Poll: Should Idaho’s Sawtooths Mountains have been a national park? Would you pay a fee?

In 1972, after decades of outcries over widespread environmental damage, the Sawtooth National Recreation Area was established. Managed by the Forest Service, it contains some of Idaho’s most iconic vistas and camping sites within its boundaries, including Redfish Lake.

The effort by Idaho’s congressional delegation was to create an alternative to a national park. The goal was two-fold: to preserve the south-central Idaho destination spot and to allow historic uses, like grazing and hunting, to continue.

But looking back, we ask — should it have been a national park? Tell us what you think in our poll:

Read how this vital part of Idaho’s outdoor culture, economy, and character came to be.