Tag Archives: National Scenic Trail

California, Nevada

Inyo National Forest

April 24, 2024 Raven About The Parks 2 Comments

Inyo National Forest

California, Nevada

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

2,048,459 acres (1,948,726 federal/ 99,733 other)

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

Overview

Inyo National Forest was established by President Teddy Roosevelt in 1907 to accommodate the Los Angeles Aqueduct, so it is mostly sagebrush slopes without much dense forest cover. We added it to our Top 10 Movies Filmed in National Forests after reading its history as a filming location. Inyo National Forest offers the shortest route to Mt. Whitney, the tallest peak in the contiguous U.S. at 14,495 feet in elevation. Its proximity to Badwater Basin (282 feet below sea level) in Death Valley National Park makes its rise all the more impressive. You will need a permit to summit, since this popular peak lies within Sequoia National Park. One added benefit is you will learn all about how to use a “W.A.G. bag.” In addition to accessing the eastern Sierra Nevada (see Best Trail), Inyo National Forest also offers a portal to the beautiful White Mountains along the California-Nevada border (see Must-Do Activity) and 800,000 acres of designated Wilderness.

Highlights

Mono Basin National Scenic Area (see our blog post), Lee Vining Canyon Scenic Byway, Tioga Pass, Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, Convict Lake, Hot Creek Geologic Site, Mammoth Lakes, Minaret Summit Vista, Crystal Lake, Mt. Whitney Trail, Minaret Falls, Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail

Must-Do Activity

In the White Mountains, a paved road leads to the U.S. Forest Service visitor center at the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, where a 4.5-mile loop trail through the Methuselah Grove passes one live Great Basin bristlecone pine tree recorded at over 5,000 years of age. That ranks it as the oldest living single-stem tree on the planet based on annual tree-ring measurements. You can continue to drive above 11,000 feet in elevation along a narrow gravel road famous for puncturing tires (so bring a spare). The route offers awesome views of the Owens Valley and Mt. Whitney, then takes you to the Patriarch Grove, a wonderful park of gnarled Great Basin bristlecone pine trees surrounded by snow throughout the summer.

Best Trail

Onion Valley Road west of Independence dead ends at the trailhead for Kearsarge Pass in the Sierra Nevada. The trail is a series of endless switchbacks that lead past beautifully twisted foxtail pines and unbelievably blue lakes up to the 11,823-foot pass at the boundary with Kings Canyon National Park. The view from the pass is worth the effort, even if you do not proceed to enter the National Park, for which you need a permit to camp overnight. John Muir called these mountains “the range of light,” and from up here you will surely see why.

Watchable Wildlife

Inyo National Forest is on the rain-shadow side of the Sierra Nevada, so it generally receives less precipitation throughout the year than the western slopes, especially at lower elevations. In the conifer forests of the mountains look for mule deer, black bears, weasels, martens, mountain lions, and bobcats. California quail, mountain quail, sooty grouse, and wild turkeys are common game birds. Watch the skies for raptors like bald eagles, ospreys, red-tailed hawks, and turkey vultures.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Sun-streaked and wind-blasted branches of bristlecone pine trees twist in backbreaking curls, stretching up towards the deep blue skies above 10,000 feet elevation.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

There are no day use fees to our knowledge.

Road Conditions

The road is paved to the trailhead for the 4.5-mile loop through the Methuselah Grove in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. The unpaved road beyond is famous for puncturing tires (so take it slow and bring a spare) and retains snow late into the summer. A shuttle ticket or camping permit is required to drive into the National Forest west of the ski resort town of Mammoth Lakes to access Devils Postpile National Monument.

Camping

Grandview Campground near the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest lives up to its name. There is a campground at Whitney Portal Trailhead and two on Onion Valley Road on the way to the trailhead for Kearsarge Pass (plus some epic dispersed campsites).

Wilderness Areas

Ansel Adams Wilderness (also in Sierra National Forest and Devils Postpile National Monument)

Boundary Peak Wilderness

Golden Trout Wilderness (also in Sequoia National Forest)

Hoover Wilderness (also in Toiyabe National Forest)

Inyo Mountains Wilderness

John Muir Wilderness (also in Sierra National Forest)

Owens River Headwaters Wilderness

South Sierra Wilderness (also in Sequoia National Forest)

White Mountains Wilderness

Related Sites

Humboldt National Forest (Nevada)

Yosemite National Park (California)

Manzanar National Historic Site (California)

Nearest National Park

Kings Canyon

Conifer Tree Species

Great Basin bristlecone pine, foxtail pine, Jeffrey pine, ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, Douglas-fir, California red fir, white fir, incense-cedar

Flowering Tree Species

quaking aspen, greenleaf manzanita, sagebrush

Explore More – What 1973 film starring Clint Eastwood was filmed in Inyo National Forest?

