Sawtooth National Forest

Spanning 2.1 million acres of central Idaho and a small portion of northern Utah, the Sawtooth National Forest is home to some of the most spectacular alpine scenery in the American West, anchored by the jagged granite spires of the Sawtooth Range. The Sawtooth National Recreation Area, encompassing 756,000 acres within the forest, was established by Congress in 1972 to protect the Sawtooth, White Cloud, and Boulder Mountains, along with the headwaters of the Salmon River. Over 400 alpine lakes dot the high country, including the iconic Redfish Lake, one of the terminal destinations for endangered Snake River sockeye salmon.\n\nSun Valley, America's first destination ski resort (opened in 1936), lies within the forest's boundaries and continues to draw visitors year-round for skiing, mountain biking, and fly fishing on world-class streams like Silver Creek. The Boulder and Smoky Mountains provide vast areas of roadless backcountry supporting mountain goats, bighorn sheep, gray wolves, and black bears.\n\nBeyond the famous SNRA, the forest's southern Cassia and Minidoka divisions extend into the unique geological landscapes of the Snake River Plain, including the City of Rocks National Reserve with its renowned rock climbing on granite monoliths. The forest is administered from the supervisor's office in Jerome, Idaho.