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Montana

Deerlodge National Forest

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Deerlodge National Forest       

Montana

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Northern Region

1,369,894 acres (1,227,155 federal/ 142,739 other)

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

Overview

President Theodore Roosevelt originally created the Big Hole Forest Reserve in 1908 after the area around Butte, Montana was clearcut by the Anaconda Copper Mining Company.  There are still many remnants of historical mining found throughout Deerlodge National Forest.  In 1996, it became part of Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, the largest of the many National Forests in Montana.  The smaller and more northerly Deerlodge section includes portions of the Boulder Mountains, Highland Mountains, Flint Creek Range, John Long Mountains, and Elkhorn Mountains, as well as part of the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness.

Highlights

Pintler Scenic Loop, Skalkaho Pass, Elkhorn ghost town, Boulder River, Sheepshead Recreation Area, Delmoe Lake, Pipestone Rock, Maud South Canyon Loop Trail, Lost Cabin National Recreation Trail

Must-Do Activity

Butte, Montana is surrounded by mountains that are part of Deerlodge National Forest and many dirt roads explore this area.  One road leads to Delmoe Lake, six miles east of Butte and located near Pipestone Rock, once a source of stone for making various implements.  Ghost towns accessible by road include the mining settlements of Elkhorn and Highland City.  The Deer Lodge Mound is a 40-foot-tall geothermal formation that resembles a medicine lodge with steam emitting from its top.  Historically, the mineral-laden water attracted large herds of deer.  It is currently on the grounds of the Warm Springs State Hospital and is visible from Interstate 90.

Best Trail

Although the official trailhead for Haystack Mountain National Recreation Trail is 1.2 miles uphill from Interstate 15, we had to park along the frontage road because access required a high-clearance vehicle.  This added about 700 feet of elevation gain to the 2,000 feet from the trailhead and made the total hike eight miles out-and-back.  There is not much shade along the route that ends in a mountaintop boulder field with stunning panoramic views and the remnants of a fire lookout tower.

Watchable Wildlife

Due to its proximity to Yellowstone National Park, Deerlodge National Forest still has most of its pre-settlement carnivores: grizzly bears, black bears, mountain lions, Canadian lynx, coyotes, and gray wolves.  Grazing ungulate species include moose, elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, and pronghorns.  Bald eagles and ospreys are common around bodies of water.  Mountain whitefish, golden trout, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, brook trout, lake trout, arctic grayling, and burbot are some of the gamefish sought by fishermen.

Instagram-worthy Photo

The boulder field at the end of Haystack Mountain National Recreation Trail provides 360° views (even on a smoky day), which is why it once housed a fire lookout tower.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

None

Road Conditions

There are many rough roads in Deerlodge National Forest, including the one to the official trailhead for Haystack Mountain National Recreation Trail, 1.2 miles uphill from an Interstate 15 frontage road. 

Camping

There are campgrounds throughout the National Forest, including several along the Boulder River and one on the southern side of Toll Mountain.

Wilderness Areas

Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness (also in Beaverhead and Bitterroot National Forests)

Related Sites

Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site (Montana)

Beaverhead National Forest (Montana)

Bitterroot National Forest (Montana-Idaho)

Nearest National Park

Yellowstone

Red-shouldered hawk
Scott on the Haystack Mountain National Recreation Trail

Conifer Tree Species

lodgepole pine, whitebark pine, ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, subalpine larch

Flowering Tree Species

quaking aspen, balsam poplar, Bebb willow, sagebrush

Explore More – The Anaconda Copper Mine is one of the largest open pit mines in the world, but what originally brought miners to this region in the 1800s?

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

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Texas

Davy Crockett National Forest

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Davy Crockett National Forest

Texas

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Southern Region

394,200 acres (160,647 federal/ 233,553 other)

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

Overview

The pine forests and blackland prairies of Davy Crockett National Forest are situated between Lufkin and Crockett, Texas.  The National Forest is located within the Trinity and Neches River basins, where the Big Slough Canoe Trail explores the swampy 3,639-acre Big Slough Wilderness.  David Crockett was a frontiersman, soldier, and Tennessee politician who died at the infamous Battle of the Alamo in 1836 and later became an almost-mythical American folk hero known as the “King of the Wild Frontier.”  This swampy stretch of eastern Texas is a fitting place to be his namesake.

