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.
Part of Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Mt. Baker National Recreation Area was set aside to provide a place for snowmobile use on the 10,781-foot volcano’s south slope. Snowmobiling is restricted to certain areas outside the designated Wilderness and requires a minimum snow depth of two feet. Mt. Baker is an active stratovolcano that last had a major eruption 6,700 years ago, but experienced hydro-thermal explosions in 1840 and 1880 that led to dangerous lahars.
Highlights
Park Butte Lookout, Railroad Grade Trail, Scott Paul Trail, Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail
Must-Do Activity
North of Baker Lake, Park Butte Trailhead is the main access point for Mt. Baker National Recreation Area and has a large parking lot with vault toilets and trash cans. Park Butte Trail immediately enters groves of large western hemlock and Alaska yellow-cedar trees. Taking the split to the right for the Scott Paul Trail creates a 7.5-mile loop, which remains heavily snow covered into mid-June. In addition to snowmobiling, other activities include snowshoeing, skiing, picking huckleberries, and climbing to the summit of Mt. Baker on the Coleman Glacier and Easton Glacier routes. Horseback riding is allowed on Bell Pass, Elbow Lake, Park Butte, and Ridley Creek Trails.
Best Trail
Railroad Grade Trail splits off Park Butte Trail and quickly climbs up to a lateral glacial moraine that offers incredible views of Mt. Baker on clear days. It is used by mountain climbers making their way to the summit of the volcano.
Photographic Opportunity
It is 7.9 miles out-and-back with 2,093 feet of cumulative elevation gain to the Park Butte Lookout, a historic structure built in 1932 that is maintained by Skagit Alpine Club volunteers. It is technically just inside the boundary for Mt. Baker Wilderness.
Peak Season
Summer
Fees
$5 day use (or America the Beautiful pass) at Park Butte Trailhead from May 1 through October 31, and a Washington State Sno-Park permit required the rest of the year.
Road Conditions
Park Butte Trailhead is accessed by taking the pothole-riddled Forest Service Roads 12 and 13 uphill for 8.9 miles. Access to Elbow Lake Trailhead and Ridley Creek Trailhead also require long dirt road drives.
Camping
There are a couple designated free hiker campsites at Park Butte Trailhead with limited options for dispersed car camping situated along the road up to it. Backpacking is popular in this area, especially inside the historic 1932 Park Butte Lookout, which is available on a first-come, first-served basis. There are flat tent pads built at Cathedral Camp, High Camp, Railroad Camp, and Mazama Park Horse Camp in the backcountry.
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.
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.
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)
Baker LakeHeather Meadows Visitor CenterMountain goatsPicture LakeBanana slugBaker Lake at Maple Grove CampgroundBaker Hot SpringsNooksack FallsRavens about the forest
The Arizona National Scenic Trail (AZT) runs 800 miles from Coronado National Memorial on the Mexican border to Stateline Campground in Utah (where Vermilion Cliffs and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments meet). The AZT has a cumulative elevation gain of more than 100,000 feet and goes above 9,000 feet in several locations, with the low point at 1,646 feet on the Gila River around Mile 270. Credit for developing and promoting the AZT began in 1985 with Dale Shewalter, a Flagstaff teacher who has a memorial in Buffalo Park on the urban alternate route of the AZT. There is also a mountain biking AZT that avoids Wilderness areas and an equestrian route that is mostly the same except for some road crossings and a loop around Flagstaff.
I completed the AZT northbound in spring 2026 and you can read my series of short daily blog posts here:
Huachuca Mountains, Mica Mountain, Upper Sabino Canyon, Gila River, Four Peaks Wilderness, East Verde River, Mogollon Rim, Anderson Mesa, Grand Canyon National Park
Must-Do Activity
Must keep moving! How many miles to do in a day is entirely up to the individual backpacker, but the less distance covered the more food carried. Water filtration is also a must-do activity because caches are few and far between, so springs, cattle tanks, and creeks provide the majority of liquid (the FarOut app is the most updated source of information). Popular resupply towns along the route are Patagonia, Tucson, Summerhaven, Oracle, Kearney, Superior, Roosevelt Lake, Pine, Flagstaff, Tusayan, and Jacob Lake.
Best Trail
My favorite section of the trail was west of Gordon Hirabayashi Campground in Coronado National Forest’s Upper Sabino Canyon at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains (before it started steeply climbing up to Mt. Lemmon). The southernmost section that immediately ascends above 9,000 feet in the Huachuca Mountains was also surprising, pleasantly for the scenery and unpleasantly for the steep grades and loose rocks (and blisters).
