Tag Archives: National Scenic Trail

Montana

Lewis and Clark National Forest

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Lewis and Clark National Forest

Montana

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Northern Region

1,999,256 acres (1,863,788 federal/ 135,468 other)

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r01/helena-lewisclark

Overview

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.

Photographic Opportunity

The 15-mile long Chinese Wall is an iconic landmark along the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. 

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

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.

Wilderness Areas

Bob Marshall Wilderness (also in Flathead National Forest)

Scapegoat Wilderness (also in Helena and Lolo National Forests)

Related Sites

Deerlodge National Forest (Montana)

Bighorn National Forest (Wyoming)

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument (Montana)

Nearest National Park

Glacier

Sego lilies
Grizzly bear
Beargrass
Chinese Wall
Glacier lilies
Three moose
Moose
Common loon

Conifer Tree Species

western redcedar, Douglas-fir, limber pine, whitebark pine, lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, western larch, common juniper

Flowering Tree Species

quaking aspen, Rocky Mountain maple, western serviceberry

Explore More – Why is the 200 square-mile Badger-Two Medicine area of the National Forest managed differently?

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

California

Lassen National Forest

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Lassen National Forest

California

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

1,375,593 acres (1,070,992 federal/ 304,601 other)

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/lassen

Overview

Lassen National Forest Reserve dates back to 1905, then a decade later when Lassen Peak explosively erupted (the first eruption to be photographed in the continental U.S.), 106,589-acre Lassen Volcanic National Park was carved out.  The two federal areas are connected by the 187-mile-long Lassen Scenic Byway (Highways 44 and 89) that traces the volcanic legacy of the southern Cascade Range.  The 41,100-acre Ishi Wilderness was named in 1984 to honor the last surviving member of the Yahi band of Southern Yanas, taken from his native home near Oroville in 1911 and employed as a janitor at the University of California’s Anthropology Museum in San Francisco until his death from tuberculosis five years later.

Highlights

Lassen Scenic Byway, Lake Almanor, Eagle Lake, Subway Cave, Hat Creek Recreational Area, Triangle Lake, Heart Lake National Recreation Trail, Bizz Johnson Trail, Spencer Meadows National Recreation Trail, Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail

Must-Do Activity

Lassen National Forest runs campgrounds and boat ramps on both Lake Almanor and Eagle Lake, although most of their shorelines are privately owned.  Between the two lakes is the town of Susanville, where a railroad bed abandoned in 1978 was converted into the Bizz Johnson Trail that follows the Susan River for 26 miles. The trail features 12 river crossings and two tunnels with scenic mountain views.  Camping is restricted to specific portions of the trail. The 20,546-acre Caribou Wilderness was one of America’s first Primitive Areas designated in 1932 and along with the 16,335-acre Thousand Lakes Wilderness was established immediately following passage of the 1964 Wilderness Act.  In a proposed Wilderness area on the west side of Lassen Volcanic National Park, Heart Lake National Recreation Trail is a 2.4-mile one-way hike up to a glacial lake that connects to the longer Twin Meadows Trail.

Best Trail

Subway Cave is only 1,300 feet long, but the lava tube is the main attraction in Lassen National Forest, with free guided tours offered on summer weekends.  Lava flowed through here less than 2,000 years ago and interpretive signs along the 0.7-mile loop trail explain lavacicles and other geologic oddities.  A flashlight is necessary to explore past the openings of the 46°F cave, which drops to four feet in some places with a maximum ceiling of 17 feet.  One mile south on the Lassen Scenic Byway (Highway 44) is the 1.7-mile roundtrip Spatter Cone Trail (across from Hat Creek Campground).  The trail passes a variety of volcanic formations in a forest of Jeffrey pine trees.

Watchable Wildlife

Lassen National Forest is home to black bears, pine martens, mountain lions, bobcats, red foxes, coyotes, and a few gray wolves that migrated south from Oregon.  You are most likely to see mule deer or one of the variety of chipmunks or squirrels.  Bird sightings include mountain chickadees, Steller’s jays, Clark’s nutcrackers (at high elevations), and eight species of woodpeckers such as pileated and white-headed.

