Boulder River Wilderness is a 48674 acres (197 km²) wilderness area

National Wilderness Preservation System

The National Wilderness Preservation System of the United States protects federally managed land areas designated for preservation in their natural condition. It was established by the Wilderness Act upon the signature of President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 3, 1964...

 within the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

The Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington extends more than along the western slopes of the Cascade Range from the Canadian border to the northern boundary of Mount Rainier National Park. Forest headquarters are located in the city of Everett....

 in the western 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...

 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

Whitehorse Mountain (Washington)

Whitehorse Mountain is a peak near the western edge of the North Cascades in Washington state. It is located just southwest of the Sauk River Valley town of Darrington, near the northern boundary of Boulder River Wilderness in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest...

. Elevations range from 1000 feet (305 m) in the Boulder River Valley to the 6850 feet (2,088 m) south peak of Three Fingers. 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 5600 feet (1,707 m) in elevation. Several steep and heavily wooded ridges thrust out east and west from the central crest of the wilderness.

Boulder River

Boulder River (Washington)

The Boulder River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington.-Course:The Boulder River originates in the Cascade Range. It flows northwest and then northeast through a portion of Boulder River Wilderness to join the Stillaguamish River. The Stillaguamish empties into Port Susan, part of Puget Sound...

, a tributary to the North Fork Stillaguamish River

Stillaguamish River

The Stillaguamish River is a river in northwest Washington in the United States. It is mainly composed of two forks, the longer North Fork Stillaguamish and the South Fork Stillaguamish. The two forks join near Arlington. From there the Stillaguamish River proper flows for to Puget Sound...

, 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.

Vegetation

Common vegetation in Boulder River Wilderness includes old-growth Douglas fir, true fir

Fir

Firs are a genus of 48–55 species of evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. They are found through much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, occurring in mountains over most of the range...

, western hemlock

Western Hemlock

Tsuga heterophylla. the Western 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 Sonoma County, California.-Habitat:...

, and western red cedar, as well as bigleaf maple, alder

Alder

Alder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...

, willow

Willow

Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...

, and devil's club

Devil's Club

Devil's Club is a large shrub primarily native to the cool moist forests of western North America, but also disjunct on islands in Lake Superior. It is noted for its large palmate leaves and erect, woody stems covered in brittle spines...

. Sitka spruce can be found at the lowest elevations along the Boulder River. The Boulder River Wilderness contains some of the best virgin forest

Virgin Forest

Virgin Forest is a self-described B-movie starring Sarsi Emmanuel, who plays a barrio lass of Chinese ancestry; the late Miguel Rodriguez, as a Filipino-Spanish illustrado; and, Abel Jurado, who plays the lover of Sarsi's character.-Synopsis:...

 in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

Wildlife

Black bears

American black bear

The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...

, black-tailed deer

Black-tailed Deer

Two forms of black-tailed deer or blacktail deer occupying coastal temperate rainforest on North America's Pacific coast are subspecies of the mule deer. They have sometimes been treated as a species, but virtually all recent authorities maintain they are subspecies...

, and elk

Elk

The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...

 inhabit the forest, and mountain goats can be found on the rocky shelves above the tree line.

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.

External links

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