Clackamas Wilderness
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 Mt. Jefferson from Sisi Butte |
 Memaloose Lake |
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Introduction The United States Congress designated the Clackamas Wilderness in 2009 and it now has a total of 9,470 acres. All of the wilderness is in Oregon and is managed by the Forest Service. Description The Clackamas Wilderness consists of five widely separated tracts of roadless land, scattered left and right of the Clackamas River for 50 miles. These pieces include Big Bottom, Clackamas Canyon, Memaloose Lake , Sisi Butte and South Fork Clackamas. With the largest trees in northwest Oregon, the Clackamas Wilderness protects clean drinking water for many Oregonians. A well-known hike in the Clackamas Wilderness is the trail to Memaloose Lake. It climbs through an old-growth forest 1.4 miles to the lake, and then continues a mile up to a viewpoint atop South Fork Mountain. The word memaloose means "dead" in Chinook jargon, the old Indian trade language of the Northwest. Now the lake's old-growth forest is a rare wilderness island in a sea of logged lands. Permits Remember, Wilderness Permits are required when you enter any wilderness area in the Mt. Hood National Forest. Click Here for more information. (Courtesy of the USFS) |