Siskiyou Mountains
Encyclopedia
The Siskiyou Mountains are a coastal mountain range
in the northern Klamath Mountains
in northwestern California
and southwestern Oregon
in the United States
. They extend in an arc for approximately 100 miles (160.9 km) from east of Crescent City, California
northeast along the north side of the Klamath River
into Josephine
and Jackson
counties in Oregon. The mountain range forms a barrier between the watershed
s of the Klamath River to the south and the Rogue River
to the north.
The highest peaks in the range include Mount Ashland
at elevation 7533 feet (2,296.1 m), Dutchman Peak at 7410 feet (2,258.6 m), Siskiyou Peak at 7147 feet (2,178.4 m), and Wagner Butte at 7140 feet (2,176.3 m), all of which are in Oregon. The highest peak in the California portion of the range is Preston Peak
at 7309 feet (2,227.8 m). Due to this high elevation and proximity to the Pacific Ocean
, the peaks get high precipitation (rainfall and snowfall) and thus its forests are a lush green.
These mountains are not the highest or most dramatic in the Klamath Mountains but are subtly beautiful, botanically diverse, and the wildest the region has to offer. Diversity abounds because western canyons can receive over 100 inches (2,540 mm) of rain in some winters while eastern areas are slightly more arid. Because the Siskiyous trend both north and south and then east and west, it holds species that range from coastal, like coast redwood, to Cascadian, like Alaska yellow-cedar and Pacific silver fir
.
Much of the range is within the Rogue River-Siskiyou
and Klamath
national forests. The Pacific Crest Trail
follows a portion of the ridge of the range. The Klamath-Siskiyou forests are noted for their high biodiversity
.
word for "bob-tailed horse." According to historian Richard Mackie, "Siskiyou" was a Cree
word for a bob-tailed horse, one of which perished in 1829 during Alexander McLeod's
journey over a pass later named for the "siskiyou" (today's Siskiyou Pass
). The Cree were in the area as part of McLeod's Hudson's Bay Company
expedition, and had been recruited far away in their homeland in eastern Canada. Another version, given in an argument before the State Senate in 1852, is that the French name Six Cailloux, meaning "six-stones," was given to a ford on the Umpqua River
by Michel Laframboise
and a party of Hudson's Bay Company company trappers in 1832, because six large stones or rocks lay in the river where they crossed. According to some, the Six Cailloux name was appropriated to this region by Stephen Meek
, another Hudson's Bay Company company trapper who was known for his "discovery" of Scott Valley
, in regard to a crossing on the Klamath River
near Hornbrook
. Still others attribute the name to a local tribe of Native Americans.
There is considerable biodiversity
within the Siskiyou Range, including extensive forests. Conifer species include Coast Douglas-fir
(Pseudotsuga menziesii subsp. menziesii), Lawson's Cypress (also known as Port Orford Cedar, Chamaecyparis lawsoniana), Ponderosa Pine
(Pinus ponderosa), Sugar Pine
(Pinus lambertiana), Mountain Hemlock
(Tsuga mertensiana), White Fir
(Abies concolor subsp. lowiana), Red Fir
(A. magnifica subsp. shastensis), Weeping Spruce (Picea breweriana), Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), and Pacific Yew (Taxus brevifolia). The largest extant Black oak, Quercus kelloggii, is found in the Siskiyou Mountains. The Blue Oak
, Quercus douglasii, is beyond its contiguous range; however, there are disjunctive populations of Blue Oak within the Siskiyou Mountains. The eponymous endangered Siskiyou Mountains salamander
is also found within this mountain range.
The Siskiyou range has federal protection in several forms. Oregon Caves National Monument
protects 488 acres (2 km²) in the northern part of the range south of Grants Pass, Oregon
. The Cascade–Siskiyou National Monument protects 52940 acres (214 km²) at the junction of the Siskiyou and Cascade Ranges. There are three designated wilderness
areas in the range in Oregon and California - the Red Buttes Wilderness
, which protects 19940 acres (80.7 km²),the Kalmiopsis Wilderness
, which protects 179755 acres (727.4 km²) and the Siskiyou Wilderness
, which protects 153432 acres (620.9 km²).
