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Oregon

Mt. Hood National Recreation Area

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Mt. Hood National Recreation Area

Oregon

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

Established 2009

34,550 acres

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/mthood/recreation/trails/surveyors-ridge-trail-688

Overview

Mt. Hood National Recreation Area was established within Mt. Hood National Forest on March 30, 2009 through legislation that expanded and established many Wilderness areas in Oregon and throughout the U.S.  It is divided into three non-contiguous units: the northernmost Shellrock Unit, easternmost Fifteenmile Unit, and the largest Mt. Hood Unit located south of (and not including any portion of) the volcano.  Bicycles are prohibited in designated Wildernesses, so this National Recreation Area was set aside specifically for mountain bikers (and shared by other trail users). 

Highlights

Frog Lake, Twin Lakes, Surveyor’s Ridge Trail, Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail

Must-Do Activity

The Mt. Hood Unit incorporates Wilderness areas and has a network of trails, including a stretch of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail.  It is easily accessed from Highway 26 at the Frog Lake Sno-Park/Trailhead (fee).  Frog Lake and Lower Twin Lake are short hikes from this large parking area, while Upper Twin Lake is a further distance with more elevation gain required.  There are many backpacking campsites situated along the shorelines of these lakes.  The Shellrock and Fifteenmile Units are in second-growth forests that have single-track trails popular with mountain bikers.  The best cycling areas in the Mt. Hood Unit are in the east along the Gunsight Trail and around Bonney Meadows and the Boulder Lakes.

Best Trail

Surveyor’s Ridge Trail ascends 1,000 feet up to the top of Bald Butte for great views of Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, and Mt. Rainier on clear days.  With both a north and south trailhead it works well with a two-car shuttle.  Fifteenmile Trail is a challenging bike route that follows the Wild and Scenic Fifteenmile Creek and connects to Cedar Creek Trail to form a 12.7-mile loop with 2,273 feet of elevation gain.

Photographic Opportunity

Pacific rhododendron and beargrass were in bloom in mid-June near the Frog Lake Sno-Park/Trailhead.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

$10 (or a Northwest Forest Pass) for Frog Lake Day Use Area located adjacent to Frog Lake Campground, but Frog Lake Sno-Park/Trailhead off Highway 26 is only $5 and accepts America the Beautiful passes (plus a State of Oregon Sno-Park permit is required November 1 through April 30).

Road Conditions

Frog Lake Sno-Park/Trailhead sits where the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail crosses Highway 26 and can be reached by taking paved roads to the large dirt parking lot.  Surveyor’s Ridge Trail complex has easy access from Forest Roads (FR) 44 and 17.  Fifteenmile Trail leaves from the campground, accessed by traveling eight miles on FR 44, then two miles on FR 4420 and two miles on FR 2730, narrow roads with a maximum vehicle length of 16 feet.

Camping

Fifteenmile Campground is first-come, first-served, while Frog Lake Campground takes reservations, as does the popular Trillium Lake Campground outside the National Recreation Area.

Related Sites

Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area (Oregon-Washington)

Newberry National Volcanic Monument (Oregon)

Mt. Hood National Forest (Oregon)

Malheur National Forest (Oregon)

Nearest National Park

Mount Rainier

Mt. Hood peaking out behind Upper Twin Lake
Beargrass
Lower Twin Lake
Gray jay
Raven about the sign

Explore More – How large are the Clackamas, Lower White River, and Roaring River Wilderness areas created in Mt. Hood National Forest in 2009?

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Washington

Mt. Baker National Forest

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Mt. Baker National Forest

Washington

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

1,330,316 acres (1,302,215 federal/ 28,101 other)

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/mbs

Overview

Mt. Baker National Forest’s namesake is the 10,781-foot glacier-covered stratovolcano that dominates the skyline of northwest Washington.  It is surrounded by the 119,989-acre Mt. Baker Wilderness and the specially designated 8,473-acre Mt. Baker National Recreation Area that allows snowmobiling on the southern slope.  About half of this National Forest is designated Wilderness, which also encompasses another active volcano within 566,057-acre Glacier Peak Wilderness.  In 1968, part of Mt. Baker National Forest turned into North Cascades National Park and five years later its remaining acres were administratively merged with Snoqualmie National Forest.

