Salmon-Challis National Forest

At 4.2 million acres, the Salmon-Challis National Forest is one of the largest national forests in the lower 48 states, protecting east-central Idaho's most remote and rugged terrain along the Continental Divide. The forest contains Borah Peak at 12,662 feet, Idaho's highest point, and encompasses the legendary "River of No Return" -- the Main Salmon River and its Middle Fork, both designated Wild and Scenic Rivers renowned as two of the finest multi-day whitewater rafting trips in North America. The Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, at 2.4 million acres the largest contiguous wilderness area in the continental United States, lies largely within the forest.\n\nThe landscape is defined by extreme topography: deep river canyons plunge thousands of feet below alpine ridgelines, creating habitat ranging from ponderosa pine forests along canyon bottoms to alpine tundra on the peaks. This rugged terrain supports gray wolves, mountain lions, wolverines, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, and remnant populations of endangered chinook salmon and steelhead.\n\nRecreation is defined by its wild character: backcountry float trips on the Middle Fork Salmon often require lottery permits years in advance, and remote backcountry airstrips provide bush-plane access to lodges unreachable by road. The forest also preserves significant mining history, ghost towns, and Native American heritage sites of the Shoshone-Bannock and Nez Perce peoples.