Sawtooth National Forest

The Sawtooth National Forest asks the public to please recreate responsibly. Law enforcement and/or search and rescue operations may be limited due to COVID-19 issues. High-risk activities such as rock climbing, etc. or backcountry activities that increase your chance of injury or distress should be avoided. We also encourage you to follow public health guidelines regarding social distancing while you recreate in National Forests. For more information about how the Forest Service is responding to COVID-19, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/covid19-updates.

To see a full list of recreation closures on the Sawtooth National Forest, please see this document and our Closure Orders and Restrictions Page. Link to: Idaho Forest Service COVID-19 Closed Recreation Sites Map

In accordance with the Governor of Idaho's Stay-at-Home directive, Sawtooth National Forest Offices are closed in order to promote social distancing. Customer service representatives will be staffing our phone lines to provide information about the Forest or to assist your needs in ways besides face-to-face. You can reach the Supervisors Office at 208-423-7500, the Ketchum Ranger District at 208-622-0090, the Fairfield Ranger District at 208-764-3202, the Stanley Ranger Station at 208-774-3000, the Sawtooth National Recreation Area Headquarters at 208-727-5000 and the Minidoka Ranger District at 208-678-0430.

These lands are a gift. Congress began conserving these lands back in 1891 for all of us. More than 100 years later, this gift continues to inspire, restore, and provide. From offering nearly endless ways to play to providing water, clean air, and resources for millions, each of the 174 forests and grasslands highlights the best of America’s public lands heritage. The U.S. Forest Service and the National Forest Foundation work to steward these lands on your behalf. So pick a spot, choose an activity, and go. play. Visit itsallyours.us for more information.

Photo of a field of yellow flowers with snow-capped mountain peak in the background taken by John Shelly.

Photo of water in a grassy meadow surrounded by pine trees on the Sawtooth NRA

Photo of Yellow Christ's Indian Paintbrush in a meadow of purple flowers on Mt. Harrison.

Photo of 2 people using a cross cut saw to cut a log in the Sawtooth NRA

The Sawtooth National Forest is a very special place here in the heart of Idaho. We hope you will take the time to learn about this "working/producing" National Forest. Managing and protecting your land is most challenging - not only because of the vastness of this land, but because of the varied, and sometimes conflicting, interests and values that you the owners of this land hold near and dear. Managing and protecting this land, for today and as well as future generations, means listening and working with other agencies, implementing the laws mandated by Congress, exercising our best professional judgment and working with you, the shareholders of this National Forest. We sincerely hope that you will always feel free to question what and how we are doing, and more importantly become involved in our processes as we plan and make decisions regarding the management of this National Forest. We are the stewards of your land - a job that we take a great deal of pride and satisfaction in. If at any time there is anything we can do to help make your time here more enjoyable our employees are here to serve you.

Be Bear Aware - Food Storage Order goes into effect on the Sawtooth NF

The Sawtooth National Forest is implementing a regulation (known also as a “Special Order”, or “Order”) for the Sawtooth National Recreation Area outside of the three designated wilderness areas. This Order requires mandatory storage of all food, garbage and attractants in hard-sided vehicles or bear-resistant containers approved by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee from the Saturday before Memorial Day through Labor Day. All forest visitors are responsible for their own bear-resistant storage. The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee website (http://igbconline.org/bear-resistant-products/) provides a list of certified bear-resistant containers which are also appropriate in deterring black bears. Bear resistant containers are readily available locally and on-line from several manufacturers and retailers. Learn more on the Be Bear Aware page.

Southwest Idaho Interagency Fuels Treatments

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Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation

Summary of Comments to Amend Sage-Grouse Plans

The Intermountain and Rocky Mountain Regions of the Forests Service incorporated standards and guidelines for the conservation of greater sage-grouse into forest plans in 2015. As plans have been implemented, potential inefficiencies and difficulties were identified. Comments were requested on an initial Notice of Intent (NOI), and a supplemental NOI to revise the 2015 plans in 2017 and 2018. Those comments were used to create a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) to amend forest plans. The public comment period for the DEIS ended on January 3, 2019. The comments received have been summarized into a Report.

View the latest news about the Forest Service’s Greater Sage-Grouse conservation efforts.

For information about wildfires and fire restrictions on the Sawtooth National Forest visit:

https://www.facebook.com/sawtoothnationalforest/

Fires in the Intermountain Region - InciWeb

The map below is produced by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group and is hosted on the National Fire Situational Awareness page, where users may access the map in a full browser view. Additional incident specific information may also be accessed at InciWeb.