Boulder River Wilderness

Protected area in Washington state, U.S.

48°13′30″N 121°48′30″W / 48.22500°N 121.80833°W / 48.22500; -121.80833Area48,674 acres (197.0 km²)Established1984Governing bodyU.S. Forest Service

Boulder River Wilderness is a 48,674-acre (197 km²) wilderness area within the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in the western Cascade Range of Washington state.

Topography

Boulder River Wilderness is made up of dense forests and steep ridges that rise to the summits of Three Fingers and Whitehorse Mountain. Elevations range from 1,000 feet (305 m) in the Boulder River Valley to the 6,850 feet (2,088 m) south peak of Three Fingers.^[1] South Peak is also home to an old fire lookout. This high ridge bears a narrow saw-toothed profile with several sharp summits, which include Liberty, Big Bear, and Whitehorse Mountains and Salish and Buckeye Peaks, all above 5,600 feet (1,707 m) in elevation. Several steep and heavily wooded ridges thrust out east and west from the central crest of the wilderness.^[2]

Boulder River, a tributary to the North Fork Stillaguamish River, is the wilderness area's primary drainage and runs approximately 10 miles (16 km) through the northwest section of the wilderness. The Long Creek Research Natural Area on the south slope of Wiley Ridge is also protected within the wilderness boundary.^[1]

Vegetation

Common vegetation in Boulder River Wilderness includes old-growth Douglas fir, true fir, western hemlock, and western red cedar, as well as bigleaf maple, alder, willow, and devil's club.^[2] Sitka spruce can be found at the lowest elevations along the Boulder River. The Boulder River Wilderness contains some of the last substantials tracts of lowland virgin forest in Washington state.^[3]

Wildlife

Black bears, black-tailed deer, and elk inhabit the forest, and mountain goats can be found on the rocky shelves above the tree line.^[2]

Hiking

Boulder River Wilderness boasts approximately 25 miles (40 km) of trails, though the central core of the area remains rough and trailless. A short trail extends up Boulder River for 4.3 miles (7 km) through old-growth forest. Three short trails climb toward the high crest and eventually peter out. Another trail crosses the northeast corner of the Wilderness over Squire Creek Pass, with outstanding views of the high crest.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b Boulder River Wilderness Area - Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Boulder River Wilderness Archived 2007-10-08 at the Wayback Machine - Wilderness.net
^ Johnston, Greg (2001-12-01). "Hike of the Week: The wonders of water are plain to see on the Boulder River Trail". The Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2015-07-12.

External links

Boulder River Wilderness - Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
Boulder River Wilderness - Wilderness.net
Boulder River Wilderness, Washington - Backpacker Magazine

Protected areas of Washington

Federal

National Parks	Mount Rainier North Cascades Olympic
National Monuments	Hanford Reach (USFWS) Mount St. Helens Volcanic (USFS) San Juan Islands (BLM)
National Historical Parks and Sites	Fort Vancouver NHS Klondike Gold Rush NHP Lewis and Clark NHP Manhattan Project NHP Nez Perce NHP San Juan Island NHP Whitman Mission NHS
National Historical Reserves	Ebey's Landing
National Trails	Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Pacific Crest Trail Pacific Northwest Trail
NPS National Recreation Areas	Lake Chelan Lake Roosevelt Ross Lake
National Wildlife Refuges	Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually Columbia Conboy Lake Copalis Dungeness Flattery Rocks Franz Lake Grays Harbor Julia Butler Hansen Refuge for the Columbian White-Tailed Deer Little Pend Oreille McNary Pierce Protection Island Quillayute Needles Ridgefield Saddle Mountain San Juan Islands Steigerwald Lake Toppenish Turnbull Umatilla Willapa
National Forests	Colville Gifford Pinchot Idaho Panhandle Kaniksu Mount Baker–Snoqualmie Okanogan–Wenatchee Olympic Umatilla Wenatchee
USFS National Recreation Areas	Mount Baker
National Wilderness	Alpine Lakes Boulder River The Brothers Buckhorn Clearwater Colonel Bob Daniel J. Evans Glacier Peak Glacier View Goat Rocks Henry M. Jackson Indian Heaven Juniper Dunes Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Ridge Mount Adams Mount Baker Mount Rainier Mount Skokomish Noisy-Diobsud Norse Peak Pasayten Salmo-Priest San Juan Stephen Mather Tatoosh Trapper Creek Washington Islands Wenaha–Tucannon Wild Sky William O. Douglas Wonder Mountain
National Marine Sanctuary and National Estuarine Research Reserve	Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
National Wild and Scenic Rivers	Illabot Klickitat Pratt Skagit Snoqualmie White Salmon