Photographic Opportunity
The AZT goes from “spines to pines” and then back and forth between the two again and again. I was excited that after living in Arizona for 11 years of my life, I finally saw my first wild desert tortoise and two Gila monsters in the Sonoran Desert.
Peak Season
March and October
Fees
The only fee required is to pass through 18 miles of Saguaro National Park (an America the Beautiful pass also works)
Road Conditions
A few trailheads are on paved roads, but most require dirt roads and some are no longer accessible at all. A good but narrow dirt road climbs to Montezuma Pass at Mile 2, while House Rock Valley Road at Mile 800 requires a high-clearance vehicle (and can be impassable when wet). Shuttle services are available by reservation for thru-hikers at both ends.
Camping
If thru-hikers wish to camp in the 18 miles of Saguaro National Park that climbs Mica Mountain, they must pay to make a reservation at Grass Shack or Manning Camp. Grand Canyon National Park does not charge for thru-hikers to stay at the hiker-biker campsites on either rim or for a permit to camp at Bright Angel or Cottonwood Campgrounds at the bottom of the canyon. Stateline Campground on the Utah border is small but free with no water available.
Southernmost point on the Mexico borderHuachuca MountainsHorned lizardDesert tortoiseRoosevelt LakeRoosevelt LakeRaven with the San Francisco PeaksGrand CanyonColorado RiverRibbon Falls in Grand Canyon National ParkState Line Campground on the Utah borderCopper belt buckle for finishers that I ordered in AprilNorthern terminus marker in State Line Campground
Explore More – One of only 11 National Scenic Trails in the U.S., what year was the first official thru-hike on the AZT once the final gap was completed along the Gila River?
Held the last full week of July, Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo is considered “The Daddy of ’em All” and has been held annually since 1897 in the state’s capital city. It is easy to spend several days exploring local museums and attending the free air show put on by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, four Western Heritage Parades, performances at Indian Village, and three free pancake breakfasts. Daily gunfights are put on throughout the summer by the Cheyenne Gunslingers near the Railroad Depot Museum.
If you need a break from the rodeo and concert crowds, head 40 minutes west on Interstate 80 to hike at rocky Vedauwoo Recreation Area. The National Forest also contains its namesake 12,013-foot mountain on the Colorado border. The Snowy Range Scenic Byway cuts across this rugged landscape and is a great place for outdoor recreation. If you pass through Saratoga on the west side of the peaks, soak at the free Hobo Pool, the town’s developed hot springs (with indoor showers).
Originally founded in 1834 for its strategic location at the confluence of two rivers, the fort was purchased by the U.S. military in 1849. In the summer, stop into the bar for a cold sarsaparilla or attend July 4th festivities. West of the fort, at Register Cliff and Oregon Trail Ruts State Historic Site pioneers left their marks along the North Platte River.
The newest State Park in Wyoming preserves a nuclear missile command center manned nonstop for decades by the U.S. Air Force. Underground tours are offered for a small fee.
Day 2
National Trails Interpretive Center
In Casper, this free museum is run by the Bureau of Land Management on a hill above where the Pony Express, Mormon Pioneer, Oregon, and California National Historic Trails all ran along the North Platte River in the 1800s. Fort Caspar Museum also celebrates its trail town history.
Mostly undeveloped for tourists, Weston Recreation Area is located 30 miles north of Gillette off Highway 59 with at least 15 miles of Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) trails. Fishing for warm water species like smallmouth bass and bluegill is possible at several reservoirs. On moonless nights, the stars in this part of the state are epic.
Devils Tower was named the nation’s first National Monument by President Teddy Roosevelt in 1906. If you look closely, the vertical columns of the 867-foot-tall volcanic formation may hold a few rock climbers dwarfed by the scale. It is often easier to reach this northeast corner of Wyoming while visiting the Black Hills of South Dakota.
The Bighorn Mountains are crossed by three scenic byways: Cloud Peak Skyway, Bighorn Scenic Byway, and Medicine Wheel Passage. Located right off Bighorn Scenic Byway (Highway 14) is 120-foot-tall Shell Falls, while accessing the short trail to 600-foot Bucking Mule Falls involves driving about ten miles of dirt roads.
Devil Canyon Overlook and most of the 27 miles of hiking trails are in the Wyoming section of the park along with Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range, Hillsboro Dude Ranch, and several tipi rings found along Bad Pass Trail, a route which has seen over 10,000 years of human use.
Day 4
Shoshone National Forest
Considered the first protected forest in American history dating to 1891, this National Forest encompasses incredible scenery, more than 1,300 miles of hiking trails, and tallest mountain in Wyoming.
