30 Great Places: Monongahela National Forest

Region: Central AppalachiaActivity: Fishing; HuntingSpecies: Ruffed Grouse; Brook, rainbow and brown trout Where: Monongahela National Forest (known locally as “the Mon”) stretches over 919,000 acres of rugged, mountainous terrain along the eastern edge of West Virginia. Though it rests within a day’s drive of half of America’s population, it boasts five federally-designated wilderness areas and

30 Great Places: Lake Tahoe region

Region: WestActivities: FishingSpecies: Lahontan cutthroat, rainbow and brown trout Where: The crystalline jewel of the northern Sierra Nevadas, Lake Tahoe, is fed by 63 creeks, yet only one river flows out—the Truckee. Leaving the northwest corner of the lake at Tahoe City’s Fanny Bridge (so named for the posteriors of tourists gaping at the huge

30 Great Places: Montana’s Smith River

Region: Northern RockiesActivities: rafting; fishing, hiking campingSpecies: Rainbow and brown trout Where: The Smith River flows some 120 miles in a northwesterly direction through west-central Montana, emptying into the Missouri southwest of Great Falls. Much of the river borders private lands, but a 60-mile section that flows through Smith River State Park (beginning near White

Native Odyssey: California

Editor’s note: The TU Costa Five Rivers Program sent a handful of student-anglers on a road trip across America in search of native trout. On the team’s final stop, they visited California. Sequoia National Forest Located in south-ce ntral California, Sequioa National Forest encompasses slightly less than 2,000 square miles. It is named, as is

30 Great Places: Chattahoochee-Oconee

Region: Southern AppalachiaActivities: FishingSpecies: Brook, rainbow and brown trout Where: The Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests span nearly 900,000 acres across 26 counties in northern and central Georgia. The region provides some of the state’s most outstanding outdoor recreation opportunities and natural wonders, including Georgia’s tallest mountain (Brasstown Bald, at 4,784 feet), 75 miles of the Appalachian

30 Great Places: Seedskadee

Region: Rocky MountainsActivities: Hunting and FishingSpecies: Brown, rainbow and cutthroat trout; ducks; deer; pronghorn Where: The Seedskadee rests near the southwest corner of Wyoming, in the w estern shadow of the Wind River Range, and northwest of the town of Rock Springs. Most of the refuge protects riparian, wetland and upland shrub habitat adjoining 36

30 Great Places: Rio Grande del Norte

Region: Southern RockiesActivities: Hiking, fishing, rafting, hunting, mountain biking, campingSpecies: Rainbow and brown trout Where: The Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument is a swath of more than 240,000 acres of protected public land in Taos County, in north central New Mexico. Much of the land abuts about 50 miles of its eponymous river. The