The Kaniksu National Forest (pronounced "Kuh-NICK-su") is a U.S. National Forest located in northeastern

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, the Idaho Panhandle, and northwestern

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

. It is one of three forests that are aggregated into the

Idaho Panhandle National Forests The Idaho Panhandle National Forests are a jointly administered set of three national forests located mostly in the U.S. state of Idaho. In 1973, major portions of the Kaniksu, Coeur d'Alene, and St. Joe National Forests were combined to be a ...

, along with the Coeur d'Alene National Forest and

St. Joe National Forest The St. Joe National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in the Idaho panhandle and is one of three forests that are aggregated into the Idaho Panhandle National Forests (the other two are the Coeur d'Alene and Kaniksu National Forests). ...

. Kaniksu National Forest has a total area of . About 55.7% is in Idaho, 27.9% in Montana, and 16.4% in Washington. The name ''Kaniksu'' is from a Kalispel Indian word which means "black robe." It was used to refer to the Jesuit missionaries who brought their faith to North Idaho and Eastern Washington.

History

Kaniksu National Forest was established on July 1, 1908, from a portion of Priest River National Forest. On September 30, 1933, a portion of Pend Oreille National Forest was added, and on July 1, 1954, part of Cabinet National Forest was added. Kaniksu was administratively combined with Coeur d'Alene and St. Joe National Forests on July 1, 1973. The forest headquarters are located in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. There are local ranger district offices located in Bonners Ferry,

Priest Lake Priest Lake is a lake in Idaho, United States, in the northernmost portion of the Idaho Panhandle, 80 miles northeast of Spokane, Washington. The northern end of the lake extending to within 15 miles (24 km) of the Canada–US border. Th ...

, and Sandpoint (all in Idaho). A portion of the

Salmo-Priest Wilderness Salmo-Priest Wilderness is a 41,335 acre (167.28 km2) wilderness area located in the Selkirk Mountains in the northeast corner of Washington state, within the Colville National Forest and the Kaniksu National Forest. Topography The high-cou ...

lies within Kaniksu National Forest; however, most of it lies within neighboring Colville National Forest, to the west. Also, a portion (47%) of the

Cabinet Mountains Wilderness The Cabinet Mountains Wilderness, created by an act of Congress in 1964, is located in the U.S. state of Montana. Protecting the wildest portions of the Cabinet Mountains and an integral part of Kootenai National Forest and Kaniksu National Forest ...

lies within Kaniksu, with most of it (53%) lying within

Kootenai National Forest The Kootenai National Forest is a national forest located in the far northwestern section of Montana and the northeasternmost lands in the Idaho panhandle in the United States, along the Canada–US border. Of the administered by the forest, ...

to its north.

Counties

In descending order of land area *

Boundary County, Idaho Boundary County is the northernmost county of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,056. The county seat and largest city is Bonners Ferry. Boundary County was created by the Idaho Legislature on January 23 ...

* Sanders County, Montana *

Bonner County, Idaho Bonner County is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,110. The county seat and largest city is Sandpoint. Partitioned from Kootenai County and established in 1907, it was name ...

* Pend Oreille County, Washington *

Lincoln County, Montana Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,677. Its county seat is Libby. The county was founded in 1909 and named for President Abraham Lincoln. The county lies on Montana's ...

* Stevens County, Washington * Kootenai County, Idaho

References

External links

US Forest Service - Idaho Panhandle National Forests
{{authority control National Forests of Idaho National Forests of Montana National Forests of Washington (state) National Forests of the Rocky Mountains Protected areas established in 1908 Protected areas of Pend Oreille County, Washington Protected areas of Stevens County, Washington Protected areas of Boundary County, Idaho Protected areas of Sanders County, Montana Protected areas of Lincoln County, Montana Protected areas of Kootenai County, Idaho Idaho Panhandle National Forest 1908 establishments in Montana 1908 establishments in Idaho 1908 establishments in Washington (state)

History

Counties

See also

References

External links