Highlights

Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area, Holly Bluff Campground, Neches Bluff Overlook, Neches River, Big Slough Canoe Trail, Tall River Trail, Four C Trail

Must-Do Activity

Davy Crockett National Forest’s most developed site is Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area, where several trails run near the campsites that surround the 45-acre lake, including one end of the 20-mile-long Four C National Recreation Trail.  The site also has a bathhouse, picnicking and swimming areas, and boat ramps.

Best Trail

The 20-mile Four C National Recreation Trail connects Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area with Neches Bluff Overlook, although hurricane damage closed the northern portion of the trail in 2019.  The trail is named after the Central Coal and Coke Company, which had a sawmill at Ratcliff Lake.  Much of the well-marked route follows abandoned tramways built by the company to haul logs.  The two trailheads are easily accessible from highways, but no backpack camping is allowed during deer hunting season (November through January).

Watchable Wildlife

Fishing is a major draw to Ratcliff Lake, as is hunting for white-tailed deer, fox squirrels, northern bobwhite quail, doves, wild turkeys, and various waterfowl.  Beavers and American alligators are also found at Ratcliff Lake.  Longleaf pine forests are managed to provide habitat for red-cockaded woodpeckers, an endangered species.  We saw an armadillo while hiking a swampy section of the Four C National Recreation Trail along the Neches River.

Instagram-worthy Photo

There is not much vertical topography in eastern Texas, so Neches Bluff Overlook stands out and commands an expansive view, including Caddo Mounds State Historic Site.

Peak Season

Spring and fall

Fees

None

Road Conditions

Access to Neches Bluff Overlook is by a well-maintained unpaved road that would be drivable by an RV.

Camping

There is free primitive camping allowed at Neches Bluff Overlook, which is located just south of Highway 21 near Caddo Mounds State Historic Site.  No backpack camping is allowed on the Four C National Recreation Trail during deer hunting season (November through January), when dispersed camping is also restricted to 20 designated hunter camps.

Wilderness Areas

Big Slough Wilderness

Related Sites

Angelina National Forest (Texas)

Sabine National Forest (Texas)

Big Thicket National Preserve (Texas)

Nearest National Park

Hot Springs

Ratcliff Lake
Ratcliff Lake
Ratcliff Lake
Neches Bluff
Neches Bluff Overlook
Neches Bluff Overlook
Neches Bluff
Four C Trail
Armadillo
Four C Trail
Armadillo
Four C Trail
Sassafras
Caddo Mounds State Historic Site

Conifer Tree Species

baldcypress, loblolly pine, shortleaf pine, longleaf pine, eastern redcedar

Flowering Tree Species

blackjack oak, post oak, southern red oak, white oak, swamp chestnut oak, willow oak, sweetgum, red maple, swamp red maple, green ash, swamp cottonwood, black willow, water hickory, pignut hickory, hophornbeam, sassafras, slippery elm, water elm, winged elm, American holly, yaupon holly, red buckeye, redbud, rough-leaf dogwood, flowering dogwood

Explore More – When were the mounds created at nearby Caddo Mounds State Historic Site?

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

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Kentucky, Tennessee

Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area

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Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area

Kentucky, Tennessee

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Southern Region

170,310 acres

Website: https://landbetweenthelakes.us/

Overview

In western Kentucky, the U.S. Forest Service manages 106,458-acres as Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area (and not part of any National Forest).  It gets its name from the narrow strip of land left after the damming of the Tennessee River to create Kentucky Lake and the Cumberland River to create Lake Barkley.  The dams were constructed by the Tennessee Valley Authority, who managed this area for recreation until 1999.  In 1991, this area was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, but was withdrawn from the program by the Trump administration.  On December 10, 2021, an EF-4 tornado hit the northern portion of the National Recreation Area and recovery is ongoing.

