39) runs north to south. Shortgrass prairie is the dominant cover type, with sand sagebrush and pinyon-juniper woodland mostly found in the west. Ponderosa pines are dispersed on wetter hill faces and riparian areas support Fremont cottonwoods and willows.

Highlights

Mills Canyon, Santa Fe National Historic Trail

Must-Do Activity

Melvin Mills (an attorney, territorial legislator, and entrepreneur) established the Mills Orchard and Ranch along the Canadian River in 1881. Flash flooding devastated the orchard in 1904, leading to the ranch’s abandonment a decade later. In 2005, the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service collaborated to restore three ranch buildings, and for their efforts they won the Windows on the Past Award for historic preservation. There are also interpretive signs and a free campground at the bottom of Mills Canyon, located nine miles down unpaved Mills Canyon Road.

Best Trail

A three-mile stretch of the Santa Fe National Historic Trail’s Cimarron Route is marked by rock posts 17 miles north of Clayton, and it is open for walking and horseback riding. There are interpretive signs along the route and wagon ruts remain visible.

Watchable Wildlife

An introduced herd of Barbary sheep are thriving in the Mills Canyon area. The Canadian River supports largemouth bass and channel catfish. Nomadic Naturalists blog reported seeing swift foxes, spiny softshell turtles, black-chinned sparrows, and pinyon jays on their visit.

Photographic Opportunity

Mills Canyon was cut by the Canadian River through sedimentary rocks ranging in age from 200-million to 90-million years old.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

None

Road Conditions

Past Mills Canyon Rim Campground, the unpaved Mills Canyon Road #600 is not recommended for trailers or passenger vehicles as it switchbacks down into Mills Canyon. A high-clearance vehicle is also recommended for the two-track paralleling the Santa Fe National Historic Trail’s Cimarron Route.

Camping

Both the Mills Canyon Rim Campground (6 campsites) and Mills Canyon Campground (12 sites) are free with vault toilets, but no water. Dispersed camping is allowed in the eastern unit around the Santa Fe National Historic Trail.

Related Sites

Cimarron National Grassland (Kansas)

Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site (Colorado)

Comanche National Grassland (Colorado)

Fort Union National Monument (New Mexico)

Nearest National Park

Great Sand Dunes

Explore More – As an attorney, Melvin Mills’ work often involved outlaws, American Indians, and politicians; who saved his life when he was nearly hanged by an angry mob?

Montana

Lolo National Forest

July 16, 2025 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Lolo National Forest

Montana

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Northern Region

2,639,224 acres (2,197,966 federal/ 441,258 other)

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r01/lolo

Overview

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.

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.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

None

Road Conditions

The unpaved roads we took were in good shape to Morrell Falls National Recreation Trail and Rattlesnake National Recreation Area.

Camping

The forest has 12 improved campgrounds and several historic fire lookout towers available for overnight rental through the website Recreation.gov.

Wilderness Areas

Rattlesnake Wilderness

Scapegoat Wilderness (also in Helena and Lewis and Clark National Forests)

Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness (also in Bitterroot, Clearwater, and Nez Perce National Forests)

Welcome Creek Wilderness

Related Sites

Deerlodge National Forest (Montana)

Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument (Montana)

Beaverhead National Forest (Montana)

Nearest National Park

Glacier

Douglas-fir cone setting on a larch branch

Conifer Tree Species

western redcedar, alpine larch, western larch, whitebark pine, ponderosa pine, grand fir, subalpine fir, Engelmann spruce, mountain hemlock

Flowering Tree Species

quaking aspen, Rocky Mountain maple, western serviceberry

Explore More – What is the origin of the name Lolo?

