Tag Archives: waterfall

Kentucky

Daniel Boone National Forest

February 15, 2023 Raven About The Parks 2 Comments

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

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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Montana, South Dakota

Custer National Forest

January 25, 2023 Raven About The Parks 2 Comments

Custer National Forest

Montana, South Dakota

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Northern Region

1,278,749 acres (1,188,130 federal/ 90,619 other)

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

Overview

Custer National Forest is split across multiple units from the Absaroka Mountains in southern Montana east to five isolated patches in the northwest corner of South Dakota. It ranges in elevation from dry prairies to glaciated summits, including the highest point in Montana (12,807-foot Granite Peak). In eastern Montana, Capitol Rock is a sandstone and white clay formation that looks like a capitol dome from the east. In South Dakota, the National Forest also encompasses The Castles National Natural Landmark. Since 2014, Custer and Gallatin National Forests have been managed together as Custer-Gallatin National Forest.

Highlights

Beartooth All-American Road, Rock Creek Vista, Hellroaring Plateau, Granite Peak, East Rosebud Lake, Impasse Falls, Crooked Creek Canyon, Big Ice Cave, Pryor Mountains Wild Horse Range, Lost Water Canyon, Cook Mountains, Tongue River Breaks, Poker Jim Lookout, Chalk Buttes, Capitol Rock, Slim Buttes, The Castles, Glacier Lake, Basin Creek National Recreation Trail, Basin Lakes Trail

Must-Do Activity

Custer National Forest is most famous for its stretch of Highway 212 (Beartooth All-American Road) that climbs switchbacks from the prairie around Red Lodge, Montana up to 10,947 feet at Beartooth Pass across the Wyoming border in Shoshone National Forest. These two National Forests also share with Gallatin National Forest the giant 943,626-acre Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, which contains 12,807-foot Granite Peak. Backpackers come from around the world to this Wilderness in the summer because its trailheads start at such high elevations that it does not require much climbing to reach scenic alpine lakes.

Best Trail

There are more than 1,500 miles of hiking trails in Custer National Forest, mostly concentrated in the western mountains. From the Glacier Lake Trailhead (high-clearance vehicle required), the two-mile Glacier Lake Trail steadily climbs 1,100 feet then drops into a bowl containing a stunning reservoir that straddles the Wyoming-Montana state border. You can turn around here at 9,691 feet in elevation or continue around the north side of the lake up to Goat and Sheep Lakes. We backpack camped at Glacier Lake for one night during Labor Day weekend and had the place to ourselves.

Watchable Wildlife

In addition to the raptors typical of western National Forests, merlins (a type of small falcon) are more common here than anywhere else in the country. Mammalian predators include grizzly bears, black bears, gray wolves, coyotes, red foxes, pine martens, mountain lions, and bobcats. Ungulates found here are pronghorns, moose, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, mule deer, elk, and bison (on private ranches).

Instagram-worthy Photo

During our backpacking trip, the Glacier Lake reservoir was especially scenic during the jaw-dropping twilight hours when the mountains were drenched in alpenglow.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

None

Road Conditions

The paved Beartooth All-American Road (Highway 212) is typically open only June to October due to snow. At the bottom of the “Beartooth Switchbacks” on Highway 212 in southern Montana is Main Fork Rock Creek Road, a rough dirt road that follows the shallow creek past campgrounds and dispersed campsites back to Glacier Lake Trailhead. A high-clearance vehicle or an ATV is required if you want to drive the entire eight miles. Many recreationists bring the latter to tackle the nearby road that steeply ascends to the top of 11,000-foot-high Hellroaring Plateau.

Camping

There are more than 30 campgrounds in Custer National Forest, as well as numerous dispersed camping options (especially on roads west of Red Lodge, Montana).

