Note Spring 2007: As part of
a larger effort to reduce invasive species on national forest
lands the US Forest Service now requires the use of weed-free
feed within all Pacific Northwest Congressionally designated
wilderness areas and trailheads leading into designated wilderness
areas, including several Horse Camps located at Wilderness Trailheads
(Walupt, Keenes, Stagman Ridge, Little Goose). Weed-free feed
includes commercially processed pellets, steamed and rolled
grains, or state certified weed-free feed. The weed-free feed
requirement will be extended to the entire forest in 2009. For
more information. |
The Wilderness Act of
1964 directs that many tracts of land remain in their natural condition
for use and enjoyment now and in the future. A key section of the
Act provides guidance for Forest Service management.
"A wilderness,
in contrast with those areas where man and his works dominate
the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth
and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself
is a visitor who does not remain. An area of wilderness is further
defined to mean in this Act an area of undeveloped Federal land
retaining its primeval character and influence, without permanent
improvements or human habitation, which is protected and managed
so as to preserve its natural conditions..."
Wilderness provides more
than an opportunity to find solitude and natural beauty. The wilderness
environment is an important habitat for many species of animal and
plant life. Its forests act as a watershed storing rain and snow
for gradual release to streams and rivers. Wilderness provides the
environment for scientists to study the dynamics of natural ecological
relationships. Wilderness management must recognize and protect
these many benefits.
Wilderness Visitor Information
The Forest Service gathers
information from Wilderness visitiors to monitor Wilderness use,
set trail maintenance priorities, and plan work for Wilderness rangers.
Much of this information comes from Wilderness permits, which are
now required for entry in the Goat Rocks Wilderness. Permits are
self-issued and are available at all Wilderness Trailheads.
Finding A Place To Visit
Each year, more and more
people visit the Wilderness for a unique experience. Many, however,
end up at the same popular places. See if you can find other places
in the Wilderness to visit. You may find it even more enjoyable
because you'll have greater solitude. You'll also encounter fewer
people if you visit the Wilderness during midweek and in the early
and late seasons. For assistance in finding alternatives to the
most heavily used areas, check with Forest Service offices listed
in this map.
Using Wilderness
Wilderness is the America
that was -- wild land beyond the frontier that richly affected the
nations's history and the character of its people. The Wilderness
Act established an enduring resource of wilderness -- lands that
are affected primarily by the forces of nature, where man is a visitor
who does not remain.
However, Congress allowed
certain uses to continue within individual wildernesses, under special
conditions. Some of these uses are found in the 180,600 acres of
wilderness on this Forest. Along with horseback riding, hiking.
or climbing, people may hunt, fish, or trap. A small number of outfitting
and guiding services operate under special use permits.
The 105,600-acre Goat
Rocks Wilderness is located on the northern portion
of the Forest. It is a rugged beautiful land of flinty pinnacles,
icy snowfields and glaciers, surrounded by flower-carpeted meadows.
Elevations range from 3,000 to 8,200 feet. The Wilderness derives
its name from the mountain goats that inhabit its peaks.
Along the west slope of
Mt. Adams lies the 47,270-acre Mt.
Adams Wilderness. The 12,276-foot high Mt. Adams is
the second highest peak in the Northwest after Mt. Rainier. Mt.
Adams Wilderness is bounded on the east by the Yakima Indian Reservation.
Wilderness trails offer the traveler spectacular views of Mt. Adams
and its glaciers, tumbling streams, open alpine forests, and wildflowers
scattered among lava flows and rimrocks.
The 3,000-acre Glacier
View Wilderness is located on the west boundary of
Mt. Rainier National Park. The topography allows a high degree of
isolation, and the scenic views are outstanding.
Indian
Heaven Wilderness, 20,400 acres of broad, rolling country,
straddles the crest of the Cascade Range with subalpine meadows
and 175 small lakes. Originally known to be the Indians as "Sahalee
Tyee," the area has been (and is) culturally important to Native
Americans. "Indian Heaven" offers visitors wildlife and
panoramic views, as well as seasonal wildflowers and huckleberries.
The 15,800-acre Tatoosh
Wilderness is bounded on the north by Mt. Rainier National
Park. The area also contains 550 acres of the Butter Creek Natural
Area. Tatoosh Wilderness includes a variety of physical features,
from river bottoms to subalpine ridgetops.
The 6,000-acre Trapper
Creek Wilderness includes a number of geological and
ecological types including old-growth Douglas-fir at lower elevations,
as well as open, rocky peaks, huckleberry fields, and high meadows.
The William
O. Douglas Wilderness is 166,600 acres shared by the
Gifford Pinchot and Wenatchee National Forests. It contains scattered
peaks, sharp ridges, steep slopes, and hundreds of small lakes and
potholes. Fish and wildlife are abundant here, and many minerals
are found.
You must obtain a Wilderness
permit at trailheads or Ranger District offices before you enter
a Wilderness.
Wilderness Regulations
Nation-wide:
- Possessing or using a motor vehicle, motorboat, or motorized
equipment is prohibited. This includes snowmobiles.
- Possessing or using a hang glider or bicycle is prohibited.
- Landing of aircraft, or dropping or picking up of any material,
supplies, or person by means of aircraft, including a helicopter
is prohibited.
Gifford
Pinchot Wildernesses:
- Permits are required to enter any Wilderness on the Gifford
Pinchot National Forest. These permits are free, and may
be self-issued at trailheads.
- The group size limit is 12, comprised of any combination of
people and pack or saddle stock.
- Possessing or using a wagon, cart, or other vehicle is prohibited.
- Shortcutting trail switchbacks is prohibited.
- Camping within 100 feet of lakes or the Pacific Crest Trail
is prohibited.
- Grazing, hitching, or tethering of stock within 200 feet of
lakes is prohibited.
- Livestock feed must be weed-free certified hay or processed
feed. Help keep weeds out of Wilderness.
- You may cache or store equipment, personal property or supplies
for 48 hours or less.
- You may not be in an area posted as being closed for restoration,
wilderness restoration, or rehabilitation.
Wilderness
Specific:
Mt.
Adams Wilderness
- Campfires are prohibited above the area bounded by the Round-the-Mountain
Trail #9, Pacific Crest Trail #2000, and the Highline Trail
#114 (roughly 6,000 feet elevation on Mt. Adams).
Goat
Rocks Wilderness
- Campfires are prohibited within 1/4 mile from the shoreline
of Goat Lake.
- Campfires are prohibited within Dan Yelverton Shelter.
- Camping and stock grazing are prohibited within Snowgrass
Flat.
- Camping and campfires are prohibited within Shoe Lake basin.
Tatoosh
Wilderness
- Camping, campfires, and pack and saddle stock use are prohibited
within Tatoosh Lakes basin.
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