Tag Archives: National Monument

New Mexico

Gila National Forest

8 Comments

Gila National Forest

New Mexico

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Southwestern Region

2,797,628 acres (2,710,659 federal/ 86,969 other)

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

Overview

Nearly 25% of Gila National Forest is designated Wilderness, and the renowned Gila Wilderness became the world’s first such-titled area on June 3, 1924.  There are multiple hot springs that attract backpackers to this area and 95% of thru-hikers on the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT) veer from the official route to enjoy its beauty.  The nearby Aldo Leopold Wilderness is named for the Forest Service ranger that helped campaign for that designation and later became a famous ecologist and author of A Sand County Almanac (see our Top 10 Non-Fiction Books on Trees and Forests).  In 2016, the Cosmic Campground became the first International Dark Sky Sanctuary in North America (and one of only 18 in the world), so it is a great spot for stargazing.  Gila National Forest also manages the part of Arizona’s Apache National Forest that is in New Mexico, adding an additional 614,202 acres.

Highlights

Inner Loop Scenic Byway, Hulsey Lake, Cosmic Campground, Turkey Creek Hot Springs, Lake Roberts, Signal Peak, Quemado Lake, Chimney Rock Canyon, Jordan Hot Springs, Sawmill National Recreation Trail, Catwalk National Recreation Trail, Wood Haul Road National Recreation Trail, Continental Divide National Scenic Trail

Must-Do Activity

You do not have to journey far into the Gila Wilderness to reach Lightfeather Hot Springs on the Middle Fork Trail.  Less than a mile down the trail a shallow pool is formed by stacked rocks where 150-degree hot springs water combines with the cool Middle Fork of the Gila River.  It is a great place to watch and listen to wildlife.  Seven miles further is Jordan Hot Springs, a very popular backpacking destination that requires countless stream crossings (it is best to wear fast-drying shoes and use trekking poles).  The trailhead is located 43 miles north of Silver City on the Inner Loop Scenic Byway, not far from a visitor center co-managed by the Forest Service and National Park Service (that operates nearby Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument).  The Gila Wilderness is the reason this National Forest made it on our list of the Top 10 National Forests for Backpacking.

Best Trail

The most popular spot in Gila National Forest is the Catwalk National Recreation Trail, which requires driving through two stream crossings that are doable by a passenger car when the water is low.  The one-mile trail is partially elevated above Whitewater Creek on wide, steel grates complete with handrails.  The Catwalk started in 1893 as a way for miners to service a four-inch water pipe, then fell into disrepair before being upgraded by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1935.  Today’s safer, tourist-friendly Catwalk was installed in 1961.  This trail made our list of the Top 10 Day Hiking Trails in National Forests.

Watchable Wildlife

The Gila River gives its name to this National Forest, as well as animals like the venomous Gila monster, Gila woodpecker, and fish, including a trout, topminnow, and several species of chub.  Mexican wolves have been reintroduced to this region, and other predators like mountain lions, bobcats, and black bears (we saw one and followed another’s wet footprints while backpacking near Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument).  Unique mammals include the javelina (collared peccary), gray fox, white-nosed coatimundi, and Coues white-tailed deer.  Mule deer, elk, pronghorns, and bighorn sheep are additional ungulates found in Gila National Forest.  Large birds include roadrunners, Mexican spotted owls, bald eagles, ospreys, peregrine falcons, and wild turkeys.  Most of our wildlife encounters were with reptiles like horned lizards (a.k.a. frogs or toads), western fence lizards, and rattlesnakes.

Instagram-worthy Photo

In May 2020, we did a 72-mile backpacking loop connecting the West Fork of the Gila River with the Middle Fork, through gorgeous canyons and old-growth forests protected as the Gila Wilderness since 1924.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

There is a parking fee at Catwalk National Recreation Trail (or you can display an America the Beautiful Pass), but some cars parked across the river to avoid paying.

Road Conditions

The eastern part of Inner Loop Scenic Byway is paved to the visitor center co-managed by the Forest Service and National Park Service, but the western portion is unpaved and has some steep grades not recommended for RVs.  The unpaved road to Catwalk National Recreation Trail with its two stream crossings is doable with a passenger car when the water is low.