The Siskiyou Trail stretched from California's Central Valley, through the Siskiyous, to Oregon's Willamette Valley
. Originally based on existing Native American
foot trails winding their way through river valleys, the Siskiyou Trail provided the shortest practical travel path between early settlements in California and Oregon in the 1820s.
passes through the Siskiyou Mountains at Siskiyou Summit, located just north of the Oregon/California border, and just south of Ashland, Oregon
. Siskiyou Summit is the highest pass on Interstate 5, at 4310 feet (1,313.7 m). This pass is one of the most treacherous in the Interstate highway system. The California
side has a more gradual ascent/descent, but on the Oregon side of the pass (the side which is more hazardous), the freeway gains (loses) 2300 feet (701 m) in elevation over a 7 miles (11.3 km) stretch of freeway. In addition, the pass includes several hazardous curves, and is frequently hit with bad weather (including snow, ice, and fog) during winter storms. During winter, it is common for the highway to be closed one to four times by transportation authorities due to hazardous conditions. The speed limit is 55 miles per hour (88.5 km/h), but lower limits are set for larger vehicles.
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
in the northern Klamath Mountains
Klamath Mountains
The Klamath Mountains, which include the Siskiyou, Marble, Scott, Trinity, Trinity Alps, Salmon, and northern Yolla-Bolly Mountains, are a rugged lightly populated mountain range in northwest California and southwest Oregon in the United States...
in northwestern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and southwestern 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...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. They extend in an arc for approximately 100 miles (160.9 km) from east of Crescent City, California
Crescent City, California
Crescent City is the county seat and only incorporated city in Del Norte County, California. Named for the crescent-shaped stretch of sandy beach south of the city, Crescent City had a total population of 7,643 in the 2010 census, up from 4,006 in the 2000 census...
northeast along the north side of the Klamath River
Klamath River
The Klamath River is an American river that flows southwest through Oregon and northern California, cutting through the Cascade Range to empty into the Pacific Ocean. The river drains an extensive watershed of almost that stretches from the high desert country of the Great Basin to the temperate...
into Josephine
Josephine County, Oregon
Josephine County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. According to Oregon Geographic Names, the county is probably named after a stream in the area called Josephine Creek, which in turn is probably named after Virginia Josephine Rollins Ort. In 2010, its population was 82,713...
and Jackson
Jackson County, Oregon
-National protected areas:* Cascade–Siskiyou National Monument* Crater Lake National Park * Klamath National Forest * Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest * Umpqua National Forest -Demographics:...
counties in Oregon. The mountain range forms a barrier between the watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
s of the Klamath River to the south and the Rogue River
Rogue River (Oregon)
The Rogue River in southwestern Oregon in the United States flows about in a generally westward direction from the Cascade Range to the Pacific Ocean. Known for its salmon runs, whitewater rafting, and rugged scenery, it was one of the original eight rivers named in the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act...
to the north.
The highest peaks in the range include Mount Ashland
Mount Ashland
Mount Ashland ski area is located on Mount Ashland and features 23 trails on served by four lifts, in addition to chute skiing in a glacial cirque called The Bowl. The mountain receives over of snow annually with a season from early December until mid-April...
at elevation 7533 feet (2,296.1 m), Dutchman Peak at 7410 feet (2,258.6 m), Siskiyou Peak at 7147 feet (2,178.4 m), and Wagner Butte at 7140 feet (2,176.3 m), all of which are in Oregon. The highest peak in the California portion of the range is Preston Peak
Preston Peak
Preston Peak is a dominant feature of the Siskiyou Wilderness. Many peaks in the wilderness rise to over 6,000 feet but none come to within 500 feet of approaching the height of Preston Peak...
at 7309 feet (2,227.8 m). Due to this high elevation and proximity 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...
, the peaks get high precipitation (rainfall and snowfall) and thus its forests are a lush green.
These mountains are not the highest or most dramatic in the Klamath Mountains but are subtly beautiful, botanically diverse, and the wildest the region has to offer. Diversity abounds because western canyons can receive over 100 inches (2,540 mm) of rain in some winters while eastern areas are slightly more arid. Because the Siskiyous trend both north and south and then east and west, it holds species that range from coastal, like coast redwood, to Cascadian, like Alaska yellow-cedar and Pacific silver fir
Pacific Silver Fir
Abies amabilis, commonly known as the Pacific silver fir, is a fir native to the Pacific Northwest of North America, occurring in the Pacific Coast Ranges and the Cascade Range from the extreme southeast of Alaska, through western British Columbia, Washington and Oregon, to the extreme northwest of...
.
Much of the range is within the Rogue River-Siskiyou
Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest
The Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest is a United States National Forest located on both sides of the border between the states of Oregon and California. The formerly separate Rogue River and Siskiyou National Forests were administratively combined in 2004...
and Klamath
Klamath National Forest
Klamath National Forest is a national forest, in the Klamath Mountains, located in Siskiyou County in northern California, but with a tiny extension into southern Jackson County in Oregon. The forest contains continuous stands of ponderosa pine, Jeffrey pine, Douglas fir, red fir, white fir and...
national forests. The Pacific Crest Trail
Pacific Crest Trail
The Pacific Crest Trail is a long-distance mountain hiking and equestrian trail on the Western Seaboard of the United States. The southern terminus is at the California border with Mexico...
follows a portion of the ridge of the range. The Klamath-Siskiyou forests are noted for their high biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
.