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Highlights

Mt. Baker National Recreation Area, Heather Meadows, Glacier Public Service Center, Nooksack Falls, Mountain Loop Scenic Byway, Baker Hot Springs, Boulder River Trail, Bagley Lakes Trails, Fire and Ice Trail, Baker Lake Trail, Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail, Shadow of the Sentinels National Recreation Trail

Must-Do Activity

Mt. Baker Scenic Byway (Highway 542) passes Nooksack Falls as it heads east to Artist Point (open after snow melts).  Be sure to stop at photogenic Picture Lake and the Heather Meadows Visitor Center, built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).  A recreation pass is at most trailheads around nine-mile-long Baker Lake, a reservoir popular with campers and fishermen.  On the lake’s east side, boat-in or hike-in Maple Grove Campground provides amazing views of Mt. Baker on a clear day.

Best Trail

Mt. Baker Scenic Byway accesses several trailheads before dead ending in a huge parking lot at Artist Point, surrounded by snowy mountains.  Snow often covers the 4.2-mile one-way trail to Lake Ann well into July.  The first two miles share a path with the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail, dropping 800 feet to a junction with Swift Creek Trail.  From there, a 700-foot climb begins to Lake Ann, a popular destination for backpackers within Mt. Baker Wilderness, which in addition to the normal restrictions prohibits campfires and requires all human waste to be packed out.  On clear days, the payoff is unsurpassed views of Mt. Baker and Mt. Shuksan, a 9,131-foot peak in North Cascades National Park reached by continuing up the trail.

Watchable Wildlife

Mountain goats can be seen at high elevations, alongside marmot, pika, and snowshoe hare.  Other large mammals include black bears, mountain lions, bobcats, Columbian black-tailed deer, and elk.  In 1978, the Skagit Wild and Scenic River System was established along 125 miles of rivers, providing habitat for one of the nation’s largest winter populations of bald eagles.  Two types of sea-run trout and five species of salmon are anadromous fish found in the lakes and streams.

Photographic Opportunity

Picture Lake near the Heather Meadows Visitor Center creates wonderful reflections of the surrounding snowy mountains.  Plus, it is a good spot for huckleberries in September. 

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

$5 Northwest Forest Pass (or America the Beautiful pass) required at the end of Mt. Baker Highway and at trailheads around Baker Lake; Washington State Sno-Park permit is required November 1 through April 30 at some sites

Road Conditions

Mt. Baker Highway (542) received the National Forest Scenic Byway designation in 1988.  The 57-mile-long paved route from Interstate 5 is open most of the year between Bellingham and Mt. Baker Ski Area, but it is usually closed beyond that from October well into July because of heavy snowfall.

Camping

There are several campgrounds around Baker Lake, including the boat-in or hike-in Maple Grove Campground.  Marble Creek and Mineral Park are two free campgrounds on the Cascade River Road.  There are no campgrounds in the Heather Meadows area, but at lower elevations on the Mt. Baker Scenic Byway are Douglas-Fir and Silver Fir Campgrounds.

Wilderness Areas

Alpine Lakes Wilderness (also in Wenatchee National Forest)

Boulder River Wilderness

Clearwater Wilderness

Glacier Peak Wilderness (also in Wenatchee National Forest)

Henry M. Jackson Wilderness (also in Wenatchee National Forest)

Mt. Baker Wilderness

Noisy-Diobsud Wilderness

Norse Peak Wilderness

Pasayten Wilderness (also in Okanogan National Forest)

Wild Sky Wilderness

Related Sites

Ross Lake National Recreation Area (Washington)

Lake Chelan National Recreation Area (Washington)

Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve (Washington)

Gifford Pinchot National Forest (Washington)

Nearest National Park

North Cascades

Baker Lake
Heather Meadows Visitor Center
Mountain goats
Picture Lake
Banana slug
Baker Lake at Maple Grove Campground
Baker Hot Springs
Nooksack Falls
Ravens about the forest

Conifer Tree Species

Douglas-fir, western hemlock, mountain hemlock, Pacific silver fir, western redcedar, yellow-cedar, Pacific yew

Flowering Tree Species

bigleaf maple, vine maple, black cottonwood

Explore More – When was this area first protected within the 3,594,240-acre Washington Forest Reserve?

