City of Rocks National Reserve

City of Rocks National Reserve is a 14,407-acre parcel of protected land located in southern Idaho near the town of Almo. Managed by the National Park Service, the reserve offers many recreational opportunities such as camping, hiking, photography, hunting and climbing. City of Rocks is known for its huge granite rock formations, which tower sixty stories high. The area has a rich history of human occupation and is home to many plant and animal species. The reserve has been jointly managed by the National Park Service and Idaho State Parks & Recreation since its designation in 1988.

History

Early History

Early hunter-gatherers settled in the area at the end of the Pleistocene, following game animals there as ice sheets began to melt. These early inhabitants hunted big game called megafauna, including mastodons and mammoths. To kill their prey, they used large, fluted spear points. As the climate became warmer and drier, megafauna began to disappear. This marked the beginning of the Holocene. These early people continued hunting but started using smaller points and eventually bows and arrows to hunt smaller game.

Over the years, City of Rocks was part of the territory of several Shoshone bands, who were identified by what they ate—rabbit-eaters, pine nut-eaters, and fish-eaters. The Bannock, who trace back to the Northern Paiute, also lived in the area. Both the Shoshone and Paiute monopolized on the availability of pine nuts in City of Rocks’ pinyon pine forests. These nuts were a staple of their diet, and these groups visited the area annually in the fall to collect them. Like their ancestors, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Reservation continue to collect pinyon nuts each fall. Fremont-style ceramics have been found in City of Rocks, though the Fremont people mainly inhabited an area farther south in what is now Utah.

White Settlers and Homesteading

The establishment of the California Trail, which passed through City of Rocks, brought a significant number of European Americans to the area. About 240,000 made their way west between 1848 and 1869. Those following the California Trail reached Circle Creek in the City of Rocks to rest or camp. Some of these people left their names on the rocks along the trail. James Wilkins was one of the first wagon travelers through City of Rocks. He wrote about the area in 1849, saying that the granite rocks rose abruptly from the ground and clustered together, which gave the area the appearance of a city.

After the transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, overland travel declined. The Salt Lake Alternate Trail was used as a stage-coach route, connecting the railroad in Kelton, Utah, with Idaho’s mining hub in Boise. This route also passed through City of Rocks, where a stage station was set up at the junction of the California Trail and the Salt Lake Alternate Trail.

Between 1910 and 1919, twenty-nine land patents were filed in the area. Nineteen of these were dry land farms, but most of these farms were abandoned by the late 1920s due to poor soil and water availability. These areas were later used as rangeland for sheep and cattle. Today, ranchers continue to use the land surrounding the reserve for grazing cattle.

Recreation and Establishment as a National Reserve

City of Rocks became a popular spot for recreation in the 1960s. Rock climbers from Utah discovered granite spires here, and more people began traveling there to camp and climb. By the 1980s, it was clear that management was needed to protect the historic and natural resources at City of Rocks. In 1988, Congress designated City of Rocks as a national reserve. It was managed jointly by the National Park Service and the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation.

Today

Recreation

Today, the reserve has several recreational opportunities. Hikers can traverse City of Rocks through its many miles of trails, which lead to arches, windows, and overlooks. Trails vary in difficulty. Easier hikes include the 250-foot Windows Arch Trail, the .250-mile (.402-kilometer) Bath Rock Trail and the 1.5-mile (2.4-kilometer) Castle Rocks–Backyard Boulders Trail, which leads hikers to archaeological sites like the Shock and Awe Shelter and pictographs. More difficult trails include the 3.5-mile (5.6-kilometer) Stripe Rock Loop and the strenuous 6.8-mile (11 kilometer) City of Rocks Loop. Climbing is also very popular within the reserve, with more than six hundred routes. Climbs vary from 30 to 600 feet (9 to 18 meters) with both easy and extremely difficult routes. Climbing is managed, and a permit is required. In addition, City of Rocks is open for camping, hunting, photography, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, and snowshoeing. There is no fee to enter the park.