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

Michigan

Hiawatha National Forest

February 7, 2024 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Hiawatha National Forest

Michigan

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Eastern Region

1,294,645 acres (894,836 federal/ 399,809 other)

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

Overview

Hiawatha National Forest is separated into two sections on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, both of which touch Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. The East Unit also fronts Lake Huron, and includes scenic Round Island Lighthouse near Mackinac Island, as well as beautiful Point Iroquois Light Station. Most of these sandy soils in the East Unit were never homesteaded, so they were easily designated Marquette National Forest by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1909. Land purchases for the West Unit began in 1928, and were later replanted by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The West Unit includes 13,500-acre Grand Island National Recreation Area (see our blog post) in Lake Superior, a popular destination for camping, biking, and kayaking at the western edge of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

Highlights

Grand Island National Recreation Area, St. Helena Island National Scenic Area, Whitefish Bay Scenic Byway, Point Iroquois Light Station, Scott Falls, Diamond Hill Lookout, Porcupine Nature Trail, Haymeadow Falls Trail, Naomikong Point Blue Trail, North Country National Scenic Trail

Must-Do Activity

Several lighthouses are located along the shores of the Great Lakes, including the picturesque Round Island Lighthouse near touristy Mackinac Island, Point Iroquois Light Station (see Instagram-worthy Photo) on the Whitefish Bay Scenic Byway, and one on private land near Wick Point within Grand Island National Recreation Area (see our blog post). Further to the west Highway M-28 follows the shores of Lake Superior, where a Wayside Park at the east side of AuTrain Bay provides parking for those wishing to carefully cross the road to see ten-foot-tall Scott Falls.

Best Trail

Foley Creek Day Use Area is located just off Interstate 75 at a large pullout along paved Mackinac Trail Road. A hike starts at the north end of a former campground, and soon the sound of the freeway is dispersed by the trees as you enter the small Horseshoe Bay Wilderness. The trail has boardwalks across the wettest spots and after 1.4 miles opens up to a secluded sandy beach on Lake Huron with views of Mackinac Island. Naomikong Point Blue Trail is a popular 3.4-mile out-and-back trail that connects with the North Country National Scenic Trail, crossing Naomikong Creek on a suspension bridge then ending at Menekaunee Point on Naomikong Island.

Watchable Wildlife

These forests are home to gray wolves, black bears, bobcats, Canada lynx, mountain lions, red foxes, coyotes, striped skunks, weasels, minks, river otters, porcupines, beavers, muskrats, snowshoe hares, white-tailed deer, and moose. Large birds found here include wild turkeys, spruce grouse, ruffed grouse, golden eagles, bald eagles, ospreys, great blue herons, sandhill cranes, and trumpeter swans. Hiawatha National Forest has more than 100 miles of shoreline on three Great Lakes, offering fishing for walleye, northern pike, muskies, Atlantic salmon, and steelhead trout. In addition, there are 75 inland lakes and 600 miles of streams, including five National Wild and Scenic Rivers: Carp River, Indian River, Sturgeon River, Tahquamenon River (East Branch), and Whitefish River. The 0.9-mile Haymeadow Falls Trail loop partially follows a productive trout stream.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Located on the Whitefish Bay Scenic Byway, the iconic 65-foot Point Iroquois Light Station stands on the shores of Lake Superior at the mouth of St. Mary’s River. The first lighthouse and residence were built here in 1855, and the current buildings were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. When not under construction, you can pay to enter the museum and climb the spiral staircase to the top of the tower.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

None

Road Conditions

Whitefish Bay Scenic Byway is fully paved, and we found the unpaved roads to Hovey Lake Campground to be in good enough shape for our passenger vehicle.

Camping

We spent an enjoyable night at the free Hovey Lake Campground and awoke to find a pair of trumpeter swans on the water. Hiawatha National Forest has many other campgrounds, including two near the Mackinaw Toll Bridge: Lake Michigan (35 campsites) and Carp River (44 sites). Near the town of Brimley on Lake Superior, Bay View (24 sites) and Monocle Lake (39 sites) Campgrounds are also popular.

