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Oregon, Washington

Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area

September 9, 2026 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area

Oregon-Washington

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

Established 1986

292,500 acres

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

Overview

Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area was created from riverside land that is part of Mt. Hood and Gifford Pinchot National Forests. This river corridor was traditionally used by the Chinook, Warm Springs, and Yakama peoples that were drawn to the annual salmon runs. The gorge stretches 80 miles to the Deschutes River, lined by steep basalt cliffs and many State Parks. The Oregon side is famous for its waterfalls fed by snowy Mt. Hood, the 11,249-foot-tall stratovolcano that rises to the south. The town of Hood River is considered the “Windsurfing Capital of the World” with many options for gear rentals and lessons.

Highlights

Historic Columbia River Highway, Multnomah Falls, Vista House, Dog Mountain, Bonneville Fish Hatchery, Horsetail Falls, Wahclella Falls Trail, Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail

Must-Do Activity

Two-tiered Multnomah Falls drops 620 feet and is the most famous waterfall on the Historic Columbia River Highway, enough so that a timed permit is now required to park May through early September. As of 2025, a parking permit is also required at Vista House, built in 1918 on a rocky point 693 feet above the Columbia River (see Fees below). To get a break from the traffic, consider parking and hiking. Wahclella Falls Trail is 2.4 miles out-and-back through a slot canyon to a 350-foot-tall two-tiered plunge (which hopefully reopens soon after it suffered extensive damages during December 2025 storms). Eagle Creek Trail goes 1.9 miles one-way to Punch Bowl Falls (honestly, there are so many good hiking options to choose from, so check out this website: https://gorgefriends.org/find-a-hike). Bonneville Fish Hatchery is free and home to Herman the Sturgeon who is 10 feet long, 500 pounds, and more than 80 years old.

Best Trail

Oneonta Trail is 3.2 miles roundtrip with an elevation gain of 425 feet to Ponytail Falls that you can walk behind. An additional 1.8 miles and 300 feet of climbing will take hikers to Triple Falls. At the same trailhead located near Horsetail Falls, the once popular route through Oneonta Gorge slot canyon has been closed due to a dangerous logjam following the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire. Dog Mountain is famous for its spring wildflower bloom, so a $2 parking reservation (or a free shuttle) is required on weekends from April through early June.

Photographic Opportunity

Women’s Forum State Scenic Viewpoint (or Chanticleer Point) is still free, which provides a photographic point looking east that includes Vista House.

Peak Season

Spring

Fees

$5 Northwest Forest Pass (or America the Beautiful pass) required at many U.S. Forest Service trailheads. Crown Point State Scenic Corridor at Vista House requires an annual state park pass or a parking fee of $10 per vehicle for Oregon residents and $12 for non-residents.

Road Conditions

Interstate 84 runs along the Oregon side of the gorge with limited exits and State Route 14 follows the river on the Washington side. Before departing, check for road closures on the Historic Columbia River Highway.

Camping

Wyeth Campground is the only one directly within the National Scenic Area, but there are several campgrounds north and south of the Columbia River in Gifford Pinchot and Mt. Hood National Forests.

Related Sites

Lewis and Clark National Historical Park (Oregon-Washington)

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site (Washington)

Mt. Hood National Recreation Area (Oregon)

Deschutes National Forest (Oregon)

Nearest National Park

Mount Rainier

Explore More – When did the Chanticleer Inn burn down, opening Chanticleer Point to be purchased by the Portland Women’s Forum and donated to the state of Oregon in 1962?

Know someone who loves the National Forests? Gift them our travel guidebook Out in the Woods so they can learn more about all 155 National Forests.

Kentucky

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park

September 2, 2026 Raven About The Parks 2 Comments

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park

Kentucky

Managed by National Park Service

Established 1916 National Park, 1939 National Historical Park, 1959 National Historic Site, 2009 National Historical Park

345 acres

Website: nps.gov/abli

Overview

In December 1808, Thomas and Nancy Lincoln moved with their infant daughter to a 300-acre farm near Sinking Spring, where soon their son Abraham would be born on February 12. Two years later they moved to a more fertile farm ten miles northeast on Knob Creek. The family left for Indiana five years after that, where today you can find Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial. The original birthplace cabin was dismantled before 1865, but a cabin built nearby using some of the Lincoln logs was purchased three decades later for the purpose of exhibiting a traveling replica. When that replica cabin was placed inside the Memorial Building in 1911, it was too large for tourists to walk around it, so it was decreased in scale from 16-by-18 feet to 12-by-17 feet. In 2001, the National Park Service acquired the privately-owned boyhood home reconstruction at Knob Creek Farm, leading to the redesignation back to a National Historical Park.

