Mountain Lakes Wilderness
Encyclopedia
The Mountain Lakes Wilderness is a wilderness area located in the Fremont–Winema National Forests in the southern Cascade Range
of Oregon
, USA. It surrounds a cluster of four overlapping shield volcanoes, the highest of which is 8208 ft (2,501.8 m) Aspen Butte
. Over 20 small lakes lie along the bottoms of several large large cirques
carved by Ice Age
glaciers near the summits of the volcanoes.
The Mountain Lakes Wilderness is unique among United States wilderness areas
in that it is the only one whose borders form a square, occupying the 36 sq mi (93.2 km²) area of a single survey township
.
and rainbow trout
are stocked in Harriette, Como, and West Lakes. Mystic, Paragon, and South Pass Lakes are only stocked with brook trout.
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...
of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, USA. It surrounds a cluster of four overlapping shield volcanoes, the highest of which is 8208 ft (2,501.8 m) Aspen Butte
Aspen Butte
Aspen Butte is a steep-sided shield volcano in the Cascade Range of southern Oregon. It is located south of Pelican Butte and southeast of Mount McLoughlin. It rises over above the nearby shore of Upper Klamath Lake...
. Over 20 small lakes lie along the bottoms of several large large cirques
Cirque (landform)
thumb|250 px|Two cirques with semi-permanent snowpatches in [[Abisko National Park]], [[Sweden]].A cirque or corrie is an amphitheatre-like valley head, formed at the head of a valley glacier by erosion...
carved by Ice Age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
glaciers near the summits of the volcanoes.
The Mountain Lakes Wilderness is unique among United States wilderness areas
Wilderness Act
The 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...
in that it is the only one whose borders form a square, occupying the 36 sq mi (93.2 km²) area of a single survey township
Survey township
Survey township, sometimes called Congressional township, as used by the United States Public Land Survey System, refers to a square unit of land, that is nominally six miles on a side...
.
Recreation
Popular recreational activities in Mountain Lakes Wilderness include hiking, cross-country skiing, camping, and fishing. Fish species are stocked in Mountain Lakes Wilderness lakes every other year. Both brookBrook trout
The brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, is a species of fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. In many parts of its range, it is known as the speckled trout or squaretail. A potamodromous population in Lake Superior are known as coaster trout or, simply, as coasters...
and rainbow trout
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
are stocked in Harriette, Como, and West Lakes. Mystic, Paragon, and South Pass Lakes are only stocked with brook trout.
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...
External links
- Fremont–Winema National Forests: Mountain Lakes Wilderness (official USFS site) Caveat: Please note the story of the geological origin of the Mountain Lakes Wilderness presented on the USFS site is not correct; see the reference above (Carver, 1972) for an accurate geological history.
- Mountain Lakes Wilderness, Oregon - GORP
- Mountain Lakes Wilerness Air Resource Management Data