Camping

Cosmic Campground became the first International Dark Sky Sanctuary in North America (and one of only 14 in the world), so it is a great spot for stargazing.  Pueblo Park Campground offers a trail through Chimney Rock Canyon and Upper End Campground is near 72-acre Lake Roberts.  Cottonwood Campground is located near the Blue Range Wilderness on the Arizona border.  In eastern Gila National Forest along Highway 152 are found both Upper Gallinas and Iron Creek Campgrounds.  In the north, there are three campgrounds on 131-acre Quemado Lake and the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail cuts through primitive Apache Creek Campground.

Wilderness Areas

Aldo Leopold Wilderness

Blue Range Wilderness

Gila Wilderness

Related Sites

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument (New Mexico)

Apache National Forest (Arizona-New Mexico)

Cibola National Forest (New Mexico)

Nearest National Park

White Sands

Overlooking the Gila Wilderness
Western fence lizard
Lightfeather Hot Springs
Tiff on the Catwalk National Recreation Trail
Tiff on the Catwalk National Recreation Trail
Tiff backpacking in the Gila Wilderness
Scott backpacking in the Gila Wilderness
Ruins in the Gila Wilderness
Tiff backpacking in the Gila Wilderness
Bullfrog
New Mexico locust in bloom
This ponderosa pine was still alive despite its fire scar
Elk
Black bear
Rattlesnake

Conifer Tree Species

two-needle pinyon pine, ponderosa pine, Chihuahua pine, southwestern white pine, white fir, one-seed juniper

Flowering Tree Species

Gambel oak, gray oak, silverleaf oak, New Mexico locust, quaking aspen, narrowleaf cottonwood, Fremont cottonwood, Arizona alder, Arizona sycamore, Arizona walnut, boxelder, velvet ash, netleaf hackberry, mountain-mahogany, chokecherry

Explore More – Gila is a Spanish simplification of the Yuma word “hah-quah-sa-eel,” translated as what?

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.

Washington

Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

4 Comments

Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

Washington

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

Established 1982

110,000 acres

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/visit/destination/mount-st-helens-national-volcanic-monument-0

Overview

Mt. St. Helens erupted Sunday, May 18, 1980 decreasing its elevation by 1,300 feet and depositing all of that material across the landscape as ash and a lahar (volcanic mudslide) claiming 57 human lives.  The site is now protected as Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument and is accessed from the east or west through Gifford Pinchot National Forest.  Mt. St. Helens is geologically young as it began to form only 37,600 years ago.  It is considered the most active volcano in the Cascade Range, with a major eruption in 1480 several times larger than that which occurred 500 years later, as well as written records that noted activity from 1800 to 1857.  Prior to the most recent blast it was distinguished for its perfect cone shape, likened to the renowned outline of Mt. Fuji in Japan. 

Highlights

Johnston Ridge Observatory, films, Forest Learning Center, Windy Ridge, Spirit Lake, Bear Meadows, Winds of Change Trail

Must-Do Activity

Coming from Mount Rainier National Park, we decided to visit the more remote eastern side of the National Monument (see Best Trail) on Spirit Lake Memorial Highway.  From Interstate 5 on the volcano’s west side, Highway 504 leads east past an excellent visitor center (Milepost 5) at Seaquest State Park in Silver Lake (admission charged).  Highway 504 next reaches the free Forest Learning Center managed by the Weyerhaeuser Company, Washington State Department of Transportation, and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.  The road ends at Johnston Ridge Observatory (Milepost 52), which is known for its awesome views of Mt. St. Helens.  We have been told not to miss the introductory films at the museum (admission charged).  [Update: Highway 504 closed due to landslides at Milepost 43 in June 2023 and has not reopened yet.]  Climbers need a permit to ascend Mt. St. Helens, but even from an overlook the scene is enough to fill one with an appreciation for nature’s awesome power. 

