It is gift buying season again, so here are the best ideas for the person on your list who loves National Monuments. This year we published Monumental America, our travel guidebook to the 138 National Monuments, so we have had those often-overlooked public lands on our minds. We previously published our Top 10 Gifts for National Park Lovers.Click here to see all of our Top 10 Lists, including some book lists that may help you find a special gift for your favorite reader. As always, products we have created are available under the Shop tab above. We also have a Pinterest board for National Monuments, as well as one for National Park gifts and those harder-to-find National Forest gifts.
10. Postcards
For someone who loves one of the 138 National Monuments, pick up a postcard from Anderson Design Group
9. Quarters
The U.S. Mint finished releasing its America the Beautiful series in 2021; there are books and maps highlighting all 56 quarters (and you can buy the entire set for little more than the coins’ value)
8. Phone Case
Devils Tower became the first National Monument in 1906, so why not commemorate it on the one thing you take with you everywhere?
7. Coasters
We often purchase a Lantern Press coaster from the National Park Service bookstore during our visits, but there are also sets for sale online
Artwork or photographs of our beautiful National Monuments make a great gift and there are an overwhelming number of options (try starting at Creative Action Network)
2. Clothing
T-shirts, hoodies, socks, and anything else people wear have all been emblazoned with National Monument logos and images; did you know the Statue of Liberty is a National Monument?
…and finally our #1 gift featuring National Monuments:
Especially if your National Monuments journey is just getting started, our one-of-a-kind guidebook can help with planning the travel logistics
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Honorable Mentions
Puzzles
Jigsaw puzzles had a renaissance during the pandemic and there are many National Monument options in photographs or artwork
Photo album or photo board
We passport stamp all of the “unigrid” pamphlets (like the ones Echo the Raven poses with for each NPS blog post) from the parks and collect them in a photo album (actually three since we have visited 414 of 433 units so far)
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Only 16 of the 138 U.S. National Monuments are found in National Forests, and many of those are jointly administered with the Bureau of Land Management (the BLM ones will be covered in a future Top 10 List). Moreover, ten of them are located in only two states (California and Colorado). However, that does not mean they are not worth checking out. We have visited 15 with the exception of Admiralty Island in Alaska (but did read Alone in the Fortress of the Bears by Bruce L. Nelson), so we have an educated opinion in our ranking. Click here to see all our Top 10 Lists, including our Top 10 National Monuments Managed by the National Park Service.
10. Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains (California)
A gondola ride up into Mt. San Jacinto State Park is the easiest way to access these mountains south of Palm Springs where the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) runs
9. Camp Hale–Continental Divide (Colorado)
During World War II, the 10th Mountain Division trained in this section of the Rocky Mountains
8. Browns Canyon (Colorado)
The only legal way to access these lands is on a whitewater rafting trip
…and finally our #1 National Monument in a National Forest
1. Giant Sequoia (California)
Not as busy as Sequoia National Park, there are some impressive giant sequoia trees found here (including the Boole Tree, one of our favorites)
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Honorable Mentions
Sand to Snow (California)
We are mostly familiar with the BLM part of this National Monument, but it stretches up into the San Gorgonio Wilderness of San Bernardino National Forest
We have hiked in all 155 National Forests, and we used those experiences to write our guidebook Out in the Woods. Most National Forests have hundreds of miles of trails, which are a great way to explore the landscape. Sometimes it can be overwhelming because there are so many options. Compared to our Top 10 Day Hiking Trails in National Forests, this list is focused on places where there are many good trails to choose from (and we did our best not to overlap). We hope you are inspired to throw on your daypack and hit the trail. Click here to see all our Top 10 lists, including our Top 10 National Forests for Backpacking and Top 10 Summit Trails in National Forests.
10. Tonto (Arizona)
Due to its proximity to Phoenix, many areas like Peralta and First Water Trailheads are often packed with hikers (as is Siphon Draw Trail, another favorite hike that gains 2,781 feet of elevation to the Flatiron, usually starting from Lost Dutchman State Park).
Pioneer Mothers Memorial Forest features a 0.8-mile trail that runs through the old-growth forest. Hemlock Cliffs Trail is a 1.2-mile loop through a sandstone canyon that passes behind two unique waterfalls. Longer hiking options include the 36.3-mile Terrill Ridge Trail that enters the Charles C. Deam Wilderness (Indiana’s one and only) and the 24.1 miles of trails around German Ridge Lake.
St. Peter’s Dome and Morgan Falls Recreation Area (fee) is one of the best developed sites, as are Aldo Leopold Commemorative Trail and Moquah Barrens Research Natural Area. The North Country National Scenic Trail traverses a 61-mile stretch of Chequamegon National Forest and the southernmost disjunct section includes 49 miles of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail.
The Gennett Poplar (a tulip-poplar tree more than five feet in diameter) is accessed by hiking 1.8 miles out-and-back with two stream crossings on the Bear Creek Tail. Old-growth trees are also found in 175-acre Sosebee Cove Scenic Area. Trails also access Anna Ruby Falls and the highest point in Georgia (4,784-foot Brasstown Bald). Ed Jenkins National Recreation Area encompasses Springer Mountain, home of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail’s southern terminus and the Benton MacKaye Trail.
6. Mt. Hood (Oregon)
Some of the best waterfalls in the country are in Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, and that does not include the trail that allows you to walk behind the roaring Tamanawas Falls. Two great spots to photograph snowy Mt. Hood are from Trillium Lake and Lost Lake (where a three-mile hiking trail encircles it).
