Campfire Ban Campfires are no longer allowed in Marion Lake Area. Please see the map page and Management techniques page to learn more.

The Marion Lake Area is located at an elevation 4,100 feet in the southwestern portion of the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness Area. At 360 acres, Marion Lake is one of the last protected large lakes in the high Cascades Mountain Range.

For More Information For more information on Marion Lake Area Management, contact Abe Quihuis, Detroit Ranger District (503) 854-3366.

As defined by the Wilderness Act of 1964, Wilderness areas are places “where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain… without permanent improvements or human habitation, which is protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions…”

The Marion Lake area is considered a “transition” wilderness, which means that it should be recapturing a semi-primitive feel, However, the area has a long history of heavy use. The area currently receives over 5000 annual visits resulting in several resource impacts including loss of vegetation and down woody materials and soil compaction. Concerns regarding garbage and human waste also persist.

The Detroit Ranger District has employed various management techniques to help address these concerns, including a campfire ban, which started March 2003, to help preserve the Wilderness ethic.

You can help:

• There are campfire alternatives such as bottled gas or liquid fueled campstoves that are designed for backpacks. Please use them.
• Dispose of your human waste by properly burying it.
• Pack out all garbage.