Waldo Lake Wilderness
Encyclopedia
Waldo Lake Wilderness is a wilderness area surrounding Waldo Lake
in the central Oregon Cascades
. It is located within the Willamette National Forest
. It was established in 1984 and consists of 37162 acres (15,038.9 ha).
Waldo Lake itself is outside the wilderness boundary, but it is considered one of the purest lakes in the world: vertical visibility can exceed 100 feet (30.5 m). It was scooped out by ancient glaciers, and is Oregon's second largest lake at 10 square miles (25.9 km²) with a maximum depth of 420 feet (128 m). Within the wilderness are the Six Lakes Basin, Eddeeleo Lakes, Wahanna Lakes, and Quinn Lakes. There are approximately 84 miles (135.2 km) of trails which lead to many of these lakes. Waldo Lake Trail, much of which is not in the wilderness boundary, provides a 22 miles (35.4 km) loop around Waldo Lake. Vegetation in the Waldo Lake Wilderness consists mostly of Douglas-fir
, mountain hemlock
, and Pacific silver fir
.
Waldo Lake
Waldo Lake is a lake in the Cascade Mountains of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is the second largest natural non-alkali lake in Oregon with more than 10 square miles of water and a maximum depth of . The lake is named after Oregon politician, judge, and conservationist John B....
in the central Oregon Cascades
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...
. It is located within the Willamette National Forest
Willamette National Forest
The Willamette National Forest is a National Forest located in the central portion of the Cascade Range of US state of Oregon.It comprises 1,675,407 acres making it one of the largest national forests. Over 380,000 acres are designated wilderness which include seven major mountain peaks...
. It was established in 1984 and consists of 37162 acres (15,038.9 ha).
Geography
Ninety-eight percent of the Waldo Lake Wilderness is covered by forest on moderate to steep terrain, which ranges in elevation from 2800 to 7144 ft (853.4 to 2,177.5 ).Waldo Lake itself is outside the wilderness boundary, but it is considered one of the purest lakes in the world: vertical visibility can exceed 100 feet (30.5 m). It was scooped out by ancient glaciers, and is Oregon's second largest lake at 10 square miles (25.9 km²) with a maximum depth of 420 feet (128 m). Within the wilderness are the Six Lakes Basin, Eddeeleo Lakes, Wahanna Lakes, and Quinn Lakes. There are approximately 84 miles (135.2 km) of trails which lead to many of these lakes. Waldo Lake Trail, much of which is not in the wilderness boundary, provides a 22 miles (35.4 km) loop around Waldo Lake. Vegetation in the Waldo Lake Wilderness consists mostly of Douglas-fir
Douglas-fir
Douglas-fir is one of the English common names for evergreen coniferous trees of the genus Pseudotsuga in the family Pinaceae. Other common names include Douglas tree, and Oregon pine. There are five species, two in western North America, one in Mexico, and two in eastern Asia...
, mountain hemlock
Mountain Hemlock
Tsuga mertensiana, known as Mountain Hemlock, is a species of hemlock native to the west coast of North America, with its northwestern limit on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, and its southeastern limit in northern Tulare County, California....
, and Pacific silver fir
Pacific Silver Fir
Abies amabilis, commonly known as the Pacific silver fir, is a fir native to the Pacific Northwest of North America, occurring in the Pacific Coast Ranges and the Cascade Range from the extreme southeast of Alaska, through western British Columbia, Washington and Oregon, to the extreme northwest of...
.
Recreational activities
Primary activities in the Waldo Lake Wilderness are hiking, camping, fishing, and boating. Waldo Lake was scheduled for elimination of motor boats by the end of 2007.See also
- List of Oregon Wildernesses
- List of U.S. Wilderness Areas
- Wilderness ActWilderness ActThe Wilderness Act of 1964 was written by Howard Zahniser of The Wilderness Society. It created the legal definition of wilderness in the United States, and protected some 9 million acres of federal land. The result of a long effort to protect federal wilderness, the Wilderness Act was signed...