Gifford Pinchot National Forest is a National Forest located in southern Washington , managed by the United States Forest Service . With an area of 1.32 million acres (5,300 km), it extends 116 km (72 mi) along the western slopes of Cascade Range from Mount Rainier National Park to the Columbia River . The forest straddles the crest of the South Cascades of Washington State, spread out over broad old-growth forests , high mountain meadows, several glaciers , and numerous volcanic peaks. The forest's highest point is at 12,276 ft (3,742 m) at the top of Mount Adams , the second-tallest volcano in the state after Rainier . Often found abbreviated GPNF on maps and in texts, it includes the 110,000-acre (450 km) Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument , established by Congress in 1982.
19-676: Gifford Pinchot National Forest is one of the older national forests in the United States. Included as part of the Mount Rainier Forest Reserve in 1897, 941,440 acres (3,809.9 km) were set aside as the Columbia National Forest on July 1, 1908. In 1855, the US government commissioned Washington Territory to negotiate land cession treaties with tribes around the forest. The Yakama tribe signed
38-587: A household in the CDP was $ 33,598, and the median income for a family was $ 40,519. Males had a median income of $ 31,413 versus $ 25,478 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $ 14,922. About 9.4% of families and 13.7% of the population were below the poverty line , including 15.9% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over. Carson is situated within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and outside
57-528: A treaty agreement that stipulated their moving to a reservation while maintaining off-reservation resource rights; however, the original treaty was then broken in 1916 when the Washington State Supreme Court ruled that Yakamas hunting off the reservation had to subscribe to state fish and game laws. Many tribes in the area have continued to use the area's resources while encountering non-Native hunters, fishers, and recreation users. It
76-727: The United States Forest Service , Gifford Pinchot . Washington towns near entrances of the forest include Cougar , Randle, Packwood , Trout Lake, and Carson . In August 2024, the Williams Mine fire burned over 11,900 acres of land within the Gifford Pinchot forest. In response, firefighters with the Mount St. Helen’s Forest District deployed protective wrappings to preserve several historic buildings that were more than 100 years old. This included
95-523: The bull trout (threatened 1998), chinook salmon (threatened 2011), coho salmon (threatened 2011) and steelhead (threatened 2011). People for over 6,000 years have made an impact in the ecology of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Native Americans hunted in high meadows below receding glaciers. The natives then began to manage the forest to meet their own needs. One method they used was to burn specific areas to help in
114-479: The CDP has a total area of 4.7 square miles (12.2 km ), of which, 4.7 square miles (12.1 km ) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km ) of it (0.43%) is water. As of the census of 2000, there were 2,116 people, 797 households, and 572 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 452.8 people per square mile (174.9/km ). There were 894 housing units at an average density of 191.3/sq mi (73.9/km ). The racial makeup of
133-562: The CDP was 88.52% White , 0.33% African American , 3.50% Native American , 0.24% Asian , 0.57% Pacific Islander , 3.64% from other races , and 3.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.10% of the population. There were 797 households, out of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who
152-573: The Gotchen Creek Guard Station - the oldest building in the forest. A 1993 Forest Service study estimated that the extent of old growth in the Forest was 198,000 acres (80,000 ha), some of which is contained within its wilderness areas. The Gifford Pinchot National Forest is the native habitat for several threatened species which include the spotted owl (threatened 2012) as well as multiple species of Northwest fish like
171-855: The Wild and Scenic System. They are the Lewis River , the Cispus River , the Clear Fork and the Muddy Fork of the Cowlitz River . There are an additional thirteen rivers in the forest being studied for consideration into the national Wild and Scenic River System. The following listed are the major streams and rivers of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Many of these provide excellent fishing. The Gifford Pinchot National Forest includes many popular and secluded backcountry lakes. Most of
190-516: The cataclysmic eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980. Congressional action since 1964 has established the following wilderness areas: The forest also offers the following special areas and points of interest: The forest supervisor's office is located in Vancouver, Washington . There are local ranger district offices in Randle , Amboy, and Trout Lake . The forest is named after the first chief of
209-568: The forest. Gifford Pinchot National Forest is located in a mountainous region approximately between Mount St. Helens to the west, Mount Adams to the east, Mount Rainier National Park to the north, and the Columbia River to the south. This region of Southwest Washington is noted for its complex topography and volcanic geology. About 65 percent of the forest acreage is located in Skamania County . In descending order of land area
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#1732782907638228-510: The huckleberry production. About 338 spots more than 6,000 culturally modified trees were identified, of which 3,000 are protected now. Archaeological investigations are supported by the United States Forest Service . The forest was home to the Big Tree at the southern flank of Mt Adams , one of the world's largest Ponderosa Trees. Mount Rainier Forest Reserve Rainier National Forest ( / r eɪ ˈ n ɪər / ray- NEER )
247-604: The lakes offers excellent fishing. Goose Lake is known for the best fishing in the State of Washington. The following table lists the major lakes of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest: Congressional action since 1964 has established one national monument and seven wilderness areas in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. On August 26, 1982, congressional action established the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument , after
266-485: The others are Lewis , Yakima , Cowlitz , and Klickitat counties. The Pacific Northwest brings abundant rainfall to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, feeding an extensive network of rivers. The forest has only one river currently designated as Wild and Scenic , the White Salmon River , fed from glaciers high on Mount Adams . The Gifford Pinchot National Forest recommends four rivers to be added to
285-499: Was 2,323 at the 2020 census . Carson is located north of Washington State Route 14 and the town lies south of Stabler and between Stevenson to the west and Underwood and the neighboring cities of Bingen and White Salmon to the east. A post office called Carson has been in operation since 1894. The community takes its name from nearby Carson Creek. According to the United States Census Bureau ,
304-457: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.09. In the CDP, the age distribution of the population shows 28.7% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males. The median income for
323-558: Was divided between Columbia , Snoqualmie and Wenatchee National Forests . Its lands exists presently as portions of Mount Baker-Snoqualmie , Wenatchee and Gifford Pinchot National Forests. Carson, Washington Carson is a small census-designated place in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area , north of the Columbia River in Skamania County , in the southwestern part of Washington , United States. The population
342-660: Was established in Washington on March 2, 1907, when its name was changed from Mount Rainier Forest Reserve. The Mount Rainier Forest Reserve was established by the United States General Land Office on February 22, 1897 (effective March 1, 1898) from the Pacific Forest Reserve and other lands with 2,234,880 acres (9,044.2 km ). In 1905 federal forests were transferred to the U.S. Forest Service . On October 13, 1933, Rainier
361-412: Was later renamed the Gifford Pinchot National Forest on June 15, 1949, in honor of Gifford Pinchot , one of the leading figures in the creation of the national forest system of the United States. His widow, fellow conservationist Cornelia Bryce Pinchot , was one of the speakers who addressed the audience assembled that day. In 1985 the non-profit Gifford Pinchot Task Force formed to promote conservation of
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