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

Colorado

Comanche National Grassland

March 21, 2025 Raven About The Parks 2 Comments

Comanche National Grassland

Colorado

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

Established 1960

467,373 acres (443,081 federal/ 24,292 other)

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

Overview

Near the Oklahoma border in southeast Colorado, Comanche National Grassland is comprised of two areas of shortgrass prairie co-managed with Pike and San Isabel National Forests and Cimarron National Grassland (in nearby Kansas). The Timpas Unit is in the watershed of the Purgatoire (or Picket Wire) River, while the more southern Carrizo Unit is mostly centered around Carrizo Creek, a tributary of the Cimarron River. There is a long history of human use of the canyons here, with petroglyphs dating back as far back as 8,000 years. Before giving the National Grassland its name, the Comanche pushed the Apache out of this area in the 1700s and their circular tipi rings can still be found. A branch of the Santa Fe National Historic Trail runs through the northern Timpas Unit with interpretive sites at Sierra Vista Overlook and Timpas Picnic Area (including a three-mile trail following the wagon tracks between the two).

Highlights

Picture Canyon, Crack Cave, Picket Wire Canyon, Dolores Mission, Rourke Ranch, Carrizo Canyon, Vogel Canyon, Santa Fe National Historic Trail

Must-Do Activity

Petroglyphs can be seen on trails near Vogel Canyon and Carrizo Canyon Picnic Areas, with the most famous found in Picture Canyon. It is about 16 miles of unpaved roads to access Picture Canyon from Highway 287, and there are vault toilets and picnic tables at the site. From there, the U.S. Forest Service traditionally leads a hike on Arch Rock Trail to Crack Cave on both the spring and fall equinox, when at dawn the sun’s rays illuminate a specific petroglyph that is usually behind a locked gate that blocks a narrow opening in the sandstone. A similar petroglyph with deeply-carved lines can be seen in an opening above a blue-tinted pictograph about a quarter-mile down the trail. Rock climbing is also a draw here, with a few permanent anchors in the sandstone behind the picnic tables.

Best Trail

It is a 17-mile drive down unpaved roads to Picket Wire Canyon, where a long trail leads to dinosaur tracks (19 miles out-and-back) and Rourke Ranch National Historic District (25 miles) that dates back to 1871. There are approximately 1,900 tracks left by Apatosaurs and Allosaurs over 150-million years ago. Along the way, look for petroglyphs, a model of a dinosaur fossil, and the ruins of Dolores Mission (see Photographic Opportunity).

Watchable Wildlife

Elevations range from 3,900 to 6,200 feet atop Fallas Mesa with ponderosa pine, pinyon pine, juniper, Gambel oak, and cottonwoods trees found in moister areas. Yucca and cacti are common in the prairie, as are desert-dwelling creatures like roadrunners and tarantulas (we saw one crossing the road). Hunters come here for mule deer, elk, pronghorn, and wild turkey in season. The National Grassland contains a lek for lesser prairie chickens, but it is typically closed during mating season due to their endangered status. About 328 bird species have been identified here, including many eastern birds at the extent of their range.

Photographic Opportunity

On the way to the dinosaur track site in Picket Wire Canyon, hikers pass Dolores Mission with a cemetery and the ruins of a small Catholic church dating back to 1898.

Peak Season

Spring and fall

Fees

None

Road Conditions

We have almost gotten stuck twice on the long dirt roads in Comanche National Grassland, once in deep mud following a spring thunderstorm and another time on thick ice following a spring blizzard.

Camping

It is free to disperse camp almost anywhere not on private lands in Comanche National Grassland, with the exception of the parking lots at the following canyons: Picture, Carrizo, Vogel, and Picket Wire.

Related Sites

Cimarron National Grassland (Kansas)

Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site (Colorado)

Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site (Colorado)

Nearest National Park

Great Sand Dunes

Explore More – The markings in Crack Cave are theorized by some people to spell out what word in Ogam (an ancient Celtic alphabet)?