Highlights

Memorial Building, film, Knob Creek Farm, Overlook Trail

Must-Do Activity

The future U.S. President came from humble beginnings, and here in Kentucky is where his education began. Even if you are familiar with his life story, it is a good idea to watch the film at the visitor center before climbing the stairs to the scale model of the birth cabin inside the Memorial Building. A ten-mile drive takes you to the reconstructed Lincoln house at Knob Creek Farm, where you can hike the Overlook Trail if you have time.

Best Trail

Boundary Oak Trail is 0.3 miles and starts near the Memorial Building, while 0.7-mile Big Sink Trail starts from the picnic area on the other side of Highway 31E. At Knob Creek Farm, Overlook Trail is 3.1 miles out-and-back with 348 feet of cumulative elevation gain.

Photographic Opportunity

Exactly a century after Abraham’s birthday, President Theodore Roosevelt was on hand for the laying of the cornerstone for a Memorial Building where the Lincoln family cabin once stood.

Peak Season

Summer

Hours

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

Fees

None

Road Conditions

Outside Hodgenville, all roads are paved to the Birthplace Unit of the park and the Boyhood Home Unit at Knob Creek, which is ten miles northeast on U.S. Highway 31E.

Camping

Located 25 miles northeast on Highway 31E, My Old Kentucky Home State Park has a 39-site campground with RV hookups, plus an 18-hole golf course.

Lincoln Home National Historic Site (Illinois)

Lincoln Memorial (District of Columbia)

Nearest National Park

Mammoth Cave

Explore More – Why are their exactly 16 steps in each of the four sets of stairs that lead up to Lincoln’s birth cabin Memorial Building?

Arizona

Vermilion Cliffs National Monument

August 26, 2026 Raven About The Parks 4 Comments

Vermilion Cliffs National Monument

Arizona

Managed by Bureau of Land Management

Established 2000

279,566 acres

Website: https://www.blm.gov/national-conservation-lands/arizona/vermilion-cliffs

Overview

The Vermilion Cliffs are a red sandstone escarpment that rises 3,000 feet above the plains north of Arizona’s Grand Canyon (and they especially glow vermilion at sunrise and sunset). This undeveloped geologic wonderland is a colorful mixture of sandstone, siltstone, limestone, and shale. The cliffs create thermals perfect for 20 species of raptors, including bald eagles, golden eagles, peregrine falcons, and endangered California condors that were first reintroduced here in 1996.

Highlights

Coyote Buttes North (The Wave), Maze Rock Art Site, White Pocket, Paria River Canyon

Must-Do Activity

There are several visitor centers to get information about the National Monument, including at Navajo Bridge on Highway 89A and the seasonal Paria Contact Station off Highway 89, as well as Bureau of Land Management (BLM) offices in Utah at Kanab, St. George, and Big Water. Guided tours are available to White Pocket (no permit required) if you do not want the challenge of driving the sandy roads.

Best Trail

It is a 1.4-mile roundtrip hike to the petroglyphs at the Maze Rock Art Site off House Rock Valley Road that may be more than 1,000 years old. Backpacking 38-mile-long Paria Canyon is a world-famous route that ends at Lees Ferry in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Permits are required to overnight, and most thru-hikers set out from White House Trailhead within Utah’s Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument to avoid the slot canyons on Wire Pass Trail or Buckskin Gulch Trail (which often has waist deep mud).

Photographic Opportunity

Coyote Buttes North (The Wave) is one of the most sought-after photography locations in the U.S., but most of us will never win that lottery. Here is a similarly beautiful sandstone formation in White Pocket, which is open to visit by anyone with a 4×4 that can get through miles of deep sand (or hire a guide to drive).

