Menagerie Wilderness
Encyclopedia
The Menagerie Wilderness is a designated wilderness area located near Mount Washington
in the central Cascade Range
of Oregon
. It is situated near Highway 20 within the Willamette National Forest
and is managed by the US Forest Service.
, but camping and wildlife watching are popular among some visitors. There are only a few established trails in the Menagerie, most notably Trout Creek Trail and Rooster Rock Trail - both of which lead to Rooster Rock. Visiting other pinnacles requires a cross-country hike over steep, rugged terrain.
, western hemlock
, and western red cedar. Much of the understory consists of vine maple
, salal
, and sword fern.
Mount Washington (Oregon)
Mount Washington is a deeply eroded shield volcano in the Cascade Range of Oregon. The mountain dates to the Late Pleistocene. However, it does have a line of basaltic andesite spatter cones on its northeast flank which are approximately 1,330 years old according to carbon dating...
in the central 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 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...
. It is situated near Highway 20 within the Willamette National Forest
Willamette National Forest
The Willamette National Forest is a National Forest located in the central portion of the Cascade Range of US state of Oregon.It comprises 1,675,407 acres making it one of the largest national forests. Over 380,000 acres are designated wilderness which include seven major mountain peaks...
and is managed by the US Forest Service.
Geography
The Menagerie Wilderness is situated around a series of rock pinnacles each uniquely named from the imagination of past climbers; hence the name, Menagerie. The best known, and most popular is Rooster Rock. Others include Hen Rock, Turkey Monster, and Chicken Rock.Recreation
The primary recreational activities in Menagerie Wilderness are hiking and rock climbingRock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
, but camping and wildlife watching are popular among some visitors. There are only a few established trails in the Menagerie, most notably Trout Creek Trail and Rooster Rock Trail - both of which lead to Rooster Rock. Visiting other pinnacles requires a cross-country hike over steep, rugged terrain.
Vegetation
Vegetation in Menagerie Wilderness is primarily second growth Douglas-firDouglas-fir
Douglas-fir is one of the English common names for evergreen coniferous trees of the genus Pseudotsuga in the family Pinaceae. Other common names include Douglas tree, and Oregon pine. There are five species, two in western North America, one in Mexico, and two in eastern Asia...
, 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. Much of the understory consists of vine maple
Vine Maple
Acer circinatum is a species of maple native to western North America, from southwest British Columbia to northern California, always within 300 km of the Pacific Ocean coast....
, salal
Salal
Gaultheria shallon is a leathery-leaved shrub in the heather family , native to western North America. In English it is known as salal, shallon, or in Britain simply Gaultheria.-Ecology:...
, and sword fern.
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...