Wilderness Areas

Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness (also in Gallatin and Shoshone National Forests)

Related Sites

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area (Montana-Wyoming)

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument (Montana)

Beaverhead National Forest (Montana)

Nearest National Park

Yellowstone

Conifer Tree Species

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

Flowering Tree Species

eastern cottonwood, quaking aspen, water birch, Rocky Mountain maple, boxelder, Bebb willow, blue elderberry, choke cherry, white alder, curlleaf mountain-mahogany, sagebrush

Explore More – Found on the side of Granite Peak, how did Grasshopper Glacier get its name?

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

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Washington

Colville National Forest

December 20, 2022 Raven About The Parks 4 Comments

Colville National Forest

Washington

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

1,029,617 acres (954,409 federal/ 75,208 other)

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

Overview

In northeast Washington, Colville National Forest is divided into two sections on either side of the Columbia River. In the west are the Kettle River Mountains, which are crossed by Sherman Pass Scenic Byway (Highway 20). To the east, the remote Selkirk Mountains contain the Salmo-Priest Wilderness that spills over into Kaniksu National Forest. Colville National Forest also borders Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge and Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area.

Highlights

Sherman Pass Scenic Byway, Pewee Falls, Sullivan Lake, Marble Creek Falls, Trout Lake, Kettle Creek National Recreation Trail, Crowell Ridge Trail, Sherman Creek Trail, Grassy Top National Recreation Trail, Brown’s Lake Interpretive Trail, Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail

Must-Do Activity

In the Selkirk Mountains east of the Pend Oreille River, the large Sullivan Lake is a scenic spot for boating and camping. Designated in 1978, the Sullivan Lake National Recreation Trail runs 4.3 miles between the two campgrounds located at either end of the lake. Colville National Forest is also known for 200-foot-tall Pewee Falls that cascades into the Boundary Dam Reservoir near the Canadian border, but we did not make it up there.

Best Trail

Hoodoo Canyon Trail is 4.8 miles one-way and accessible from two trailheads, one on unpaved Deadman Creek Road and the other at Trout Lake Campground, which is five miles from the Sherman Pass Scenic Byway. We started out in the rain from our dispersed campsite along Deadman Creek Road and the trail soon made a steep climb through a dense conifer forest. Eventually the route leveled out and we got our first view of shamrock green Emerald Lake, so we took a well-worn path down to its shoreline. The trail was officially closed at the 3.2-mile point due to a small landslide (see photo), but it was not hard to navigate past that spot to gain a view of Trout Lake, at which point we turned around.

Watchable Wildlife

The remote Selkirk Mountains represent the sole place south of Canada where there is a herd of mountain caribou. Grizzly bears, Canadian lynx, mountain lions, and gray wolves also inhabit this wild borderland region. More common species include mule deer, bighorn sheep, moose, beavers, bald eagles, and loons.

Instagram-worthy Photo

The water of Emerald Lake truly lives up to its gem of a name, even on a cloudy day.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

None

Road Conditions

Sherman Pass Scenic Byway (Highway 20) is paved, but most the roads we drove through Colville National Forest were unpaved but in very good condition.

Camping

Trout Lake Campground seemed like a nice spot, secluded but only five miles off the Sherman Pass Scenic Byway. We found many excellent dispersed campsites along the unpaved portions of Deadman Creek Road.

Wilderness Areas

Salmo-Priest Wilderness (also in Kaniksu National Forest)

Ross Lake National Recreation Area (Washington)

Lake Chelan National Recreation Area (Washington)

Nearest National Park

North Cascades

Conifer Tree Species

Douglas-fir, grand fir, subalpine fir, lodgepole pine, western larch, western redcedar

Flowering Tree Species

syringa, quaking aspen, Pacific dogwood, red alder, balsam poplar, dwarf birch, paper birch, Piper’s hawthorn, boxelder, Bebb willow, western mountain-ash, choke cherry, western serviceberry, red alder, mountain alder

Explore More – Who was Andrew Colvile, other than the man that Fort Colville [sic] was misnamed for in 1825?