Photographic Opportunity

Sitting at 4,505 feet in elevation, Lake Almanor stretches for 13 miles near Chester, California and is a good place for summer boating and fishing.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

None

Road Conditions

Subway Cave is located right off Lassen Scenic Byway (Highways 44 and 89) and most of the unpaved roads we have explored in the National Forest have been maintained, probably because of the continued harvesting activities that we witnessed on our field trip from Cal Poly University in 2010.

Camping

Lassen National Forest runs campgrounds on both Lake Almanor and Eagle Lake, plus Hat Creek Recreational Area has seven campgrounds.  If you are looking to disperse camp outside Lassen Volcanic National Park, take the road west outside the southern entrance (but keep a clean campsite as we saw a black bear in the area).

Wilderness Areas

Caribou Wilderness

Ishi Wilderness (also managed by BLM)

Thousand Lakes Wilderness

Related Sites

Lava Beds National Monument (California)

Devils Postpile National Monument (California)

Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area (California)

Nearest National Park

Lassen Volcanic

Subway Cave
Subway Cave
Subway Cave
Tiff in Subway Cave
Lake Almanor
White pelicans
Lake Almanor

Conifer Tree Species

red fir, white fir, western hemlock, Jeffrey pine, ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, western white pine, California juniper, incense-cedar

Flowering Tree Species

quaking aspen, Fremont cottonwood, ceanothus, manzanita

Explore More – Other than the namesake for Lassen Peak, who was Peter Lassen?

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

Idaho, Montana

Kootenai National Forest

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Kootenai National Forest

Montana, Idaho

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Northern Region

2,145,268 acres (1,812,380 federal/ 332,888 other)

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

Overview

In northwest Montana, Kootenai National Forest includes parts of the Cabinet, Purcell, Salish, Selkirk, and Whitefish Mountains on the border of Canada.  In 1975, the 422-foot-tall Libby Dam on the Kootenai River created 90-mile-long international Lake Koocanusa (a contraction of Kootenai-Canada-U.S.A.).  Elevations in Kootenai National Forest range from 1,832 feet up to 8,738-foot Snowshoe Peak in the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness, encompassing a variety of habitats from subalpine meadows to arid plains with cacti.

Highlights

Lake Koocanusa Scenic Byway, Northwest Peak Scenic Area, McGregor Lake, Yaak Falls, Ten Lakes Scenic Area, Ross Creek Cedar Grove Scenic Area, Loon Lake, Tenmile Falls, Bluebird Basin Trail, Vinal McHenry Boulder National Recreation Trail, Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail

Must-Do Activity

There are more than 1,200 miles of trails in Kootenai National Forest, including 90 miles of the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail.  Two of the best places to hike are the Northwest Peak and Ten Lakes Scenic Areas, in the remote upper corners of the National Forest.  Outside of Libby, Montana, Blue Mountain Trail (1.5 miles one-way), Skyline National Recreation Trail (22 miles), and Scenery Mountain Lookout Trail (2.5 miles) all climb to incredible overlooks.  At Kootenai Falls (see Photographic Opportunity), a new suspension bridge crosses the Kootenai River to Forest Service land on the north shore.  From there, Koot Creek Canyon Trail travels another three miles to a dirt road in Kootenai National Forest.

Best Trail

In 1959, Ross Creek Cedar Grove Scenic Area preserved 101 acres of western redcedar trees up to eight feet in diameter.  A one-lane paved road with pullouts leads 4.3 miles from Highway 56 to a large parking area with a day-use fee.  The main trail is a less than one-mile loop with interpretive signs, but continues five miles to the North Fork of Ross Creek.  The old-growth forest is also home to large Douglas-fir, Engelmann spruce, grand fir, and western hemlock trees growing above a lush green understory of ferns and Devil’s-club.