5. Ozark (Arkansas)
Hawksbill Crag (Whitaker Point) is an iconic Arkansas landmark in the Upper Buffalo Wilderness. Alum Cove Natural Bridge National Recreation Trail is a 1.1-mile loop that crosses over a 130-foot-long sandstone bridge that is 20 feet wide with installed guardrails. Another natural bridge (60 feet long) on Hurricane Creek can be found along the 165-mile Ozark Highlands National Recreation Trail.
Right outside Missoula are numerous hiking trails in Blue Mountain Recreation Area and Rattlesnake National Recreation Area. Morrell Falls National Recreation Trail leads to a 90-foot-tall waterfall on the western slope of the Swan Range, and the nearby Pyramid Pass Trailhead provides access to the Bob Marshall Wilderness in adjacent Flathead National Forest.
3. White River (Colorado)
Hanging Lake and the Maroon Bells are two of the most picturesque places in Colorado, so parking can be an issue at both. Most visitors do not make it beyond the photo-ops along Maroon Lake, but a hike up the valley at least to Crater Lake (1.8 miles one-way) is worth the effort.
2. Sierra (California)
A paved wheelchair-accessible walking path of less than a half-mile leads through the McKinley Grove of giant sequoia trees, plus there are two National Recreation Trails at Rancheria Falls and Lewis Creek (not to mention parts of the John Muir Trail and Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail).
…and finally our #1 National Forest for day hiking:
Mt. Humphreys made it on our Top 10 Summit Trails in National Forests and there are many other great hikes in the Kachina Wilderness on the San Francisco Peaks, plus countless trails around Sedona, Oak Creek Canyon, and Sycamore Canyon.
Crabtree Falls Observation Trail (day use fee) is easy to access from paved State Route 56 east of the Blue Ridge Parkway. There are actually five waterfalls here with a total drop of 1,200 feet spread over a half-mile. Other hikes include Bird Knob Loop Trail, Lion’s Tale National Recreation Trail, Waterfall Mountain Loop Trail, McDowell Battlefield Trail, Big Schloss Trail, and Massanutten Trail.
Pike (Colorado)
Devil’s Head National Recreation Trail leads to an amazing fire lookout tower surrounded by giant boulders (similar to The Crags, a 2.5-mile one-way trail near Cripple Creek), which is why it made it on our list of the Top 10 Day Hiking Trails in National Forests.
The most developed parts of San Bernardino National Forest for hiking are around Big Bear Lake, Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, and the San Gorgonio Wilderness. An Adventure Pass is required to park at popular trailheads, including Castle Rock, Grays Peak, Hanna Flat, and Cougar Crest to Bertha Peak. Southwest of Big Bear Lake is the Champion Lodgepole Pine Trail, which is less than a mile hike through the lush Bluff Meadows to a stout seven-foot diameter tree.
Ottawa (Michigan)
Ottawa National Forest has 2,000 miles of streams and countless waterfalls. Black River Harbor Recreation Area is traced by the North Country National Scenic Trail and has several beautiful falls along its passage to Lake Superior. The Forest Service visitor center in Watersmeet has a half-mile interpretive loop and access to Agonikak National Recreation Trail.
It is the holiday gift buying season again, so in addition to promoting our newest travel guidebook 50 States of Great: Road Trip Guide to America, we decided to rank our favorite non-fiction books about wildlife. We did not realize how many we had read until we started researching other lists on the subject, so the competition was stiff. We focused on wildlife, not domesticated wild animals, so we left off three popular books: H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald, The Daily Coyote by Shreve Stockton, and Wesley the Owlby Stacey O’Brien. Click here to see all our Top 10 lists, including our Top 10 Gifts for National Park Lovers.
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We recently returned from our fourth trip to the Hawai‘i, so we are still island dreaming. We have previously released our Top 10 Non-Fiction Books Set in Alaska and Top 10 Novels Set in Alaska, now we are turning our attention to the 50th state. There are many novels to choose from set on the Hawaiian Islands, but all our selections are a good introduction to the Aloha State. The Stench of Honolulu was a contender, but the comic novel is not really set in Hawai‘i, although it is hilarious. We have not read enough non-fiction about the state to create a separate list, so we put a few of our favorites at the bottom, not including some interesting works by early tourists Mark Twain, Jack London, and Isabella Bird. Click here to see all our Top 10 Lists.
There are magical elements in this gritty story that follows a modern Hawaiian family and was selected as a favorite book by former President Barack Obama
Michener’s epic style covers the history of the islands in an easy-to-digest manner; the story about Mark Twain visiting Kilauea Volcano stood out
7. Micro: A Novel by Michael Crichton and Richard Preston (2011)
A work in progress when the Jurassic Park author passed away, this sci-fi thriller set on Oahu was finished by the author of The Cobra Event and The Wild Trees (which is on our Top 10 Non-Fiction Books Set in a National Park)
This juvenile fiction book follows a 12-year-old girl who is swept up in a supernatural quest after insulting the goddess Pele, the sequel Lei and the Invisible Islandis out now
There are many books to choose from about Pele, Maui, and other gods that are a good introduction to the indigenous culture, including the classic by Martha Beckwith
A romance novel based on the women who worked for the military during World War II; the characters are great and you will probably want to read Ackerman’s other Hawaiian-set books after finishing
Historical fiction follows the decades of changes experienced by a woman who is exiled to the leper colony that is now Kalaupapa National Historical Park on Molokai Island (the author’s Shark Dialogues and House of Many Gods are also on our list to read)
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Honorable Mentions (Favorite Non-Fiction Books Set in Hawai‘i)
We have utilized many guidebooks to the islands, but given the overload of information out there this one is actually helpful in prioritizing options
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Raven About The Parks 