Best Trail

After a breathtaking ascent of 361 steps, we reached a breathtaking view atop the aptly named Windy Ridge.  It provided a panorama of the destruction wrought by the volcano, which is still visibly spewing smoke and cinders.  Today the waters of Spirit Lake remain clogged with thousands of weathered snags, floating upon its surface like debarked, sun-bleached ghosts.  Elsewhere the rate of reforestation has been astounding.  Due to natural regeneration and planting efforts within Gifford Pinchot National Forest, millions of Douglas-fir, noble fir, and other trees are rapidly growing in the nitrogen-rich deposits, up to 100 feet deep in some places.

Instagram-worthy Photo

From Windy Ridge, the pale gray summit of the horseshoe-shaped volcano was still streaked in glacial ice on a warm September afternoon, the venting steam clearly visible against the deep blue sky.

Peak Season

Summer

Hours

https://www.parks.wa.gov/245/Mount-St-Helens

Fees

Admission to Johnston Ridge Observatory is $8 per adult or free with an America the Beautiful Pass.  At Seaquest State Park, a $5 per adult admission fee is charged to enter Mt. St. Helens Visitor Center operated by Washington State Parks in Silver Lake.

Road Conditions

The major roads (like Highway 504) are paved to viewpoints in Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.  [Update: Highway 504 closed due to landslides at Milepost 43 in June 2023 and has not reopened, but Windy Ridge is still accessible.] 

Camping

There is a campground in Seaquest State Park on Silver Lake near Interstate 5, plus dispersed camping is allowed in parts of Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

Related Sites

Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)

Lake Chelan National Recreation Area (Washington)

Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve (Oregon)

Tiff at Windy Ridge
Spirit Lake
Spirit Lake
Spirit Lake
Mt. Adams
Paintbrush
Mt. Adams
Tiff at Windy Ridge
Grand fir cones

Explore More – Opened in 1997, Johnston Ridge Observatory is named for whom?

Washington

Gifford Pinchot National Forest

5 Comments

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

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.

Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Wyoming

Continental Divide National Scenic Trail

4 Comments

Continental Divide National Scenic Trail

New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana

Managed by U.S. Forest Service (70%), Bureau of Land Management (12%), National Park Service (10%), other (8%)

Established 1978

3,028 miles

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/trails/cdt

Overview

We decided to write about the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT) now, since Tiff recently finished backpacking the entire 512-mile Wyoming section of the route.  The CDT stretches 3,028 miles from the Crazy Cook Monument on the border with Mexico north to Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.  The official trail is known as the “red route,” with popular alternatives called “blue routes” detouring through sections like New Mexico’s Gila Wilderness (which 95% of thru-hikers choose).  Tiff was supported by Scott along portions of the trail and they both backpacked through Yellowstone National Park together.  Tiff met dozens of thru-hikers doing the entire trail this year, many of whom were “flip-flopping” after getting stopped north bound (NOBO) by snowy Colorado mountains so switching to a south bound (SOBO) direction to finish.

Highlights

Rocky Mountain National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park, Gila Wilderness, El Malpaís National Monument, South Pass City State Park, Wind River Range, Lemhi Pass, Chinese Wall, Triple Divide Pass

Must-Do Activity

It takes the average thru-hiker 147 days to complete the trek (including “zeros days”), but you can get a feel for the experience on shorter point-to-point or loop hikes.  We have done the Rocky Mountain National Park section as a long day hike and Scott has backpacked the minimum 40 miles to see the famous Chinese Wall in Montana’s Lewis and Clark National Forest.  We had all three of our backcountry campsites to ourselves along Yellowstone National Park’s 67-mile stretch of CDT and went a full day without seeing another person near the park’s Idaho border.

Best Trail

The Wind River Range in Wyoming’s Bridger National Forest is probably the most scenic stretch of mountains on the entire CDT.  Many thru-hikers detour to a blue route to see beautiful, but overcrowded Titcomb Basin and the Cirque of the Towers (actually in neighboring Shoshone National Forest).  Read more about our 2020 trip (mostly) following the CDT 120 miles through the range in our newspaper article.

Instagram-worthy Photo

The CDT goes right past crowded Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park’s Lower Geyser Basin, although there are other areas of colorful hot springs like those near Heart Lake (pictured).