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

Wyoming

John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway

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John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway

Wyoming

Managed by National Park Service

Established 1972

23,777 acres

Website: https://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/jodr.htm

Overview

John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway shares 82 miles of two-lane road that is U.S. Routes 89, 191, and 287 from Grand Teton National Park National Park north to West Thumb Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park.  Its name honors the conservationist and philanthropist who contributed to the creation of Acadia, Grand Teton, Great Smoky Mountains, and Virgin Islands National Parks.  Originally part of Teton National Forest, this land includes the Flagg Ranch concession, which had its lodge, restaurant, gas station, and campground moved from along the Snake River to a point less visible from the road in 2002. 

Highlights

Flagg Ranch, Huckleberry Hot Springs, Polecat Hot Springs

Must-Do Activity

Huckleberry and Polecat Hot Springs are easily accessed by walking less than a mile down a closed dirt road not far from historic Flagg Ranch.  Polecat Creek Loop Trail can be completed as a 2.5-mile loop that is narrow and overgrown by vegetation in places.  Be on the lookout for grizzly bears, black bears, elk, and moose.  Trout fishing in the Snake River is also a popular activity in John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway.  The parkway is plowed to Flagg Ranch in the winter, making it a shared trailhead for snowmobilers, snowshoers, and cross-country skiers. 

Best Trail

Flagg Canyon Trail is a five-mile out-and-back hike along the Snake River with 340 feet of cumulative elevation gain after it crosses the busy parkway east of Flagg Ranch.

Photographic Opportunity

Driving unpaved and potholed Grassy Lake Road provides views to the south of the Teton Range.

Peak Season

Summer

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

Grand Teton or Yellowstone National Park entrance fees apply (or America the Beautiful pass)

Road Conditions

The parkway is paved and closes for the winter at Flagg Ranch when the south entrance to Yellowstone National Park shuts down.  Closed annually for grizzly bear migration until June 1, Grassy Lake Road heads 49 miles west to Ashton, Idaho (the easternmost 36 miles are a potholed dirt track for high-clearance vehicles that enters Targhee National Forest, which is popular for dispersed camping).

Camping

There is a lodge at Flagg Ranch, plus Headwaters Campground takes reservations and offers 34 tent sites, 97 full-hookup RV sites, and 40 Camper Cabins (open June 7 to October 4, 2026).  Along rough Grassy Lake Road there are eight free camp areas with 14 first-come, first-served campsites equipped with vault toilets and bear boxes.  There are also campgrounds in Teton National Forest and primitive dispersed campsites near Grassy Lake once the road enters Targhee National Forest.

Related Sites

Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park (Vermont)

Fossil Butte National Monument (Wyoming)

Gallatin National Forest (Montana)

Nearest National Park

Grand Teton

Flagg Ranch
Polecat Hot Springs Trailhead
Flagg Ranch

Explore More – What is the more common name for a polecat, namesake for Polecat Hot Springs?

California

Sáttítla Highlands National Monument

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Sáttítla Highlands National Monument

California

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

Established 2025

224,676 acres

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/visit/national-monuments/sattitla-highlands-national-monument

Overview

In the northeast corner of California is the largest shield volcano in North America: 7,921-foot Medicine Lake Volcano.  Sáttítla Highlands National Monument is spread across Klamath, Shasta, and Modoc National Forests just south of Lava Beds National Monument and features numerous cinder cones and lava fields.  Part of the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway loops around Medicine Lake, which the Modoc people view as a place of healing.  The Pit River Tribe opposed development of geothermal energy sources in this area, spearheading its protection.  In the 1960s, NASA astronauts trained at Pumice Crater, four of whom eventually landed on the moon.  Sáttítla Highlands National Monument is also important for biodiversity, providing habitat for wildlife species like the Cascades frog, long-toed salamander, and gray-headed pika, as well as numerous fungi, the parasitic sugarstick plant, and Pacific fuzzwort (a rare liverwort).

