Our National Monuments

Shown here: Boccard Point at sunset in the Soda Mountain Wilderness, a 24,707-acre wilderness area within the Cascade–Siskiyou National Monument in southwestern Oregon. This wilderness is an ecological mosaic where the state’s eastern desert meets towering fir forests. The biodiversity of the area includes fir forests, sunlit oak groves, meadows filled with wildflowers, and steep canyons. The area is home to a spectacular variety of rare species of plants and animals, including Roosevelt elk, cougars, black bears, golden and bald eagles, and goshawks and falcons.

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY Q T LUONG

As the national parks become ever more popular, our national monuments’ vast open spaces offer us places of solitude and inspiration. The rugged experience gives us a sense of the western frontier, where personal responsibility, independence, and self-sufficiency are qualities that matter, where unlimited opportunities for exploration and adventure under a wide blue sky leave you endless room to be your own person.