“Where’s the Park?”

 

Idaho is the only western state without a national park. Bills to establish a national park, in the Sawtooth Mountains, were introduced in 1913, 1916, 1935, 1960 and 1963 but none were enacted. A joint report on the area, published in 1965, recommended it become either a national park or national recreation area. The national recreation area was a compromise allowing logging, hunting and grazing to continue in the area but it was also a quicker path to protecting more than 750,000 acres of the Sawtooth, Boulder and White Cloud mountains and the valley between. Congress passed legislation for a national recreation area in 1972. Since then, two thirds of the area has been designated wilderness. In many ways that might be even better than becoming a national park. The goal of a wilderness area is to preserve an area in its natural condition; wildlife are left wild and free and natural processes unfold without intervention. Today, the area is often referred to as “the heart of Idaho.” Not a bad place to hike, bike and recreate for the week!