Central Idaho's vast wilderness stronghold above the Idaho Batholith.
Payette National Forest
Payette National Forest is a vast U.S. National Forest in central western Idaho, encompassing roughly 2.3 million acres of mountainous terrain across Valley, Idaho, Adams, and Washington counties. Bordering Hells Canyon to the west and surrounded by other large national forests, it forms a key piece of one of the most extensive wildland regions in the contiguous United States. The forest is headquartered in McCall and divided into five ranger districts, reflecting both its scale and its role as a working landscape of multiple-use management.
The defining character of the forest comes from its elevated position above the Idaho Batholith and its glacial legacy, which together have produced rugged ridges, granite domes, glacial lakes, and deeply dissected river valleys. Streams and lakes within the forest drain into both the Salmon and Snake river systems, two of Idaho's most important waterways. Across these varied elevations grow eight conifer species, an array of wildflowers, and habitats that support elk, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, and protected fish species.
Payette National Forest also plays an outsized role in wilderness conservation. It contributes the largest share of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, the second-largest designated wilderness outside Alaska, and a major portion of the Hells Canyon Wilderness. With its combination of large wilderness tracts, abundant wildlife, and rugged scenery, Payette is widely regarded as one of the most remote and ecologically significant national forests in the lower 48 states.
