Great new tool for exploring Pacific Northwest National Forests

The Pacific Northwest Region of the USDA Forest Service is excited to announce the launch of a new Region-wide Recreation Mobile app: the Pacific Northwest Forests app. The specialized software program will help the public find hiking trails, camping, picnicking, boating areas and more by using their cell phones’ GPS capabilities.

National Forests in the Pacific Northwest receive more than 15 million visits each year and recreation users contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to the local economies of both Oregon and Washington annually. According to Regional Forester Jim Peña, the Forest Service is focused on providing great visitor experiences in partnership with these local communities.

The first of its kind on this scale in the agency, the mobile app is centered on a mapping interface that helps adventurers become more familiar with recreation opportunities near them by providing information about the 17 national forests and scenic area in the Pacific Northwest.

Having all the recreation information within a single app means just one download instead of an individual app for every national forest people are interested in visiting.

In addition to hiking, camping, and other traditional recreation information, the app also provides information about current fires, current conditions of road and trail access and photo galleries to showcase beautiful areas in the Region to give ideas for new places to visit.