Peak Season

Spring and fall

Hours

https://www.blm.gov/visit/kanab-visitor-center

Fees

No entrance fee, but a $9 online lottery entry and $7 permits for each person and dog apply for Coyote Buttes North (The Wave), they cost slightly less for Coyote Buttes South and Paria River Canyon

Road Conditions

House Rock Valley Road (BLM 700) runs 30 miles between Highways 89 and 89A to the south, crossing several washes, but it is passable with a passenger vehicle when dry. Most of the roads running east from House Rock Valley Road require four-wheel drive due to deep sand (including access to White Pocket).

Camping

Dispersed camping is allowed in most of Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, and the BLM runs the free Stateline Campground (that is the official northern terminus of the Arizona National Scenic Trail) on the northern border and White House Campground (fee) in Utah.

Related Sites

Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument (Utah)

Kaibab National Forest (Arizona)

Pipe Spring National Monument (Arizona)

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

Nearest National Park

Grand Canyon

Explore More – The Vermilion Cliffs are called as Angkar Mukwanikant in what indigenous language?

List

Top 10 Caves in National Forests

August 12, 2026 Raven About The Parks 2 Comments

The underground world is fun to explore, especially when you get to bring your own flashlights and go at your own pace. That is the only option in most National Forests, with a few notable exceptions for guided tours found on this list. It was the opposite case when I ranked the Top 10 Caves in National Parks back in 2019 (click here to see all our Top 10 Lists).

If you or someone you love are interested in visiting the 155 National Forests, our travel guidebook Out in the Woods makes a great gift!

10. Subway Cave in Lassen National Forest (California)

There are interpretive signs inside this lava tube, including one explaining lavacicles

9. Fulford Cave in White River National Forest (Colorado)

This one and Spring Cave are only accessible April 16 through August 14 and require registration

8. Lava River Cave in Coconino National Forest (Arizona)

This is the first lava tube I ever explored while I was a college student in Flagstaff

7. Mammoth Cave in Dixie National Forest (Utah)

Ice Cave is another option to visit in southwest Utah

6. El Capitan Pit in Tongass National Forest (Alaska)

Prince of Wales Island is mostly karst and includes this deepest pit in the U.S., plus Sophia’s Sinking Stream Cave and Meow Cave

5. Cave of Bells in Coronado National Forest (Arizona)

This cave has a lock on its entry gate, as does Onyx Cave, but are accessible with permission

4. Boyden Cavern in Sequoia National Forest (California)

Guided tours are offered in this show cave outside Kings Canyon National Park

3. Ape Cave in Gifford Pinchot National Forest (Washington)

Timed-entry permits ($2 per vehicle) are required to explore this long lava tube in Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, but not for Guler Ice Caves

2. Blanchard Springs Caverns in Ozark National Forest (Arkansas)

Limestone springs and caves are all over this region, including this show cave with guided tours

…and finally the #1 cave in a National Forest:

1. Minnetonka Cave in Caribou National Forest (Idaho)

Tickets for a guided tour are required to drive up the narrow road to the parking lot, plus check out nearby Paris Ice Cave

Honorable Mentions

Jot Dean Ice Cave in Shasta National Forest (California)

I stumbled upon this one while visiting Sáttítla Highlands National Monument, also home to lava tubes in Giant Crater

Resurgence Cave in Daniel Boone National Forest (Kentucky)

All caves around here are currently closed to protect bats, including the ones behind Moonshiners Arch

Wind Cave in Cache National Forest (Utah)

Not very dark on this cliffside, but it is a great spot for photographs

Wave Cave in Tonto National Forest (Arizona)

Another one that is more of an amphitheater than a cave, but famous for photos riding the wave

Darby Canyon Wind Cave in Targhee National Forest (Wyoming)

I had not heard of this cave just west of Grand Teton National Park

Sandia Cave in Cibola National Forest (New Mexico)

Located near Albuquerque, it features a unique metal spiral staircase to the entrance

Know someone who loves the National Forests? Gift them our travel guidebook Out in the Woods so they can learn more about all 155 National Forests.

Oregon

Mt. Hood National Recreation Area

August 5, 2026 Raven About The Parks 1 Comment

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