Nevada

Humboldt National Forest

April 3, 2024 Raven About The Parks 2 Comments

Humboldt National Forest

Nevada

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Intermountain Region

2,618,165 acres (2,401,079 federal/ 217,086 other)

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

Overview

Ruby Mountains National Forest was established on May 3, 1906 and two years later it was joined with Independence National Forest to create Humboldt National Forest. In 1995, Humboldt and Toiyabe National Forests combined their 6.3-million acres to become the largest National Forest outside Alaska. Spread across separate mountain ranges that rise above the Great Basin Desert, Humboldt National Forest consists of the more northeasterly sections of the two National Forests. Much of its acreage in the Snake Range was claimed as part of Great Basin National Park in 1986, but it still encompasses 12,050-foot Mt. Moriah.

Highlights

Lamoille Canyon Scenic Byway, Ruby Mountains, Success Loop Drive, Angel Lake, Currant Mountain, Santa Rosa Range, Three Day Creek Trail, Ruby Crest National Recreation Trail

Must-Do Activity

The Ruby Mountains south of Interstate 80 near Elko are perhaps the most accessible area, with roads dead-ending at the gorgeous Angel Lake Campground and after 12 miles on the paved Lamoille Canyon Scenic Byway. West of Elko on Interstate 80, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) runs an excellent visitor center dedicated to the California National Historic Trail. Colorful displays and sculptures make this one of the best government-run museums in the country and admission is free. It is situated near where the Hastings Cutoff reconnected with the main California Trail following the Humboldt River. The Hastings Cutoff skirted the eastern edge of the Ruby Mountains and was utilized by the infamous Donner party in 1846. This same route that crossed Overland Pass was later part of the Pony Express Trail.

Best Trail

Starting at the end of Lamoille Canyon Scenic Byway, the 43-mile-long Ruby Crest National Recreation Trail passes Dollar and Lamoille Lakes as it steeply climbs to Liberty Pass. You do not need to hike far to appreciate the beauty of the glacier-carved valley ringed by jagged alpine peaks. The trail ends at Harrison Pass where a road still uses the same route that the Bidwell-Bartleson party took in 1841. There are long stretches of the trail that do not have access to water, including a ten-mile section from North Furlong Lake to Overland Lake.

Watchable Wildlife

More than 85% of Nevada is federally-owned land run mostly by the military and BLM. That acreage also includes Ruby Lake and Sheldon National Wildlife Refuges, two of several large refuges in the state. The lakes there and in Humboldt National Forest provide habitat for trout and other fish, as well as migratory birds like Canada geese and white pelicans. Chukars and Himalayan snowcocks are two introduced Asian bird species that have become popular targets for hunters. The steep mountains provide thermals for soaring raptors like red-tailed hawks, Swainson’s hawks, and turkey vultures. Due to the extreme elevation gradients in the basin and range topography, mammals include desert dwellers like kangaroo rats and alpine residents like American pikas, in addition to the more commonly seen mule deer and coyotes.

Instagram-worthy Photo

At the end of the 12-mile paved Lamoille Canyon Scenic Byway, you are surrounded by jagged mountains and at the beginning of the 43-mile-long Ruby Crest National Recreation Trail.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

$5 day-use fee at Angel Lake

Road Conditions

Lamoille Canyon Scenic Byway is paved and the unpaved road to Angel Lake Campground is in good shape.

Camping

The gorgeous Angel Lake Campground made our list of the Top 10 Campgrounds in National Forests, plus there are two designated campgrounds and a couple dispersed campsites along Lamoille Canyon Scenic Byway.

Wilderness Areas

Bald Mountain Wilderness

Currant Mountain Wilderness

East Humboldt Wilderness

Grant Range Wilderness

High Schells Wilderness

Jarbidge Wilderness

Mt. Moriah Wilderness (also managed by BLM)

Quinn Canyon Wilderness

Red Mountain Wilderness

Ruby Mountains Wilderness

Santa Rosa-Paradise Peak Wilderness

Shellback Wilderness

White Pine Range Wilderness

Related Sites

Toiyabe National Forest (Nevada-California)

City of Rocks National Reserve (Idaho)

Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)

Nearest National Park

Great Basin

Conifer Tree Species

Great Basin bristlecone pine, ponderosa pine, Engelmann spruce, California red fir, white fir

Flowering Tree Species

quaking aspen, greenleaf manzanita, sagebrush

Explore More – What was the country of origin of Alexander von Humboldt, a scientist who travelled extensively in the Americas between 1799 and 1804?