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

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California

Cleveland National Forest

November 9, 2022 Raven About The Parks 4 Comments

Cleveland National Forest

California

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

568,634 acres (439,281 federal/ 129,353 other)

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

Overview

In southwestern California, Cleveland National Forest was established in 1908 and named for the U.S. President who added 21-million acres to the Forest Reserve system in the 1890s. The National Forest is notable for its Mediterranean climate and low elevation (its highest point is 6,271-foot Monument Peak). Most of its acreage is chaparral, not forest, making it more prone to frequent wildfires. Despite its proximity to San Diego and the densely-populated Pacific Coastline, it contains four designated Wilderness areas.

Highlights

Sunrise Scenic Byway, Henshaw Scenic Vista, Monument Peak, Three Sisters Falls, Laguna Mountain Recreation Area, Cedar Creek Falls, Sunset Trail, Noble Canyon National Recreation Trail, Agua Tibia Trail, San Juan Loop Trail, Desert View Nature Trail, Pioneer Mail Trail, Observatory Trail

Must-Do Activity

Located ten miles north of Highway 76, Palomar Mountain is best known as the home of Caltech’s Palomar Observatory, which was established in 1928. It is open daily for tours of the A.W. Greenway Jr. Visitor Center and the 200-inch Hale Telescope, which reigned as the world’s largest from 1949 until 1975. Two miles downhill is the Forest Service’s Observatory Campground and the trailhead for the 2.2-mile one-way Observatory National Recreation Trail. An Adventure Pass is required to park here, but not if you start at the observatory. The trail gains about 900 feet in elevation as it climbs through an oak-pine forest to the Palomar Observatory (that sits at 5,598 feet in elevation) providing views of the Mendenhall Valley.

Best Trail

The Sunset Trail makes a 4.6-mile loop from the Meadows Trailhead at mile marker 19 on the Sunrise Scenic Byway. The trail provides a view of the Pacific Ocean after passing meadows, ponds, and oak savannahs.

Watchable Wildlife

Despite its proximity to the San Diego metropolitan area, Cleveland National Forest is home to black bears, gray foxes, bobcats, and mountain lions. Black-tailed deer, bighorn sheep, wild turkeys, and coyotes are more likely to be encountered by visitors.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Look for acorn woodpeckers’ seed caches riddled into some of the Jeffrey pine trees in the forest.

Peak Season

Winter

Fees

An Adventure Pass is required to park at several trailheads (including the Observatory Trail) throughout the National Forest, but an America the Beautiful pass can be substituted.

Road Conditions

The Sunrise Scenic Byway and the road to Palomar Observatory are both paved, although there are many unpaved routes through the National Forest.

Camping

Two miles downhill from the Palomar Observatory is the Forest Service’s Observatory Campground, a great place to stay if you plan to attend a star party on moonless nights. Palomar Mountain State Park also has a campground.

Wilderness Areas

Agua Tibia Wilderness (also run by the Bureau of Land Management)

Hauser Wilderness

Pine Creek Wilderness

San Mateo Canyon Wilderness

Related Sites

Channel Islands National Park (California)

Cabrillo National Monument (California)

Mojave National Preserve (California)

Nearest National Park

Joshua Tree

Conifer Tree Species

Jeffrey pine, Coulter pine, white fir, California juniper, Arizona cypress, Tecate cypress

Flowering Tree Species

Engelmann oak, coast live oak, California black oak, manzanita

Explore More – Who was the U.S. President that established the first 13-million acres of Forest Reserves starting in 1891, prior to Grover Cleveland?

