Panther Creek Falls, Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Washington, USA

Gifford Pinchot National Forest

Panther Creek Falls is one of the many popular waterways in this Washington state forest. Named in 1949 in honour of Gifford Pinchot, an American forester and politician, Gifford Pinchot National Forest includes 5,300 square kilometres of forests, wildlife, mountains and numerous rivers and lakes that offer excellent fishing. The forest is known as a native habitat for several threatened species, like the spotted owl, bull trout and Chinook salmon.

Gifford Pinchot National Forest’s highest point is over 3,700 metres at the top of Mount Adams, the second-tallest peak in Washington after Mount Rainier. The forest is also home to Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument – 445 square kilometres of land surrounding the volcano Mount St. Helens. It was established in 1982, two years after the most disastrous volcanic eruption in US history.