Geological Features

The Albion Mountains cut through the reserve, which is known for its large granite spires and monoliths, some of which are sixty stories high. Geologists estimate that the oldest granite there could exceed 2.5 billion years. The unusual landforms at City of Rocks are the result of three geological processes: weathering, mass wasting, and erosion. Some geological features of the reserve include joints, which result in rocks with fractures; tafoni, holes or depressions that generally form on the undersides of rocks or on steep rock faces; arches and windows; and pan holes, depressed erosional features found on flat or gently sloping rocks.

Plants and Animals

Many plant and animal species are in City of Rocks. Because of its unique location, City of Rocks is home to many habitats, including pinyon-juniper, woodlands, aspen riparian, sagebrush steppe, mountain mahogany woodlands, and high-elevation meadows. More than 450 plant species grow on the reserve, including antelope bitterbrush. From March through October, one hundred wildflowers display colorful blossoms and foliage. Mammals on the reserve include the mule deer, mountain cottontail, blacktail jack rabbit, yellow-bellied marmot, and golden-mantled chipmunks. There are also 180 species of birds, including the Canada goose, blue jay, bushtit, bobolink, downy woodpecker, western tanager, and sandhill crane. Reptiles at the site include the western whiptail, western fence lizard, long-nosed leopard lizard, sagebrush lizard, northern desert horned lizard, rubber boa, western rattlesnake, great basin gopher snake, striped whip snake, and wandering garter snake. The reserve is home to just one amphibian species—the boreal chorus frog.

Dark Sky Designation

City of Rocks was named an International Dark Sky Park in January 2023. It was the second Idaho park to receive the designation, along with the Craters of the Moon National Monument. The International Dark Sky Places Program recognizes communities, parks, and other places with minimal artificial light, which allows people to see the stars. There is no artificial lighting within City of Rocks. Officials to keep the night sky just as it looked for early inhabitants and immigrants on the California Trail.

Expansion

In December 2022, the National Park Service announced that it had acquired 105 acres (42 hectares) adjacent to City of Rocks. Located along the northeastern boundary of the reserve, the land includes Train Rock and a portion of Graham Creek. It is a prime moose habitat with aspen groves. Officials from the Idaho Department of Parks & Recreation also announced an additional 260 acres (105 hectares) of acquired land that had been held by the Conservation Fund, a nonprofit organization. Together, these two purchases added more than 360 acres (146 hectares) to the reserve. While the public was allowed to access the new property immediately, a new road leading to it was not constructed until 2023.

Bibliography

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“City of Rocks National Reserve Bird Checklist” National Park Service, May 2021, www.nps.gov/ciro/upload/Bird-Checklist-May-2021-508Compliant.pdf. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

“City of Rocks National Reserve.” Idaho State Parks & Recreation, 14 Apr. 2022, parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/parks/city-rocks-national-reserve/. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

“City of Rocks National Reserve.” National Park Foundation, 2023, www.nationalparks.org/explore/parks/city-of-rocks-national-reserve. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

“City of Rocks National Reserve Achieves International Dark Sky Park Certification.” International Dark-Sky Association, 2 Feb. 2023, www.darksky.org/city-of-rocks-national-reserve-achieves-international-dark-sky-park-certification/. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

Corbin, Clark. “National Park Service acquires land adjacent to Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve.” Idaho Capital Sun, 5 Dec. 2022, idahocapitalsun.com/briefs/national-park-service-acquires-land-adjacent-to-idahos-city-of-rocks-national-reserve/. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

Geology and Ecology of National Parks. “City of Rocks National Reserve Map.” USGS, 1 www.usgs.gov/media/images/city-rocks-national-reserve-map. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

“Historical Development of the City of Rocks Region.” NPShistory.com, 12 July 2004, npshistory.com/publications/ciro/hrs/sec2.htm. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.