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Highlights

Medicine Lake Recreation Area, Giant Crater lava tube, Glass Mountain, Black Lava Butte, Fourmile Hill Tree Molds Geologic Area

Must-Do Activity

Most of the developed recreation opportunities surround Medicine Lake, which offers boat ramps, trails, and campgrounds.  Giant Crater has the longest known lava tube system in the world at 18 miles, although it is partially collapsed.  This Geologic Special Interest Area can be accessed two miles off Medicine Lake Road on Forest Road 43N11.  Another unpaved road leads up Glass Mountain, which has a crater full of sharp pieces of rhyolite obsidian and glossy dacite.  This remote corner of California has some of the darkest skies in the continental U.S., so it is great for stargazing on moonless nights.  In the winter, snowmobiling and cross-country skiing are popular activities on groomed trails. 

Best Trail

There is a 4.4-mile loop around Medicine Lake, as well as the one-mile out-and-back Medicine Lake Glass Flow Trail that gains 68 feet of elevation on the north shore.  For a more challenging route, Little Mt. Hoffman Trail gains 666 feet over three miles to the fire lookout, which can be rented overnight.  Summitting the actual Mt. Hoffman is over 13 miles roundtrip with a 2,000-foot cumulative climb.

Photographic Opportunity

Sáttítla literally translates as “obsidian place” and the volcanic glass prevalent at Glass Mountain has provided humans sharp blades for at least 5,000 years.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

$5 per vehicle (or the America the Beautiful Pass) at Medicine Lake

Road Conditions

This area receives abundant winter snowfall, and roads can be blocked by snow into July, which we experienced trying to get to Glass Mountain.  The road to Medicine Lake is paved, but almost every other road through the National Monument is unpaved, some requiring a high-clearance vehicle. 

Camping

There are multiple Forest Service campgrounds on Medicine Lake, plus two nearby at Blanche Lake and Bullseye Lake.  Dirt roads in Modoc, Shasta, and Klamath National Forests have ample dispersed camping opportunities.

Related Sites

Lava Beds National Monument (California)

Tule Lake National Monument (California)

Lassen National Forest (California)

Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument (California)

Nearest National Park

Lassen Volcanic

Road to Glass Mountain in June
Glass Mountain

Explore More – Sáttítla translates as “obsidian place” from which indigenous language?

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

Wyoming

Medicine Bow National Forest

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Medicine Bow National Forest

Wyoming

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

1,403,892 acres (1,096,885 federal/ 307,007 other)

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/mbrtb

Overview

Medicine Bow National Forest is spread across three separate units in southern Wyoming and another located to the north between the cities of Laramie and Casper.  Within the latter unit is 10,272-foot Laramie Peak, a major landmark along the historic Oregon Trail.  Snowy Range Scenic Byway (Highway 130) provides access in the summer to the high-elevation recreational opportunities found in the mountains.  In 1995, Medicine Bow National Forest was administratively combined with Routt National Forest and Thunder Basin National Grassland.

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Highlights

Snowy Range Scenic Byway, Brooklyn Lake Campground, Medicine Bow Peak, Lake Marie, Sierra Madres, Aspen Alley, Hog Park Reservoir, Happy Jack Recreation Area, Vedauwoo, Laramie Peak Trail, Continental Divide National Scenic Trail

Must-Do Activity

Medicine Bow Peak stands at 12,013 feet within the Snowy Range near the Wyoming-Colorado border and has two steep, rocky trails to its summit which can be combined into a long loop.  The 29-mile-long Snowy Range Scenic Byway cuts across this rugged landscape and is a great place for summer camping, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, and backpacking.  The road closes in the winter, but is still a destination for snowmobiling, downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing.  Medicine Bow gets its name from annual tribal gatherings when ceremonies were held and mountain mahogany was gathered for bow making.