Highlights

Woodlands Trace National Scenic Byway, Elk and Bison Prairie, Golden Pond Planetarium, Homeplace 1850’s Farm, Golden Pond Visitors Center

Must-Do Activity

In addition to the traditional watersports, Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area has several attractions found along the Woodlands Trace National Scenic Byway.  These include developed areas (with fees) like the Golden Pond Visitor Center and Planetarium, Elk and Bison Prairie, Woodlands Nature Station, Turkey Bay Off-Highway Vehicle Area, and Homeplace 1850’s Farm (across the border in Tennessee).  The roadside pullout for the Great Western Furnace is worth a stop to check out the 1854 charcoal furnace used to create pig-iron.

Best Trail

The North-South Trail runs 59 miles from Kentucky’s Nickell Branch Backcountry Area to Tennessee’s Devils Backbone State Natural Area (near where Civil War-era Fort Henry was submerged beneath Kentucky Lake). 

Instagram-worthy Photo

Starting in the 1970s, the Tennessee Valley Authority conducted prescribed burns and reseeded to expand patches of native grasses on 700 acres that became the Elk and Bison Prairie (that officially opened in 1996).  There is also a South Bison Range along the Woodlands Trace National Scenic Byway in Tennessee.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

It is free to drive through Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area and park at many trailheads, but most attractions require an admission fee.

Road Conditions

Woodlands Trace National Scenic Byway is paved (as is the 3.5-mile loop in the Elk and Bison Prairie) and the gravel roads are well maintained.

Camping

There are several lakeside campgrounds, including Wrangler’s Campground with horse stalls.  For those interested in backpacking, there are multiple free backcountry areas to explore, including the Devils Backbone State Natural Area where we camped.  The unique Annual Backcountry Camping Permit only costs $30 per person (three-day permits $7).

Related Sites

Fort Donelson National Battlefield (Kentucky-Tennessee)

Big South Fork National Recreation Area (Kentucky-Tennessee)

Daniel Boone National Forest (Kentucky)

Nearest National Park

Mammoth Cave

Flowering dogwood
Flowering dogwood
Scott with some flowering dogwood trees
The Bob Taylor Buzzard Wing Broadax
Tiff with an old furnace
Tiff hiking the Devils Backbone

Explore More – Where were the elk reintroduced from into the Elk and Bison Prairie?

Kentucky

Daniel Boone National Forest

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Daniel Boone National Forest

Kentucky

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Southern Region

2,047,092 acres (706,680 federal/ 1,340,412 other)

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

Overview

Daniel Boone National Forest is spread across the Cumberland Plateau in Kentucky, covering more than two-million acres when including private land and the 145,839-acre Redbird Purchase Unit.  The National Forest also surrounds three popular State Parks: Buckhorn Lake, Cumberland Falls, and Natural Bridge.  The latter is adjacent to the spectacular Red River Gorge Geological Area, which is a major reason Daniel Boone National Forest sees more than one-million visitors annually.  The forest has nearly 100 developed recreation areas and 600 miles of trails, plus several historic sites like Clear Creek Iron Furnace, Nada Railroad Tunnel, and Camp Wildcat (site of the first Civil War engagement of regular troops in Kentucky).

Highlights

Zilpo Scenic Byway, Red River Gorge Geological Area, Nada Tunnel, Cave Run Lake Recreation Area, Lick Creek Falls, Clear Creek Iron Furnace, Camp Wildcat, Laurel River Lake Recreation Area, Chimney Top Rock, Chestnut Knob, Yahoo Arch, Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail

Must-Do Activity

In the rolling hills of the Cumberland Plateau, Red River Gorge Geological Area is full of enough sandstone arches to keep you busy exploring for days.  Although 91-foot long Koger Arch was closed during our visit, we enjoyed short hikes to 75-foot Sky Bridge and 32-foot Princess Arch.  Rock Bridge Trail is a 1.3-mile loop that passes the sole natural bridge in the area with water flowing through it, and the only one formed by a waterfall cutting through the sandstone. 

