State Parks near Elko, NV

Initially thought to have harbored Native Americans for just a few hundred years, archaeologists have discovered spear points, pottery shards, and other artifacts that indicate that humans have, in fact, dwelled in Sawtooth National Forest for at least 12,000 years. European trappers and explorers arrived in the area in the early 19th century to map the region. Their efforts helped guide the pioneers west in the mid-1800s during the gold rush. Sawtooth National Forest was originally established as Sawtooth Forest Reserve in 1905, and its status was upgraded to Sawtooth National Forest in 1972, granting it some additional protection from mining and lumber companies. This Idaho state park gets an astounding million visitors annually.

Though there are a handful of …