Watchable Wildlife

The mountains provide habitat for grizzly bears, black bears, Canada lynxes, bobcats, mountain lions, wolverines, mink, pine martens, long-tailed weasels, porcupines, snowshoe hares, pika, moose, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats.  Hoskins Lake is a wintering range for mule deer and white-tailed deer, as well as an osprey nesting area in the summer.  The National Forest’s numerous rivers and more than 100 lakes support gamefish like cutthroat, rainbow, brown, and endangered bull trout.  The endangered white sturgeon is also found in this area.

Photographic Opportunity

Located in a county park on the side of Highway 2, Kootenai Falls is only about 20 feet tall, but it is impressively wide and beautiful.  An overlook is located one-tenth of a mile from the parking lot, but there is also a walking bridge that crosses over the railroad tracks to a viewpoint at the edge of the falls, and a suspension bridge only a quarter-mile further downstream.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

Ross Creek Cedar Grove Scenic Area has a day-use fee (or the America the Beautiful pass is also accepted).

Road Conditions

Paved roads like the Lake Koocanusa Scenic Byway, U.S. Highway 2, and State Highway 56 make it easy to explore Kootenai National Forest.  To access Ross Creek Cedar Grove Scenic Area, a one-lane paved road with pullouts leads 4.3 miles from Highway 56.  A nice drive through the Purcell Mountains can be made by looping State Route 508 and Forest Road 68.

Camping

There are Forest Service campgrounds at Kilbrennan Lake, Loon Lake, Rexford Branch, Caribou, Red Top, Whitetail, Pete Creek, Howard Lake, and elsewhere.  Big Creek Baldy Mountain lookout cabin can be rented, too.

Wilderness Areas

Cabinet Mountains Wilderness (also in Kaniksu National Forest)

Related Sites

Kaniksu National Forest (Idaho-Montana-Washington)

Bitterroot National Forest (Montana-Idaho)

Coeur d’Alene National Forest (Idaho)

Nearest National Park

Glacier

Kootenai Falls
Suspension bridge at Kootenai Falls
Suspension bridge at Kootenai Falls
Kootenai River
Kootenai Falls
Scott’s mother in Ross Creek Cedar Grove Scenic Area
Scott in Ross Creek Cedar Grove Scenic Area
Scott’s mother in Ross Creek Cedar Grove Scenic Area

Conifer Tree Species

lodgepole pine, whitebark pine, ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, western hemlock, western redcedar, , western larch, alpine larch, Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, grand fir

Flowering Tree Species

Rocky Mountain maple, boxelder, quaking aspen, balsam poplar, dwarf birch, paper birch, Piper’s hawthorn, Bebb willow, western mountain-ash, choke cherry, western serviceberry

Explore More – The Kootenai (or Kootenay in Canada) River is named after the local Ktunaxa Indians, which translates as what in the Algonquian language?

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

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California, Oregon

Klamath National Forest

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Klamath National Forest

California, Oregon

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

1,913,264 acres (1,737,774 federal/ 175,490 other)

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

Overview

Split into two separate sections by Interstate 5, Klamath National Forest is spread across the Marble, Salmon, Scott, and Siskiyou Mountains of northern California, with less than 2% of its acreage across the border in Oregon.  The National Forest headquarters is located in Yreka on Interstate 5, from where the Forest Service also manages the small Butte Valley National Grassland.  In this remote portion of California, Klamath National Forest borders Modoc, Rogue River, Siskiyou, Six Rivers, Shasta, and Trinity National Forests.  It contains 152 miles of designated National Wild and Scenic Rivers, including some popular for fishing and rafting, like the Klamath River.

Highlights

Horsetail Falls, Kangaroo Lake, Sawyers Bar Catholic Church, Sur Cree Falls, Crater Glass Flow, Panhandle Lake, Chimney Rock, Diamond Lake, Juanita Lake, Cedar Mountain, Kelly Lake, East Boulder Trail, Taylor Lake Trail, Clear Creek National Recreation Trail, Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail

Must-Do Activity

The mountainous western portion of Klamath National is home to several designated Wilderness areas that offer excellent hiking and backpacking (as well as a long stretch of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail).  In the Siskiyou Wilderness, a quarter-mile hike leads to Kelly Lake with picnic tables at both ends and an option to continue hiking three miles to a beautiful meadow near Poker Flat.  From the Shackleford Creek Trailhead, a trail follows the creek into the Marble Mountain Wilderness to Log Lake (three miles) and Campbell Lake (4.3 miles).  Russian Lake in the Russian Wilderness is heavily visited, although it is a difficult 4.5-mile hike from the Deacon Lee Trailhead.  Many trails enter the Trinity Alps Wilderness, such as East Boulder (see Best Hike) and Carter Meadows Summit, as well as Long Gulch and Trail Gulch (which together can be a turned into thru-hike with a two-car shuttle)

Best Trail

A popular destination for day hikers, East Boulder Lake is accessed by a 1.7-mile one-way trail that climbs 1,000 feet into the northern Trinity Alps Wilderness.  Due to the number of user trails around the lake, it is difficult to navigate to the 7,100-foot pass, but continue southeast past Upper Boulder Lake and keep heading uphill to locate it.  It is 1.2 miles past East Boulder Lake to the junction with the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail that runs east-west following the summits of the Scott Mountains (in Shasta National Forest).  It is possible to turn this into a loop hike by connecting with the Middle Boulder Trail and Boulder Tie Trail. 

Watchable Wildlife

Elevations in Klamath National Forest range from 900 to nearly 9,000 feet supporting a variety of ecosystems, including 168,000 acres of old-growth forest.  Large mammals found here include black bears, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, foxes, pine martens, skunks, raccoons, mule deer, and possibly gray wolves.  Fishing for rainbow trout, steelhead, and salmon is a major draw to Klamath National Forest with its countless lakes and major rivers like the Klamath, Salmon, Scott, and Trinity. 

Photographic Opportunity

The abundant rainfall that soaks the coastal mountains of California allows conifer trees to reach impressive diameters, like this ponderosa pine we found in the Trinity Alps Wilderness.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

A free Wilderness Entry Permit is required for overnight trips in the popular Trinity Alps Wilderness where group size is limited to ten people.

Road Conditions

Twisty but paved State Route 96 traverses the western part of the National Forest providing access to the Klamath River, trailheads for the Wilderness areas, and campgrounds.  East Boulder Trailhead is located 7.8 miles from the town of Callahan, which is in a remote part of California north of Clair Engle Lake.  A high-clearance vehicle may help, but is not required for the unpaved final part of the drive.  In the remote eastern portion of the National Forest, a scenic back road travels six miles from Laird’s Camp over Gold Digger Pass near Lava Beds National Monument.

Camping

There are several campgrounds located along paved State Route 96, including Tree of Heaven, Totten, Rocky Bar, and Sulphur Springs (where Elk Creek Trail is a shady two-mile hike to a picnic area by the creek).  In the National Forest’s eastern portion, Juanita Lake Campground has a 1.5 mile paved, barrier-free trail that circles the lake. 

Wilderness Areas

Marble Mountain Wilderness

Red Buttes Wilderness

Russian Wilderness

Siskiyou Wilderness (also in Six Rivers National Forest)

Trinity Alps Wilderness (also in Shasta, Six Rivers, and Trinity National Forests)

Related Sites

Butte Valley National Grassland (California)

Lava Beds National Monument (California)

Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve (Oregon)

Nearest National Park

Redwood

Scott’s mother climbing over the East Boulder Lake dam
Scott’s mother at Boulder Lake
Black-tailed deer
Incense-cedar
Sugar pine
Fireweed
Fireweed
Scott’s mother ready for backpacking

Conifer Tree Species

ponderosa pine, Jeffrey pine, whitebark pine, foxtail pine, Douglas-fir, incense-cedar, western juniper, red fir, white fir, silver fir

Flowering Tree Species

Pacific madrone, California-laurel, elderberry, curlleaf mountain mahogany, sagebrush

Explore More – How many species of conifers (or Gymnosperms) have been recorded in the Russian Wilderness, possibly the most biodiverse spot for these plants in California, if not the world?