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

Montana

Helena National Forest

January 24, 2024 Raven About The Parks 1 Comment

Helena National Forest

Montana

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Northern Region

1,175,125 acres (984,558 federal/ 190,567 other)

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

Overview

Helena National Forest surrounds Montana’s capital city of Helena, encompassing several mountain ranges. The Big Belt Mountains were the site of the of the 1949 Mann Gulch Fire, which killed 13 smokejumpers who were immortalized in Norman Maclean’s classic book Young Men and Fire (see our Top 10 Non-Fiction Books on National Forests). There is a Mann Gulch Memorial located in Meriwether Campground. Much of the National Forest is grassland and sagebrush, with conifer trees dominating the canyons and mountain slopes. In the winter, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing are popular pastimes.

Highlights

Gates of the Mountains, Mann Gulch Memorial, Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center, Gypsy Lake, Crow Creek Falls, Elkhorn Mountains, Blackfoot Canyon, Red Mountain, Refrigerator Canyon, Hanging Valley National Recreation Trail, Meriwether Canyon Trail

Must-Do Activity

Meriwether Lewis named the Gates of the Mountains on July 19, 1805, and today a two-hour jet boat tour on the Missouri River details the history of the Corps of Discovery, American Indian pictographs, the Mann Gulch Fire, and the collapse of Hauser Dam. North of Helena on Interstate 15 in Great Falls is the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center, which is run by the U.S. Forest Service.

Best Trail

Refrigerator Canyon is less than ten feet wide at its narrowest point, where towering 200-foot limestone cliffs keep it cool and breezy throughout the summer. The trailhead is accessed by driving 12 miles of washboard road that turns left off paved York Road just after crossing near the dam that forms Hauser Lake on the Missouri River. It is a short quarter-mile hike to reach the canyon’s pinch point that was full of rock climbers during our visit. The route then gets steeper, gaining 1,100 feet in two miles and providing excellent mountain views. The trail eventually levels out and continues for another seven miles past Bear Prairie in the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness. It can be connected to the Meriwether Canyon Trail, which dead ends at the Missouri River 18 miles from the Refrigerator Canyon Trailhead.

Watchable Wildlife

Grizzly bears can be found in the Scapegoat Wilderness in the northwest part of Helena National Forest where it borders Lewis and Clark National Forest (considered part of the massive Bob Marshall Wilderness complex connecting to Glacier National Park). Other predators include black bears, gray wolves, wolverines, ermine, mountain lions, bobcats, and Canada lynx. River otters and beavers can be found on the Missouri River. Grazing ungulates commonly seen are elk, moose, mule deer, and pronghorn, in addition to bighorn sheep and mountain goats at higher elevations. Trout streams and lakes provide fishing opportunities for humans, as well as bald eagles and ospreys.

Instagram-worthy Photo

You might see rock climbers blocking narrow Refrigerator Canyon, but be sure to continue through on the steep trail for beautiful views of the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

None

Road Conditions

The washboard road back to Refrigerator Canyon was in good enough shape for our passenger vehicle.

Camping

A Mann Gulch Memorial is located in Meriwether Campground, plus there are numerous other campgrounds and dispersed campsites located throughout the National Forest’s network of unpaved roads.

Wilderness Areas

Gates of the Mountains Wilderness

Scapegoat Wilderness (also in Lewis and Clark National Forest)

Related Sites

Beaverhead National Forest (Montana)

Deerlodge National Forest (Montana)

Flathead National Forest (Montana)

Nearest National Park

Glacier