William O. Douglas Wilderness
Encyclopedia
The William O. Douglas Wilderness is a designated wilderness
located in central portion of the U.S. state
of Washington. It includes 168,232 acres (681 km²) located between the U.S. Route 12 and State Route 410
and is jointly administered by the Snoqualmie National Forest
and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest
. It shares a boundary with the Mt. Rainier National Park on the west. Approximately 25 miles (40 km) of the Pacific Crest Trail
travel along the Cascade Range
crest between its boundaries. 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. Much of the wilderness is drained by tributaries of the Naches River
.
While significant portions of the William O. Douglas Wilderness are high elevation forest, the overall topography is varied. The tallest and most visually striking peak is Mount Aix at 7766 feet (2,367 m) with a prominence of 3286 feet (1,002 m). The Cougar Lakes portion is characterized by high alpine lakes, and the Tumac Plateau is dotted with numerous lakes in a forest setting. The eastern edges of this wilderness drop to mid-elevation pine forest and bare ridges. The Meeks Table Natural research area, located on a basalt table mountain, is within this wilderness at its eastern boundary.
The 1984 Washington Wilderness Act designated the Cougar lake Roadless area as the William O. Douglas Wilderness. Raised in Yakima, Washington
, William O. Douglas
went on to be appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Justice Douglas is remembered for a long and distinguished career marked by his concern for civil rights and environmental issues. This tribute honors not only the active role Justice Douglas played in Federal Wilderness legislation but also his life-long dedication and love for the Cougar Lakes region. William O. Douglas knew the area trails intimately, and spent many summers at his cabin in Goose Prairie, Washington, a small mountain community surrounded by the present Wilderness.
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...
located in central portion of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Washington. It includes 168,232 acres (681 km²) located between the U.S. Route 12 and State Route 410
State Route 410 (Washington)
State Route 410 is a long state highway that traverses Pierce, King, and Yakima counties in the U.S. state of Washington. It begins at an interchange with SR 167 in Sumner and travels southeast across the Cascade Range to a junction with U.S. Route 12 in Naches...
and is jointly administered by the Snoqualmie National Forest
Snoqualmie National Forest
Snoqualmie National Forest is a United States National Forest in the State of Washington. It was established on 1 July 1908, when an area of 961,120 acres was split from the existing Washington National Forest. Its size was increased on 13 October 1933, when a part of Rainier National Forest was...
and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest
Gifford Pinchot National Forest
Gifford Pinchot National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in southern Washington, USA. With an area of 1.37 million acres , it extends 116 km along the western slopes of Cascade Range from Mount Rainier National Park to the Columbia River. It includes the 110,000 acre Mount St....
. It shares a boundary with the Mt. Rainier National Park on the west. Approximately 25 miles (40 km) of the Pacific Crest Trail
Pacific Crest Trail
The Pacific Crest Trail is a long-distance mountain hiking and equestrian trail on the Western Seaboard of the United States. The southern terminus is at the California border with Mexico...
travel along the Cascade Range
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...
crest between its boundaries. 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. Much of the wilderness is drained by tributaries of the Naches River
Naches River
The Naches River is a tributary of the Yakima River in central Washington in the United States. Beginning as the Little Naches River, it is about 75 miles long. After the confluence of the Little Naches and Bumping River the name becomes simply the Naches River...
.
The 1984 Washington Wilderness Act designated the Cougar lake Roadless area as the William O. Douglas Wilderness. Raised in Yakima, Washington
Yakima, Washington
Yakima is an American city southeast of Mount Rainier National Park and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States, and the eighth largest city by population in the state itself. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 91,196 and a metropolitan population of...
, William O. Douglas
William O. Douglas
William Orville Douglas was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. With a term lasting 36 years and 209 days, he is the longest-serving justice in the history of the Supreme Court...
went on to be appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Justice Douglas is remembered for a long and distinguished career marked by his concern for civil rights and environmental issues. This tribute honors not only the active role Justice Douglas played in Federal Wilderness legislation but also his life-long dedication and love for the Cougar Lakes region. William O. Douglas knew the area trails intimately, and spent many summers at his cabin in Goose Prairie, Washington, a small mountain community surrounded by the present Wilderness.
External links
- Wilderness.net: William O. Douglas Wilderness
- Gifford Pinchot National Forest - William O. Douglas Wilderness