Visitors to City of Rocks National Reserve in south-central Idaho will find a striking landscape with unparalleled opportunities for rock climbing, hiking, camping, wildlife watching and other forms of outdoor recreation. The remarkable granite spires found here date back more than 2.5 billion years and attract rock climbers from around the world.

Back in 2009, The Conservation Fund helped add the nearly 1250-acre Castle Rock Ranch to this reserve thanks to a complex land exchange involving the National Park Service and the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation. This property is a key tract of private land located within the western entrance of City of Rocks National Reserve and along the California National Historic Trail. Now it is open to climbers, hikers and horseback riders who visit the reserve and the adjacent Sawtooth National Forest.

We also worked closely with the National Park Service to tell the story of mid-19th century trailblazers’ overland journey west by helping to protect a critical 60-acre tract within City of Rocks National Reserve that contains historic wagon ruts and outstanding scenery. The public can now enjoy access to the property and garner a greater appreciation of the courage and hardships of the pioneers that settled in the western United States.