Best Trail

The 282-mile-long Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail runs from Tennessee north into the southern end of Daniel Boone National Forest and Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area (where a camping permit is required by the National Park Service).  The trail marked by white turtle blazes passes through Alum Ford primitive campground on the Big South Fork of the Columbia River.  From Yahoo Falls Scenic Area, a short jaunt takes hikers to 113-foot-tall Yahoo Falls, which you can walk behind.  Yahoo Arch (17 feet tall) is accessible further up that two-mile section of trail or from a separate Forest Service trailhead on KY700, as is Markers Arch on a separate half-mile spur.

Watchable Wildlife

Major mammals found in Daniel Boone National Forest include black bear, coyote, bobcat, red fox, gray fox, mink, white-tailed deer, gray squirrel, muskrat, opossum, raccoon, cottontail rabbit, woodchuck, and three species of bat.  Wild turkey, northern bobwhite quail, ruffed grouse, red-cockaded woodpecker, and bald eagle are some of the 194 bird species identified.  Copperheads and timber rattlesnakes are two types of venomous snakes found here.  Lakes and streams have rainbow trout, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappie, and muskie.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Kentucky is riddled with caves—from the manmade Louisville Mega Cavern to Mammoth Cave National Park.  Daniel Boone National Forest has an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 limestone caves, in addition to small overhangs in the sandstone of Red River Gorge Geological Area.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

There is not a day use fee to park, hike, or picnic in Red River Gorge Geological Area (unless you park overnight).

Road Conditions

Most of the trailheads in Red River Gorge Geological Area are accessed by well-marked and well-maintained dirt roads.

Camping

South of Interstate 64, Cave Run Lake stretches across 8,270 acres in northeastern Kentucky where we spent the night at a Forest Service campground on a cross-country roadtrip in 2007.  There are campgrounds in Red River Gorge Geological Area, where backpacking in the Clifty Wilderness only costs $5 per day per car for a permit.

Wilderness Areas

Beaver Creek Wilderness

Clifty Wilderness

Related Sites

Big South Fork National Recreation Area (Kentucky-Tennessee)

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park (Kentucky -Tennessee-Virginia)

Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area (Kentucky-Tennessee)

Nearest National Park

Mammoth Cave

Sky Bridge
Sky Bridge
Yahoo Arch
Mountain-laurel
Princess Arch
Dogwood blossoms
Rock Bridge Arch
Pink lady’s slipper
Rock Bridge Arch
Yahoo Arch
Crowin’ about the park

Conifer Tree Species

eastern hemlock, loblolly pine, Virginia pine, pitch pine, shortleaf pine

Flowering Tree Species

chestnut oak, scarlet oak, black oak, northern red oak, white oak, rock chestnut oak, tulip-poplar, American beech, mockernut hickory, bitternut hickory, pignut hickory, black gum, white ash, sassafras, mountain laurel, basswood, red mulberry, witch hazel, sugar maple, red maple, sourwood, cucumber magnolia, bigleaf magnolia, flowering dogwood, serviceberry, pawpaw, river birch, sycamore, silver maple, black willow, sweetgum, devil’s walkingtick, white rhododendron, Cumberland azalea

Explore More – In what year did the frontiersman Daniel Boone fight in the Battle of Blue Licks during the American Revolution?

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

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North Carolina

Croatan National Forest

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Croatan National Forest

North Carolina

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Southern Region

308,234 acres (159,885 federal/ 148,349 other)

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

Overview

The sandy soil of North Carolina’s coastal plain is where you will find Croatan National Forest, the land of the longleaf pine (which is the official state tree).  Longleaf pines are adapted to frequent surface fires by going through a “grass stage” when young, so the Forest Service conducts controlled burns in some stands.  Much of the National Forest has standing water (in pocosins and Carolina bays), which is why there is not a single trail through its 31,000 acres of designated Wilderness areas.  Pocosins are raised bogs and home to 11 species of carnivorous plants, including the federally-protected Venus flytrap.  A Carolina bay is one of many oval-shaped depressions typically filled with water that are oriented in a northwest-southeast direction across the coastal plain.  They range in size from small ponds to two miles in diameter, but the exact cause of their formation is unknown.

