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A Visit To City Of Rocks National Reserve

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Sagebrush and granite at City of Rocks National Reserve/Scotts

Sagebrush and granite outcrops meet the eye at City of Rocks National Reserve in Idaho/David and Kay Scott

The two of us had traveled through Idaho on numerous occasions, most often during drives across the scenic northern panhandle on the way from North Cascades National Park to Glacier National Park.  We had also followed the Snake River during several trips and visited Craters of the Moon National Monument on at least three occasions.  Despite multiple journeys through the state whose license plates have long saluted its “famous potatoes,” we had never visited City of Rocks National Reserve.   

During an August drive through Idaho we made a point to visit City of Rocks and we’re glad we did.  One of only two National Park Service units classified as a national reserve (the other, Ebys Landing National Historical Reserve), this unusual and scenic part of south central Idaho is different from any place we have previously visited and more interesting than we had expected.

The Geology and History of City of Rocks

Origin of the reserve’s name is credited to an emigrant who, while passing through the area in 1849, described the area as a “silent city of rocks.” Visiting today makes clear how he came up with such a unique name.  The landscape is dotted with 28-million and 2.5-billion-year-old stone monuments: granite spires, monoliths, and arches that vary from 30 to 600 feet in height. The exposed sculptured rocks – some of the oldest in North America - protruding from the rolling hills have weathered and wasted to form unusual shapes that can easily remind visitors of an abandoned city. 

This land once served as home to the Shoshone who camped here, but today it is better known for a route utilized by tens of thousands of emigrants as they traveled along the California Trail on their way to the Western gold fields.  It is estimated that in 1852 alone more than 50,000 individuals passed through City of Rocks on their way west.  Over 6 miles of the California Trail are within the reserve, most of which parallel the park road that runs between the Almo Entrance and the Junction Entrance.  According a Department of the Interior General Management Plan, the reserve has more than 350 emigrant signatures on 22 rocks. 

Homesteading commenced in the area during the latter part of the 19th century, but dry farming here was never easy and the drought years of the 1920s and 1930s resulted in most homesteaders throwing in the towel to all but livestock ranching that continues today. One interesting feature of the Reserve is a 1904-05 rock house inhabited by a number of families prior to its burning in 1967.  The remains of the house are on private property, but located near the reserve’s main road with a nearby parking area.   

Names engraved on rocks at City of Rocks/Scotts

Emigrant names can be found on some rocks at the reserve/David and Kay Scott

A History of City of Rocks National Reserve

City of Rocks National Reserve was established by Congress in 1988 to “preserve and protect the significant historical and cultural resources; manage recreational use; protect and maintain scenic quality; and interpret the nationally significant values of the reserve.”   Land included in the reserve was at the time owned or managed by private individuals plus three governmental entities: the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Idaho Department of Parks and Administration.  Following completion of a cooperative agreement, management of the reserve was transferred in 1996 by the National Park Service to the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation.

The 14,407-acre reserve is comprised of federal land (9,680 acres), private land (4,087 acres), and state land (640 acres).  Legislation establishing the reserve stipulated that ordinances and regulations be imposed to preserve the historic and natural features of the area.  A Historic Preservation Zone created by the county limits the number of residences and requires land use within most of the reserve be consistent with that existing in 1988 or earlier.  The reserve is surrounded by public land owned by BLM and the U.S. Forest Service. Unlike most units associated with the National Park Service, hunting is permitted in City of Rocks National Reserve.

The Reserve is managed by the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, while the National Park Service provides oversight and technical assistance.  Funding for the reserve’s operating expenses is approximately an even split between the two organizations.

Visiting the Reserve

A temporary visitor center in the town of Almo serves both the reserve and Castle Rocks State Park.  The modest building houses park employees who offer advice on things to see and do in the reserve and state park in addition to a small sales area.   The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation is tentatively planning to construct a permanent visitor center at some point in the future. 

The reserve is particularly popular with rock climbers who utilize over 750 climbing routes that vary from easy to very difficult.  A Climbing Experience Program is offered for beginners in which professional guides assist visitors who wish to try a variety of routes of varying difficulty.  Helmets, harnesses, climbing shoes, rope, and other climbing gear are provided.  A fee is charged and reservations are required.

A developed campground in the state park’s Smoky Mountain Unit is a short distance southwest of the visitor center.  The campground has flush toilets and showers ($3 fee) in a central bathhouse.  Two additional bathrooms with vault toilets are available for the 37 sites plus 6 equestrian sites.  Reservations are available and advised for summer visitors.  A nominal fee is required for entry into the state park.  The Reserve has additional camping sites scattered along the road that leads between the Almo Entrance and the Emery Canyon Entrance.

A larger unit of the state park located a short distance north of Almo includes an old ranch house available for rent.  The building sleeps up to eight and includes a master bedroom, two additional sleeping rooms, and a TV room with a sofa that converts into a bed.  A nearby bunkhouse with hostel-style lodging can sleep up to 12.

City of Rocks National Reserve is a popular area with climbers/David and Kay Scott

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Comments

With grazing, hunting, and state management, this sounds like an NPS unit in name only.


That's true, tahoma, but it was the only way there was any hope of preserving it.  It was also a way for the State of Idaho to collect some money from the Feds.

 

Politics aside, however, it's a terrific place to enjoy.


The National Park Service is a very active partner in the management of City of Rocks National Reserve.  Technical assistance, funding, policy guidance, and higher resource protection standards are provided by the NPS.  The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation provides the employees and facilities necessary for the operation outside the Reserve as well as manages Castle Rocks State Park.  For details on this unique partnership, call me (park superintendent) at 208-824-5911.


Amazing place.I do suggest a picnic since a bit isolated,but you can expect seasonal insects.Best part are the signatures left on these strange outcroppings of rock by California Trail immigrants.

For those who are able ,an introduction to rock climbing could easily fit into an adventurer's bucket list. Do plan ahead for this. .Greatest downer was the modern graffity  left by unthinking tourists on the same rocks containing 150 year old names.

This is not a theme park so keep in mind much of the enjoyment is taking some time to research what you are looking at.

 


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