Stanislaus National Forest, National forest in Sierra Nevada, California, US
Stanislaus National Forest is a protected woodland in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, spanning elevations from foothill chaparral to peaks of bare rock. Within its boundaries, stands of pine alternate with granite outcrops, river channels, and mountain lakes.
The United States Forest Service established this area on February 22, 1897, one of the first such decisions in the American West. Administrators later expanded the boundaries and incorporated neighboring wilderness zones under federal oversight.
The forest is named after the Stanislaus River, which flows out of the Sierra Nevada and forms part of its western drainage. The name is the only cultural element the sources document; the forest was established on February 22, 1897, and its headquarters remain in Sonora, with ranger district offices in Groveland, Hathaway Pines and Pinecrest.
Trails and campgrounds are accessible through ranger stations in Groveland, Hathaway Pines, and Pinecrest, which also provide maps and current conditions. In winter, high elevations often require snow chains, while summer opens most zones to visitors.
The 2013 Rim Fire began on forest land and grew into the third-largest fire in California history; it was named after the Rim of the World Vista on State Route 120, where it was first reported. The forest also holds 139,000 acres of old growth, with lodgepole pine, Jeffrey pine and white fir.
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