The Rock Creek Wilderness is a wilderness

Wilderness

Wilderness or wildland is a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity. It may also be defined as: "The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet—those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with...

 area comprising 7486 acres (3,029.5 ha) within the Siuslaw National Forest

Siuslaw National Forest

Siuslaw National Forest is a national forest in western Oregon, United States. Established in 1908, the Siuslaw is made up of a wide variety of ecosystems, ranging from coastal forests to sand dunes.- Geography :...

 on the Oregon Coast

Oregon Coast

The Oregon Coast is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It runs generally north-south along the Pacific Ocean, forming the western border of the state; the region is bounded to the east by the Oregon Coast Range. The Oregon Coast stretches approximately from the Columbia River in the north to...

. It was created in 1984, along with the Drift Creek Wilderness

Drift Creek Wilderness

Drift Creek Wilderness is a wilderness area in the Siuslaw National Forest on the Oregon Coast. It was created in 1984, along with two other small wilderness areas in the Forest - Cummins Creek Wilderness and Rock Creek Wilderness. The elevation of Drift Creek ranges from , and is characterized...

 and Cummins Creek Wilderness

Cummins Creek Wilderness

The Cummins Creek Wilderness is a wilderness area in the Siuslaw National Forest on the Oregon coast. It is one of three wilderness areas created in the Siuslaw in 1984, along with Drift Creek and Rock Creek...

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Topography

Rock Creek Wilderness is characterized by steep slopes, dense forest, and thick brush. Two streams (Rock Creek and Big Creek), separated by a broad ridge, traverse the area and flow westward to the Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

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Vegetation

Rock Creek Wilderness is primarily coniferous rainforest

Rainforest

Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...

 with dense ground cover. Bigleaf Maple

Bigleaf Maple

Acer macrophyllum is a large deciduous tree in the genus Acer.It can grow to be up to 35 m tall, but more commonly grows 15 m to 20 m tall. It is native to western North America, mostly near the Pacific coast, from southernmost Alaska to southern California...

 and Red Alder

Red Alder

Alnus rubra, the Red alder, is a deciduous broadleaf tree native to western North America.-Description:It is the largest species of alder in North America and one of the largest in the world, reaching heights of 20–35 m. The official tallest red alder stands 32 meters tall in Clatsop County, Oregon...

 trees line both creeks. Old-growth Douglas-fir

Douglas-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...

 can be found in the eastern portion of this area, giving away to old-growth Sitka Spruce

Sitka Spruce

Picea sitchensis, the Sitka Spruce, is a large coniferous evergreen tree growing to 50–70 m tall, exceptionally to 95 m tall, and with a trunk diameter of up to 5 m, exceptionally to 6–7 m diameter...

 closer to the ocean. Other vegetation include 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:...

, Salmonberry

Salmonberry

Rubus spectabilis is a species of Rubus native to the west coast of North America from west central Alaska to California....

, Western Swordfern, and rhododendron

Rhododendron

Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...

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Wildlife

One unique inhabitant of this area is the Oregon silverspot butterfly. These endangered orange-and-brown butterflies can be found on the ridge between the creeks. Salmon

Salmon

Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...

, Steelhead, and Cutthroat trout

Cutthroat trout

The cutthroat trout is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. It is one of the many fish species colloquially known as trout...

 migrate upstream along both creeks each year to spawn

Spawn (biology)

Spawn refers to the eggs and sperm released or deposited, usually into water, by aquatic animals. As a verb, spawn refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, also called spawning...

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See also

• List of Oregon Wildernesses
• List of U.S. Wilderness Areas
• List of old growth forests

External links

• Rock Creek Wilderness - National Wilderness Preservation System
• Siuslaw National Forest
• Rock Creek Wilderness - Leisure and Sport Review