Stanislaus National Forest, in the Sierra Nevada of Northern California along Yosemite National Park’s northwestern edge, is one of the oldest national forests in the United States, established on February 22, 1897. Spread mainly across eastern Tuolumne County and extending into Alpine, Mariposa, and Calaveras counties, it contains rivers, granite landscapes, volcanic formations, wilderness areas, old-growth forest, lakes, trails, and roads. Long valued for recreation, it draws heavy use from the San Francisco Bay Area for boating, skiing, and access to backcountry and wilderness. The forest also has a major wildfire history, including the 2013 Rim Fire, and remains an important public landscape and gateway to the central Sierra.