Caribou-Targhee National Forest

Activities:

Backpacking

Biking

Camping

Canoeing

Climbing

Cross-Country Skiing

Fishing

Hiking

Horse Back Riding

Hunting

Kayaking

Rafting

Skiing

Snowmobiling

Welcome to the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, sprawling over 2.5 million acres of southeast Idaho inside the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Forest History: The Caribou-Targhee National Forest started off as two different National Forests. The Caribou National Forest has it's roots of the western gold rush of the 1870's. The first known man to discover gold was a fellow by the name of Caribou Jack, who along with two of his friends, discovered gold on Caribou Mountain. Their discovery sparked a gold rush that spanned over two decades and produced over $50 million of gold. The two largest gold towns in Idaho, Iowa Bar and Keenan City (now ghost towns) were located inside the forest boundaries. Other forest resources used for economic purposes include timber and phosphate,

In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt established the Pocatello Forest Reserve, honoring requests by local landowners for watershed protection. The Forest Reserves were responsible for the management of five surface resources, water, wildlife, forage, wood, and recreation. In 1905, all Forest Reserves were transferred from the Department of Interior to the Department of Agriculture and became units of the National Forest System.

The Targhee National Forest has a long human history dating back over 11,000 years when Native Americans hunted herds of game at the end of the last ice age. As changes drove many species to extinction the Natives shifted their focus towards plant gathering. The obsidian rocks were another valuable resource from the Natives. They build many of their tools and weapons out of obsidian and traded with other tribes. In the early 19th century the first European settlers arrived in the region and the land was ruled by the Shoshone and Bannock Tribes. The white settlers engaged in the fur trade and eventually exterminated all beavers in the region. In 1880, the railroads had made it through Monida Pass.

In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt established the forest and named it after a notable Bannock warrior. In 2000, management of the forests was merged to create the Caribou Targhee National Forest.

Wildlife: This forest helps protect the home of numerous wild critters including mountain goats, bald eagles, bears, elk, deer, bighorn sheep, and many others. Please treat their home with respect.

For the lover of the outdoors this forest boasts many miles of multipurpose trails, many lakes and rivers, ski resorts such as Kelly Canyon and Pebble Creek Ski Area, and so much more. Come on out and have a blast!