Best Trail

Vedauwoo Recreation Area is visible from Interstate 80 between Laramie and Cheyenne, but feels worlds apart.  Its maze of boulders is a fun place to visit in the winter or summer (when the campground is open).  The 3.2-mile Turtle Rock Trail circles the area, but it is more fun to climb around off trail.  Near the end of winter, snow drifts pile six-feet-high next to ground swept bare.  In the glens protected by the 200-foot-tall rock outcrops, snowflakes cling to the bare branches of aspen and maple trees, and stick in the needles of junipers, Douglas-firs, and ponderosa pines.  Vedauwoo is an Arapaho word meaning “earthborn,” also the name of a nature spirit character in summer theater performances held here in the 1920s by the University of Wyoming.  This forest was once depleted for telegraph poles and railroad ties before the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) planted 280,000 trees in the 1930s.  It was used for over 50 years of military target practice, significant because there are unexploded munitions still in the ground.  Vedauwoo is located near the Happy Jack Recreation Area, which at 8,640 feet is the highest point along Interstate 80 between San Francisco and New York City.  This cross-country road was originally called the Lincoln Highway, hence the giant sculpture of Abraham Lincoln’s head at the nearby rest area. 

Watchable Wildlife

After a cold day on the National Forest’s cross-country ski trails at Brush Creek (built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps) or Chimney Park, we always made it a point to stop in Saratoga where hot springs water is piped into the free outdoor Hobo Pool adjacent to the North Platte River.  This area is a favored wintering ground for bald and golden eagles, so you may witness a flyover during your soak.  Also watch for mule deer in town and a variety of waterfowl along the river.  Moose, elk, and pronghorn (at lower elevations) are found in the National Forest.  Black bears, mountain lions, coyotes, and red foxes reside here, too.  Trout fishing in lakes and streams is a major draw to the mountains. 

Photographic Opportunity

Lake Marie along the Snowy Range Scenic Byway is one of the most widely used photographs for tourism publications in this corner of Wyoming.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

Day use fees of $5 per vehicle (or America the Beautiful pass) apply at Vedauwoo, Tie City Trailhead, Happy Jack Trailhead, and the western terminus of Headquarters National Recreation Trail, as well as Sugarloaf and West Lake Marie Trailhead along Snowy Range Scenic Byway.

Road Conditions

The gravel Vedauwoo Road (closed in spring) is good enough for RVs, as are some of the side roads off paved Snowy Range Scenic Byway (closed in winter).  Beware the rutted Forest Road 336 near Libby Flats and some other four-wheel-drive-only routes.  Several roads become snowmobile routes in the winter, including most of Snowy Range Scenic Byway west of the ski resort.

Camping

In addition to a large designated campground at the Vedauwoo exit off Interstate 80, Vedauwoo Road has designated free campsites marked by a post and offer dispersed camping along other surrounding roads.  Brooklyn Lake is one of several designated campgrounds along the Snowy Range Scenic Byway where dispersed campsites are harder to find.  Between Casper and Cheyenne, Laramie Peak dominates the prairie landscape and if you hike to its summit you can overlook hundreds of miles of the historic Oregon Trail.  Although much of this section of forest has been affected by wildfires, there is still plenty of natural beauty and out of the way places to pitch a tent along its labyrinthine road system. 

Wilderness Areas

Encampment River Wilderness

Huston Park Wilderness

Platte River Wilderness (also in Routt National Forest)

Savage Run Wilderness

Related Sites

Fort Laramie National Historic Site (Wyoming)

Thunder Basin National Grassland (Wyoming)

Scotts Bluff National Monument (Nebraska)

Nearest National Park

Rocky Mountain

Vedauwoo
Bull moose
Vedauwoo
Cross-country skiing at Chimney Park
Beaver activity
Mule deer
Headquarters National Recreation Trail
Tiff on the Rail Trail
Snow sledding at Happy Jack Recreation Area

Conifer Tree Species

Engelmann spruce, Douglas-fir, subalpine fir, lodgepole pine, limber pine, ponderosa pine, Rocky Mountain juniper

Flowering Tree Species

quaking aspen, eastern cottonwood, balsam poplar, Rocky Mountain maple, curlleaf mountain mahogany, sagebrush               

Explore More – Near Vedauwoo, a 60-foot-tall granite pyramid was built in 1882 to honor whom?

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