Highlights

Cedar Point Tideland National Recreation Trail, Flanner Beach, Fishers Landing, Brice Creek canoe trail, Black Swamp OHV Trail, Island Creek Trail, Patsy Pond Nature Trail, Cedar Point Tideland National Recreation Trail, Neusiok Trail

Must-Do Activity

To find some of the 11 species of carnivorous plants in Croatan National Forest, you will have to work a little bit.  Pull off one of the highways that bisect the area and hike to the edge of a pocosin, where scrubby vegetation grows in highly-acidic black soil.  Pitcher plants, bladderworts, sundews, and Venus flytraps utilize different methods to capture insects and spiders in order to sap their nitrogen and other nutrients that are scarce in the water-logged soil.  To trigger a tiny Venus flytrap to close, an insect must touch one hair twice or multiple hairs within 20 seconds.  They are often found adjacent to larger pitcher plants, which lure insects inside by color or odor, then are too slick-walled to escape.  Sundews and the butterwort utilize a sticky substance to capture their prey.  The five species of bladderworts float in shallow water where they capture swimming prey that trigger a trap door.

Best Trail

The Cedar Point Tideland National Recreation Trail is a 1.4-mile loop located partially on a boardwalk near the mouth of the White Oak River.  There are also two long trails through the swamps and pine forests: Neusiok Trail (21 miles) and Weetock Trail (14 miles).  There are no designated trails through Croatan National Forest’s 31,000 acres of designated Wilderness areas. 

Watchable Wildlife

Black bears in this region can get very big since they generally do not hibernate in the winter.  Other large mammals found are bobcats, raccoons, river otters, and muskrats.  Great blue herons, snowy egrets, ospreys, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, wild turkeys, woodcocks, and northern bobwhite quail are major bird species.  There are a variety of reptiles and amphibians, including alligators, anoles, cottonmouths, copperheads, canebrake rattlesnakes, pigmy rattlesnakes, and eastern diamondback rattlesnakes.  The tannic-stained blackwater supports fish like warmouth, redfin pickerel, sunfish, bowfin, yellow bullhead catfish, and the rare swampfish (a species of cavefish). 

Instagram-worthy Photo

Carnivorous pitcher plants have large showy flowers that bloom in early May.

Peak Season

Spring and fall

Fees

None

Road Conditions

The major highways (17, 58, 70) that cross the National Forest are paved, and the sandy, unpaved roads are generally in good shape except when flooded.

Camping

There are Forest Service campgrounds at Flanner Beach on the Neuse River and Cedar Point along the White Oak River.

Wilderness Areas

Catfish Lake South Wilderness

Pocosin Wilderness

Pond Pine Wilderness

Sheep Ridge Wilderness

Related Sites

Cape Lookout National Seashore (North Carolina)

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site (North Carolina)

Moores Creek National Battlefield (North Carolina)

Nearest National Park

Congaree

Scott in the longleaf pine forest
Venus fly trap
Venus fly traps
Tiff with longleaf pine saplings
Turkey oaks with longleaf pine tree
Pitcher plant flowers
Our Siberian husky with young longleaf pine trees
Sundews
Sundews
Pitcher plants
Pitcher plants
Pitcher plants
Pitcher plant flower

Conifer Tree Species

baldcypress, longleaf pine, loblolly pine, shortleaf pine, pond pine, eastern redcedar, Atlantic white-cedar

Flowering Tree Species

black gum, umbrella magnolia, southern magnolia, northern red oak, southern red oak, white oak, water oak, chestnut oak, overcup oak, black cherry, sassafras, American holly, yaupon holly, Hercules’ club, sweetgum, red maple, sugar maple, white alder, witch hazel, American beech, black walnut, tulip-poplar, hophornbeam, musclewood, red mulberry, flowering dogwood, loblolly bay, red bay, sweet bay magnolia, titi

Explore More – What is the origin of the National Forest’s name and how does it relate to Fort Raleigh National Historic Site?

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.