Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness

The Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area in central Idaho, established by the US Congress in 1980 and renamed in 1984 to honor Senator Frank Church, a principal author of the Wilderness Act of 1964. It is the largest contiguous wilderness area in the continental United States outside Alaska, protecting the rugged canyon of the Salmon River, long nicknamed the River of No Return for the difficulty early boatmen faced returning upstream against its current. The wilderness is managed jointly by the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, closed to roads and motorized vehicles, and provides habitat for elk, bighorn sheep and wild salmon runs.