In 1970, Cecil C. Andrus opposed a mining company’s proposal to develop an open-pit molybdenum mine at the base of Castle Peak in the White Cloud Mountains. With strong public support for his position, Andrus won the governorship that year and spent years advocating for wilderness protection for the White Clouds. The Sawtooth National Recreation Area, including the Sawtooth Wilderness Area, was created in 1972. In 2015, a new wilderness bill created the White Clouds Wilderness and the Hemingway/Boulders Wilderness within the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, as well as the Jerry Peak Wilderness adjacent to it. Altogether, the Sawtooth National Recreation Area preserves 756,000 acres amid some of Idaho’s most iconic mountains, more than 300 alpine lakes, and more than 700 miles of trails for recreational use.