Every year, millions of visitors flock to vast BLM landscapes out west like Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. But just an hour or so from the BLM’s national headquarters in Washington DC is Douglas Point Special Recreation Management Area, a lesser-known but equally interesting landscape.

Found within Douglas Point’s hardwood forests are 20 of the state’s 25 interior nesting birds. The area contains evidence of Native American settlements dating back to the 16th century, a Civil War encampment, and the largest sunken wooden ship graveyard in the Western Hemisphere! The site is also home to a variety of terrestrial and aquatic species, including remains of prehistoric sharks, rays, crocodiles, and turtles.

The colonial era Chiles Homesite is the most well-known historic attraction at Douglas Point. A public walking path, complete with interpretive panels, winds around the remaining chimney ruins of the original house.