State

State Parks	Alta Lake Anderson Lake Battle Ground Lake Bay View Beacon Rock Belfair Birch Bay Blake Island Blind Island Bogachiel Bottle Beach Bridgeport Bridle Trails Brooks Memorial Cama Beach Camano Island Camp Wooten Retreat Center Cape Disappointment Clark Island Columbia Hills Columbia Plateau Trail Conconully Crawford Curlew Lake Cutts Island Daroga Dash Point Deception Pass Doe Island Dosewallips Doug's Beach Eagle Island Federation Forest Fields Spring Flaming Geyser Forks of the Sky Fort Casey Fort Columbia Fort Ebey Fort Flagler Fort Simcoe Fort Townsend Fort Worden Ginkgo Petrified Forest Goldendale Observatory Grayland Beach Griffiths-Priday Harstine Island Hope Island (Mason County) Hope Island (Skagit County) Ike Kinswa Illahee Iron Horse Jackson House James Island Jarrell Cove Joemma Beach Jones Island Joseph Whidbey Kanaskat-Palmer Kinney Point Kitsap Memorial Klickitat Trail Kopachuck Lake Chelan Lake Easton Lake Lenore Caves Lake Sammamish Lake Sylvia Lake Wenatchee Larrabee Leadbetter Point Lewis and Clark Lewis and Clark Trail Lime Kiln Point Lincoln Rock Lyons Ferry Manchester Maryhill Matia Island Matilda Jackson McMicken Island Millersylvania Moran Mount Pilchuck Mount Spokane Mystery Bay Nolte Obstruction Pass Ocean City Olallie Olmstead Place Pacific Beach Pacific Pines Palouse Falls Palouse to Cascades Paradise Point Patos Island Peace Arch Pearrygin Lake Penrose Point Peshastin Pinnacles Pleasant Harbor Posey Island Potholes Potlatch Rainbow Falls Rasar Reed Island Riverside Rockport Sacajawea Saddlebag Island Saint Edward Saltwater Scenic Beach Schafer Seaquest Sequim Bay Shine Tidelands Skagit Island South Whidbey Spencer Spit Spokane River Centennial Trail Spring Creek Hatchery Squak Mountain Squilchuck Steamboat Rock Steptoe Battlefield Steptoe Butte Stretch Point Stuart Island Sucia Island Sun Lakes-Dry Falls Tolmie Triton Cove Turn Island Twanoh Twenty-Five Mile Creek Twin Harbors Wallace Falls Wanapum Recreational Area Wenatchee Confluence Westport Light Willapa Hills Trail Willie Keil's Grave Yakima Sportsman
State Forests	Ahtanum Capitol Elbe Hills Green Mountain Loomis Loup Loup Tahuya Teanaway Tiger Mountain Yacolt Burn
Natural Area Preserves	Admiralty Inlet Badger Gulch Bald Hill Barker Mountain Bone River Camas Meadows Carlisle Bog Castle Rock Charley Creek Chehalis River Surge Plain Chopaka Mountain Clearwater Bogs Cleveland Shrub Steppe Columbia Falls Columbia Hills Crowberry Bog Cypress Highlands Dabob Bay Dailey Prairie Davis Canyon Entiat Slopes Goose Island Gunpowder Island Hamma Hamma Balds Ink Blot Kahlotus Ridgetop Kennedy Creek Kings Lake Bog Kitsap Forest Lacamas Prairie Little Pend Oreille River Marcellus Shrub Steppe Methow Rapids Mima Mounds Monte Cristo Niawiakum River North Bay Oak Patch Olivine Bridge Pinecroft Point Doughty Riverside Breaks Rocky Prairie Sand Island Schumacher Creek Selah Cliffs Skagit Bald Eagle Skookum Inlet Snoqualmie Bog Spring Creek Canyon Trombetta Canyon Trout Lake The Two-Steppe Upper Dry Gulch Washougal Oaks Whitcomb Flats Willapa Divide
Natural Resources Conservation Areas	Ashford Cattle Point Clearwater Corridor Cypress Island Devils Lake Dishman Hills Elk River Ellsworth Creek Granite Lakes Hat Island Hendrickson Canyon Klickitat Canyon Lake Louise Loomis Lummi Island Merrill Lake Middle Fork Snoqualmie Morning Star Mount Si Naselle Highlands Queets River Rattlesnake Mountain Scenic Area Shipwreck Point Skamokawa Creek South Nemah South Nolan Stavis Stevenson Ridge Table Mountain Tahoma Forest Teal Slough Washougal Oaks West Tiger Mountain White Salmon Oak Woodard Bay
Aquatic Reserves	Cherry Point Cypress Island Fidalgo Bay Maury Island Nisqually Reach Protection Island Smith and Minor Islands

Other

Former state parks	Damon Point Fay Bainbridge Fort Okanogan Fort Ward Park Griffin Bay Mukilteo Lighthouse Park Osoyoos Lake Veteran's Memorial Park Skull Island Upright Channel Wenberg Westhaven