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

Fees apply if you camp inside or drive into Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Parks

Road Conditions

Much of the trail is actually walking dirt roads and some paved roads, especially in New Mexico.  Access roads to certain trailheads can be very rough and require driving long unpaved sections, such as the 30 miles to busy Big Sandy Trailhead in Bridger National Forest.

Camping

Camping is dispersed except for designated sites (permit required) in Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Parks.

Related Sites

Appalachian National Scenic Trail (Georgia to Maine)

Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (California-Oregon-Washington)

Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail (Mississippi-Alabama-Tennessee)

Tiff starting at the Colorado-Wyoming border
Tiff in Wyoming’s South Pass City State Historic Site
Entering the Wind River Range
Tiff in the Wind River Range
Scott near Terrace Mountain
Mule deer
Wolf tracks outside Tiff’s tent in the morning
Tiff at Heart Lake in Yellowstone National Park
Sandhill cranes in Yellowstone National Park
Shoshone Lake in Yellowstone National Park
Scott crossing the Lewis River in Yellowstone National Park
Geysers in Yellowstone National Park
Tiff at Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Tiff finished at the Idaho border in Yellowstone National Park
Beargrass in Montana’s Lewis and Clark National Forest
Grizzly bear in Lewis and Clark National Forest
Chinese Wall
Lewis and Clark National Forest

Explore More – Which three oceans receive water from Triple Divide Pass in Montana?

Oregon

Newberry National Volcanic Monument

6 Comments

Newberry National Volcanic Monument

Oregon

Managed by U.S. Forest Service

Established 1990

54,822 acres

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/deschutes/recarea/?recid=66159

Overview

Newberry National Volcanic Monument was carved from Deschutes National Forest by presidential proclamation in 1990 and here you must purchase a recreation pass to visit.  The main area of development is around Paulina Lake, but short roads off Highway 97 also lead to Lava River Cave and the top of Lava Butte.  Lava River Cave, at 5,211 feet in length, is Oregon’s longest lava tube and one of more than 250 known caves found throughout Deschutes National Forest.  A one-mile interpretive trail enters the Lava Cast Forest, where 6,000 years ago the forms of trees were preserved in lava before burning up.

Highlights

Paulina Lake, East Lake, Paulina Falls, Lava Cast Forest, Paulina Peak, Lava River Cave, Lava Butte, Big Obsidian Flow Trail, Crater Rim Trail, Peter Skene Ogden Trail

Must-Do Activity

Newberry National Volcanic Monument has everything you would expect from a volcanic area: lava tubes, cinder cones, cast trees, and basalt flows.  There are also some things you might not guess, like an 80-foot tall waterfall, two big lakes for boating, forested campgrounds, and two lakeside resorts.  We have seen photos of people soaking in a hot springs on the shore of chilly Paulina Lake, but we are not sure exactly where those are located.

Best Trail

There are a variety of hiking trails in the area, like the 21-mile Crater Rim Trail that circles Newberry Caldera or the one-mile Big Obsidian Flow Trail.  These both offer outstanding views of Paulina Lake or you can drive to the top of 7,984-foot-tall Paulina Peak.  Sharp chunks of obsidian (volcanic glass) mean that you should wear good shoes (not sandals) on the Big Obsidian Flow Trail.  

Instagram-worthy Photo

Lovely Paulina Falls is split into two separate waterfalls off the cliff face on the caldera’s western edge.  The overlook is accessible by a short hike and user trails lead steeply to its base.

Peak Season

Late summer

Fees

$5 daily recreation pass or America the Beautiful pass

Road Conditions

The roads we drove to access Paulina and East Lakes were paved, but there are many other unpaved Forest Service roads in the National Monument.

Camping

One of numerous campgrounds, Little Crater Campground is situated on Paulina Lake, plus there are two lakeside resorts.

Related Sites

Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve (Idaho)

Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument (Washington)

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument (Arizona)

Paulina Lake
Obsidian
Remember to stop at the entry booth
Paulina Falls in winter
Scott below Paulina Falls
Tiff dipping her toes
Sunrise

Explore More – What is the name of the popular museum of wildlife and living history located just north of Newberry National Volcanic Monument on Highway 97?