Wilderness Areas

Big Island Lake Wilderness

Delirium Wilderness

Horseshoe Bay Wilderness

Mackinac Wilderness

Rock River Canyon Wilderness

Round Island Wilderness

Related Sites

Ottawa National Forest (Michigan)

Keweenaw National Historical Park (Michigan)

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (Michigan)

Nearest National Park

Isle Royale

Conifer Tree Species

eastern hemlock, jack pine, eastern white pine, red pine, balsam fir, black spruce, white spruce, eastern arborvitae, tamarack

Flowering Tree Species

basswood, red maple, sugar maple, American beech, quaking aspen, paper birch, white birch, northern red oak, mountain holly

Explore More – The subject of a famous Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem, who was Hiawatha in real life?

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

Vermont

Green Mountain National Forest

December 20, 2023 Raven About The Parks 2 Comments

Green Mountain National Forest

Vermont

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Eastern Region

821,040 acres (399,151 federal/ 421,889 other)

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

Overview

The only National Forest in Vermont is divided into a north and south section, each with its own National Recreation Area. In the north, Moosalamoo National Recreation Area has the Voter Brook Overlook and trails to the Falls of Lana and Silver Lake, which has a popular backpacking campground. In the south, Robert T. Stafford White Rocks National Recreation Area includes a portion of the historic Long Trail where the Appalachian National Scenic Trail overlaps it. Vermont literally translates as Green Mountain from French, the name of the range that forms the state’s granite backbone. Winter recreation is a big deal here, with three alpine ski areas in the National Forest and seven designated cross-country ski areas, as well as 900 miles of trails for snowshoeing and some areas open specifically for snowmobiling. Green Mountain National Forest also co-manages Finger Lakes National Forest in central New York.

Highlights

Moosalamoo National Recreation Area, White Rocks National Recreation Area, Hapgood Pond Recreation Area, Texas Falls, Robert Frost Wayside, Voter Brook Overlook, Falls of Lana, Devil’s Den Cave, Lye Brook Falls, Moss Glen Falls, Mt. Ellen, Robert Frost Interpretive Trail, Long Trail, Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Must-Do Activity

Texas Falls is not located in the right place on the Forest Service visitor app, but it is easy to get to right alongside paved Texas Falls Road off State Route 125. The falls formed at the end of the Ice Age around 12,000 years ago, when meltwater scoured the quartz-chlorite schist. A footbridge crosses the Hancock Branch over an interesting glacial pothole in the rock, and a nature trail continues uphill forming a 1.2-mile loop. We did not make it to Lye Brook Falls or Moss Glen Falls, but found the off-trail Falls of Lana worth the effort (see Moosalamoo National Recreation Area).

Best Trail

Green Mountain National Forest contains about half of the 272-mile Long Trail, which in 1931 became the first named long-distance hiking trail in the U.S. In Robert T. Stafford White Rocks National Recreation Area, the Long Trail is coincident with the Appalachian National Scenic Trail (AT) with several overnight shelters (some of which charge $5 per person, per night).

Watchable Wildlife

The National Forest contains 450 miles of streams, which is great for trout and salmon fishermen, especially since some wildlife management projects have been done to improve their habitat. Other work has been completed to support ruffed grouse, wild turkey, black bear, and Bicknell’s thrush. We were told by a local that there is a black bear named Jenny that hangs out around the White Rocks Day Use Area. Additional species of interest include moose, white-tailed deer, coyote, porcupine, and beaver.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Less than a mile up the Ice Beds Trail, a short climb reaches a viewpoint of the white rocks, a glacier-scoured cliff of Cheshire quartzite that is (part of) the namesake for Robert T. Stafford White Rocks National Recreation Area.

Peak Season

Fall

Fees

Ski areas at Mount Snow, Stratton Mountain, and Bromley Mountain have recreation fees. Along the Long Trail/AT, there is a camping fee of $5 per person, per night at Little Rock Pond, Peru Peak, Stratton Pond, and Griffith Lake.

Road Conditions

All the gravel roads we drove were in good shape during the spring, including the roads to Voter Brook Overlook and White Rocks Day Use Area.