Cody
Cody is the gateway to Yellowstone National Park’s eastern entrance and holds a nightly rodeo during the summer. It is also home to an excellent and eclectic museum called the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.
Optional route on Beartooth Highway
U.S. Route 212 is an All-American Road that crosses a high-elevation plateau on the Montana border before entering the northeast corner of Yellowstone National Park. Chief Joseph Scenic Byway (Highway 296) connects Cody with the Beartooth Highway.
The world’s first National Park was created in 1872 and surrounds the giant 45-mile-wide caldera of a supervolcano. This geologic wonderland contains more than 50% of the world’s geysers and is a haven for wildlife that is best seen in the Hayden and Lamar Valleys. The park has countless waterfalls, including the 308-foot-tall Lower Falls that can be viewed from famous overlooks like Artist Point and Inspiration Point, or you can hike the steep, paved trail 600 feet down to the Brink of Lower Falls for unforgettable views of the canyon, especially on sunny days when a rainbow appears in its spray.
It can be hard to get a reservation to stay inside the park overnight, so many visitors cross the border into Montana to the towns of Gardiner or West Yellowstone. Campgrounds, dispersed camping, and backpacking are also options in Montana’s Gallatin National Forest.
Wherever you spend the night, make sure to visit Lower Geyser Basin the next day. This is where Old Faithful can shoot water up to 185 feet in the air. Since the occurrence of several earthquakes, it is no longer as consistent as its name suggests, but its eruptions can be accurately predicted every 60 to 110 minutes throughout the day. Nearby, Grand Prismatic Spring in Midway Geyser Basin is definitely worth a stop, especially from an overlook along Fairy Falls Trail.
Jenny Lake sparkles below 12,325-foot Teewinot Peak and is the trailhead for popular Cascade Canyon Trail (you can take the shortcut aboard a shuttle boat for a fee). There are plenty of activities other than hiking, which include wildlife watching, boating, horseback riding, mountain climbing, whitewater rafting, or cross-country skiing in the winter.
Jackson
Crowded in the summer, Jackson is famous for its four arches in its town square that are built from shed elk antlers found in the National Elk Refuge. Horse drawn carriage rides into the middle of the wintering elk herds are a popular winter attraction in the refuge. Right in town in the summer, Bar T 5 offers wagon rides and chuckwagon dinners with live entertainment.
This is the road connecting Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, so visiting here is not really optional, but stopping to hike to Polecat Hot Springs for a soak is worth the time.
Day 7
Teton National Forest
South of Jackson, you can drive to pretty Granite Falls, a 50-foot-tall and 100-foot-wide cascade that was featured in the film A River Runs Through It (plus the falls has a hot springs across the river at its base). There are many hiking and camping options available throughout Teton National Forest.
The visitor center displays fossil fish, turtles, and other species, and on the deck outside there is an awesome timeline that traces CO2 levels and life on Earth throughout geologic time. Take the steep steps up the Historic Quarry Trail to find fish fossils still in the rocks. Several companies on private property in the area allow visitors to pay to quarry their own fish fossils to keep.
From Pinedale, a 50-mile (partially paved) drive leads to the campground at Green River Lakes, which opens up into a beautiful valley that frames photogenic Squaretop Mountain. Starting from the lakeside campground, the Highline Trail is a 72-mile trek that traverses the Wind River Range, my favorite mountain range in the world.
South Pass City
South Pass City State Historic Site is a well-preserved ghost town with 30 structures where kids will appreciate the irony that the Sweetwater County Jail later served as a classroom. The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail passes through the middle of the ghost town. Lantern-guided tours inside the nearby Carissa Gold Mine and Mill are available by reservation.
Some of the best dinosaur fossils in the world were found in Wyoming, and the little town of Thermopolis (home to the world’s largest mineral hot springs) has an excellent museum, plus visitors can schedule a trip to work alongside paleontologists at an active dig site in the summer.
Along 36 miles of the Green River (Seedskadee means “river of the prairie hen”), 220 types of birds have been identified, and other species seen include pronghorn, mule deer, and moose.
Flaming Gorge Reservoir on the Green River straddles the Wyoming-Utah border in the northern portion of Ashley National Forest offering 360 miles of shoreline, five full-service marinas, whitewater rafting, and numerous boat launches and campgrounds.
Killpecker Dunes
North of Rock Springs is North America’s largest active dune field in a remote area called the Red Desert, home to the nation’s only herd of desert-dwelling elk. The Bureau of Land Management allows dispersed camping throughout the region, including near the dramatic Boars Tusk rock formation and further south around the badlands of Adobe Town.