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

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Idaho

Clearwater National Forest

November 2, 2022 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Clearwater National Forest

Idaho

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Northern Region

1,722,132 acres (1,679,952 federal/ 42,180 other)

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

Overview

In central Idaho, Clearwater National Forest was established in 1908 and administratively combined with Nez Perce National Forest in 2012. A great place to start is the Forest Service visitor center at Lolo Pass on the Idaho-Montana border southwest of Missoula, where you will learn about the Corps of Discovery’s visit in 1805. Elsewhere, the North Fork of the Clearwater River ends in the Dworshak Reservoir where a separate section of the National Forest can be explored on the White Pine Scenic Byway and Elk River Backcountry Byway. The latter accesses Giant Cedar Grove and Elk Creek Falls, which is three separate waterfalls totaling a 140-foot drop.

Highlights

White Pine Scenic Byway, Lolo Pass, Lolo Motorway, DeVoto Memorial Grove, Colgate Licks, Jerry Johnson Hot Springs, Shoestring Falls, Elk Creek Falls, Giant Cedar Grove, Aquarius Natural Area, Nez Perce (Nee-Me-Poo) National Historic Trail, and Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, Down River Trail, Beason Meadows National Recreation Trail

Must-Do Activity

Most of the recreational activity in Clearwater National Forest occurs along the Northwest Passage Scenic Byway (Highway 12), which runs west from the Lolo Pass visitor center along the Lochsa National Wild and Scenic River. The legendary dirt road called the Lolo Motorway (see below) can be accessed from several points along this route. Both the famous Jerry Johnson Hot Springs and the smaller Weir Creek Hot Springs are reachable from roadside trailheads. Also along Highway 12, short trails lead through the DeVoto Memorial Grove of western redcedars and Colgate Licks mineral springs.

Best Trail

From parking areas on both sides of Highway 12, it is only about a one-mile easy walk to Jerry Johnson Hot Springs where multiple pools can be found creekside and uphill at the source. The trail continues along Warm Springs Creek into the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and beyond.

Watchable Wildlife

The North Fork of the Clearwater and the Lochsa Rivers provide habitat for fish and water-loving animals like moose, raccoons, river otters, muskrats, beavers, fishers, ospreys, and bald eagles. The mountains are home to elk, mule deer, mountain goats, black bears, martens, red foxes, gray wolves, and mountain lions.

Instagram-worthy Photo

A short trail leads through the DeVoto Memorial Grove of western redcedars, named for author Bernard DeVoto.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

None

Road Conditions

The scenic 73-mile Lolo Motorway is a single-lane, dirt road that tracks both the Nez Perce (Nee-Me-Poo) and Lewis and Clark National Historic Trails. Also labeled Forest Road 500, it follows a ridgeline north of the Lochsa River and several steep access roads climb to meet it from Highway 12. High-clearance vehicles (or motorcycles) are a must and four-wheel drive is required on the rougher western end of the route. Driving up Parachute Hill Forest Road 569 and down Saddle Camp Forest Road 107 makes for a good four-hour loop with short stops at the Indian Post Office and Devils Chair.

Camping

Although it is close to Highway 12, the pleasant Jerry Johnson Campground is one of several campgrounds found along the Lochsa National Wild and Scenic River and located only a short drive from the trailhead for the hot springs.

Wilderness Areas

Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness (also in Bitterroot, Nez Perce, and Lolo National Forests)

Related Sites

Challis National Forest (Idaho)

Big Hole National Battlefield (Montana)

Nez Perce National Historical Park (Idaho-Oregon-Montana)

Nearest National Park

Glacier

Conifer Tree Species

western redcedar, western larch, grand fir, subalpine fir, Douglas-fir, Engelmann spruce, western white pine, ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, limber pine, whitebark pine, Pacific yew, Rocky Mountain juniper

Flowering Tree Species

quaking aspen, Pacific dogwood, red alder, balsam poplar, paper birch, Piper’s hawthorn

Explore More – What famous group built the 73-mile-long Lolo Motorway in the 1930s?

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

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Tag Archives: waterfall

Daniel Boone National Forest

Daniel Boone National Forest

Custer National Forest

Custer National Forest

Colville National Forest

Colville National Forest

Cleveland National Forest

Cleveland National Forest

Clearwater National Forest

Clearwater National Forest

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