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

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Arizona

Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni–Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument

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Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni–Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument

Arizona

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management

Established 2023

917,618 acres

Website: https://www.blm.gov/national-conservation-lands/arizona/ancestral-footprints

Overview

This new National Monument is situated on both the North and South Rim of the Grand Canyon, but outside the boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park.  It includes the entirety of the Tusayan District of Kaibab National Forest on the South Rim, as well as two sections east and west of the 9,000-foot Kaibab Plateau on the Arizona Strip.  Its name is derived from the Havasupai words Baaj Nwaavjo, which translate as “where indigenous peoples roam,” plus the Hopi term I’tah Kukveni, which means “our ancestral footprints.”  According to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) website it is pronounced “Baahj-Nuh-Waahv-Joh, Ee-Tah-Kook-Venny.”  The National Monument was created primarily to prevent future uranium mining claims in this area and further protect evidence of thousands of years of human habitation (see Best Trail).

Learn more about the other 137 National Monuments in our book Monumental America: Your Guide to All 138 National Monuments. It is now available for sale on Amazon.com.

Highlights

Red Butte, Hull Cabin, Apex Logging Camp, Grand Canyon Airport Historic District, Marble Canyon, Snake Gulch, Arizona National Scenic Trail

Must-Do Activity

Red Butte is located just east of paved Highway 64/180 on the way to Grand Canyon National Park’s South Rim.  A short 3.3-mile out-and-back trail with 912 feet of elevation gain is found at this geological formation sacred to the Havasupai, Hualapai, Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni people.  Also in this area, Hull Cabin dates back to 1889 and Apex Logging Camp was situated along the Grand Canyon Railroad between 1928 and 1936 (although not much remains other than the foundation of a one-room schoolhouse).  The Arizona National Scenic Trail runs through this part of Kaibab National Forest before entering the Grand Canyon and crossing the Kaibab Plateau.

Best Trail

Snake Gulch-Kanab Creek Trail #59 starts at the end of unpaved Forest Road 642 (about five miles from the end of pavement on Forest Highway 22).  It soon passes an old homestead and turns left to enter the canyon, part of the extensive Kanab Creek Wilderness (and within the National Monument boundary).  The first pictographs can be seen about 2.5 miles in and from then on consistently on the north side of the canyon.  The images are primarily done in red paint from the Basketmaker People who resided in this region from 300 BCE to AD 800.  We hiked in seven miles then turned around as it started to get really hot in late June, but the trail through the canyon continues 21 miles to where it connects with Ranger Trail #41.  Our favorite pictographs were located about four miles in, which would make a good turnaround point for a day hike.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Stop at the historic Navajo Bridge that crosses the Colorado River at Marble Canyon where four public lands meet: Grand Canyon National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, and Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument.

Peak Season

Spring and fall, as summer can be very hot

Hours

Navajo Bridge Visitor Center (National Park Service)

https://www.nps.gov/glca/planyourvisit/visitorcenters.htm

Fees

None

Road Conditions

There are many unpaved and four-wheel-drive-only roads spread across this area, but Highway 64/180 to the South Rim is paved.  High clearance is recommended to access Snake Gulch-Kanab Creek Trailhead.  Highway 67 and most Forest Roads on the Kaibab Plateau are closed in winter due to heavy snowfall.

Camping

There are good, dispersed camping options throughout Kaibab National Forest, including along the dirt roads just outside the east entrance of Grand Canyon National Park’s South Rim before entering the Navajo Nation.

Related Sites

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (Arizona-Utah)

Vermilion Cliffs National Monument (Arizona)

Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument (Arizona)

Pipe Spring National Monument (Arizona)

Snake Gulch
Snake Gulch-Kanab Creek Trailhead
Snake Gulch
Snake Gulch
First panel of pictographs and petroglyphs on trail
Snake Gulch
Pictograph panel about 4 miles in
Snake Gulch
New Mexico locust
Raven about the park
Snake Gulch
Pinyon jay
Snake Gulch
Raven about the park

Explore More – When were beefalo (bison and cattle mix) introduced to the House Rock Valley area west of Marble Canyon (and now found roaming inside Grand Canyon National Park and Kaibab National Forest)?

Learn more about the other 137 National Monuments in our book Monumental America: Your Guide to All 138 National Monuments