Camping

One of the most developed parts of the National Forest is at 7-acre Hapgood Pond where there is a campground, swimming beach, and boat ramp. Moosalamoo Campground has 18 campsites located at the base of the Mt. Moosalamoo Trail, near Voter Brook Overlook. There are a couple dispersed campsites also on the road, but we had one of our worst nights camping here with college kids blasting music late and another group waking us up before sunrise. The backpacking campground at Silver Lake is nice, or you can stay at Branbury State Park on Lake Dunmore.

Wilderness Areas

Big Branch Wilderness

Breadloaf Wilderness

Bristol Cliffs Wilderness

George D. Aiken Wilderness

Glastenbury Wilderness

Joseph Battell Wilderness

Lye Brook Wilderness

Peru Peak Wilderness

Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park (New Hampshire)

White Mountain National Forest (New Hampshire-Maine)

Nearest National Park

Acadia

Conifer Tree Species

eastern hemlock, eastern white pine, red pine, red spruce, balsam fir

Flowering Tree Species

sugar maple, American beech, yellow birch, white birch, paper birch, mountain ash

Explore More – Texas Falls is located on the Hancock Branch, which feeds the White River that converges with what major river?

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

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Vermont

White Rocks National Recreation Area

December 13, 2023 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Robert T. Stafford White Rocks National Recreation Area

Vermont

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Eastern Region

22,624 acres

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/gmfl/recarea/?recid=64987

Overview

White Rocks National Recreation Area is located in the southern portion of Vermont’s Green Mountain National Forest and was officially renamed Robert T. Stafford White Rocks National Recreation Area. It encompasses Big Branch Wilderness, Peru Peak Wilderness, Big Branch Observation Area, and its namesake White Rocks Picnic Area (see Must-Do Activity). A section of the Long Trail (which in 1931 became the first named long-distance hiking trail in America) passes through this area, where it coincides with the newer Appalachian National Scenic Trail (AT). Other popular activities include biking, fishing, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling.

Highlights

Big Branch Observation Area, White Rocks Day Use Area, Bully Brook, Ice Beds Trail, Keewaydin Trail, White Rocks Cliffs Trail, Greenwall Shelter, Long Trail, Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Must-Do Activity

A great place to access Robert T. Stafford White Rocks National Recreation Area is the White Rocks Day Use Area off State Route 140. Several trails start from the picnic area, including a short walk to a cascading waterfall on Bully Brook. Less than a mile up the Ice Beds Trail, a short climb reaches a viewpoint of the white rocks, a glacier-scoured cliff of Cheshire quartzite, which was used by Native Americans to make tools. Continue on this trail 0.9 miles one-way to the Ice Beds where ice melts deep in a scree slope throughout the summer. You probably will not see any ice, but it is deep in the rocky recesses and releases cool drafts of air. We were told by a local that there is a black bear named Jenny that hangs out around the trailhead.

Best Trail

In 0.4 miles from White Rocks Day Use Area, Keewaydin Trail connects with the Long Trail and Appalachian Trail (AT). By going south, the trail ascends 1,250 feet to a cutoff for the Greenwall Shelter and just past there watch for a stone cairn on the right side. From there a side trail descends 0.2 miles to an overlook above the White Rock Cliffs providing views of the Adirondack and Taconic Mountains (3.8 miles roundtrip).

Instagram-worthy Photo

Visible less than a mile up the Ice Beds Trail, the white rocks are a glacier-scoured cliff of Cheshire quartzite once used by Native Americans to make tools.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

None

Road Conditions

State Route 140 is paved, but the access road to White Rocks Day Use Area is an unpaved road passable by RVs.

Camping

Overnight shelters on the Long Trail/AT at Greenwall and Minerva Hinchey are free, while camping at Little Rock Pond, Peru Peak, Stratton Pond, and Griffith Lake requires a $5 per person, per night fee. Drive-up campgrounds are located on Forest Road 10 at Big Branch and Black Branch near the Big Branch Wilderness.

Moosalamoo National Recreation Area (Vermont)

Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park (Vermont)

Explore More – Who was Robert T. Stafford?

New Mexico

Gila National Forest

November 1, 2023 Raven About The Parks 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

Apache National Forest (Arizona-New Mexico)

Cibola National Forest (New Mexico)

Nearest National Park

White Sands

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

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Tag Archives: National Scenic Trail

Inyo National Forest

Inyo National Forest

Hiawatha National Forest

Hiawatha National Forest

Green Mountain National Forest

Green Mountain National Forest

White Rocks National Recreation Area

Robert T. Stafford White Rocks National Recreation Area

Gila National Forest

Gila National Forest

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