Payette National Forest

Located in central-western Idaho, Payette National Forest encompasses 2.3 million acres of dramatic river canyons, granite peaks, alpine meadows, and dense coniferous forests stretching from the Salmon River breaks to the edge of Hells Canyon, the deepest gorge in North America at over 7,900 feet deep. The forest protects large portions of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness and borders the Hells Canyon Wilderness, together forming one of the most expansive complexes of protected wildland in the lower 48 states. The South Fork of the Salmon River offers world-renowned whitewater kayaking and rafting through a remote canyon that is also critical spawning habitat for endangered chinook salmon and steelhead.\n\nRemote backcountry airstrips scattered throughout the wilderness provide bush-plane access to lodges, hot springs, and trailheads unreachable by any road, creating a uniquely Idahoan wilderness experience. The forest's high country supports vast elk herds, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, gray wolves, and wolverines, while its lower canyons harbor remnant old-growth ponderosa pine forests. Payette Lake and the resort town of McCall serve as the forest's primary recreation hub, offering boating, fishing, and access to Brundage Mountain ski area, while hundreds of miles of trails provide summer hiking and mountain biking through some of the most spectacular scenery in the Northern Rockies.