Name origins
The origin of the word siskiyou is not known. One version is that it is the Chinook JargonChinook Jargon
Chinook Jargon originated as a pidgin trade language of the Pacific Northwest, and spread during the 19th century from the lower Columbia River, first to other areas in modern Oregon and Washington, then British Columbia and as far as Alaska, sometimes taking on characteristics of a creole language...
word for "bob-tailed horse." According to historian Richard Mackie, "Siskiyou" was a Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
word for a bob-tailed horse, one of which perished in 1829 during Alexander McLeod's
Alexander Roderick McLeod
Alexander Roderick McLeod was a fur trader and explorer who began his career with the North West Company in 1802.McLeod became a chief trader with the Hudson's Bay Company after they joined with the NWC in 1821...
journey over a pass later named for the "siskiyou" (today's Siskiyou Pass
Siskiyou Summit
Siskiyou Summit is a mountain pass that carries Interstate 5 through the Siskiyou Mountains near the border between the U.S. states of California and Oregon. The summit is located on the Oregon side, approximately north of the state line, and, at , is the highest point on Interstate 5...
). The Cree were in the area as part of McLeod's Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
expedition, and had been recruited far away in their homeland in eastern Canada. Another version, given in an argument before the State Senate in 1852, is that the French name Six Cailloux, meaning "six-stones," was given to a ford on the Umpqua River
Umpqua River
The Umpqua River on the Pacific coast of Oregon in the United States is approximately long. One of the principal rivers of the Oregon Coast and known for bass and shad, the river drains an expansive network of valleys in the mountains west of the Cascade Range and south of the Willamette Valley,...
by Michel Laframboise
Michel Laframboise
Michel Laframboise was a French Canadian fur trader in the Oregon Country that settled on the French Prairie in the modern U.S. state of Oregon. A native of Quebec, he worked for the Pacific Fur Company, the North West Company, and the Hudson’s Bay Company before he later became a farmer and...
and a party of Hudson's Bay Company company trappers in 1832, because six large stones or rocks lay in the river where they crossed. According to some, the Six Cailloux name was appropriated to this region by Stephen Meek
Stephen Meek
Stephen Hall Meek was a fur trapper and guide in the American west, most notably a guide on a large wagon train known as St. Joseph's Company...
, another Hudson's Bay Company company trapper who was known for his "discovery" of Scott Valley
Scott Valley
Scott Valley is a large, scenic rural area of western Siskiyou County, California, known for its vistas of the Marble Mountains, cattle and dairy ranches, and its historic background as a gold mining area, dating back to the days of the California Gold Rush...
, in regard to a crossing on the Klamath River
Klamath River
The Klamath River is an American river that flows southwest through Oregon and northern California, cutting through the Cascade Range to empty into the Pacific Ocean. The river drains an extensive watershed of almost that stretches from the high desert country of the Great Basin to the temperate...
near Hornbrook
Hornbrook, California
Hornbrook is a census-designated place in Siskiyou County, California, United States. The population was 248 at the 2010 census, down from 286 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hornbrook is located at ....
. Still others attribute the name to a local tribe of Native Americans.
Ecology and protection
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
within the Siskiyou Range, including extensive forests. Conifer species include Coast Douglas-fir
Coast Douglas-fir
Pseudotsuga menziesii, known as Douglas-fir, Oregon Pine, or Douglas spruce, is an evergreen conifer species native to western North America. Its variety Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii, also known as coast Douglas-fir grows in the coastal regions, from west-central British Columbia, Canada...
(Pseudotsuga menziesii subsp. menziesii), Lawson's Cypress (also known as Port Orford Cedar, Chamaecyparis lawsoniana), Ponderosa Pine
Ponderosa Pine
Pinus ponderosa, commonly known as the Ponderosa Pine, Bull Pine, Blackjack Pine, or Western Yellow Pine, is a widespread and variable pine native to western North America. It was first described by David Douglas in 1826, from eastern Washington near present-day Spokane...
(Pinus ponderosa), Sugar Pine
Sugar Pine
Pinus lambertiana, commonly known as the sugar pine or sugar cone pine, is the tallest and most massive pine, with the longest cones of any conifer...
(Pinus lambertiana), Mountain Hemlock
Mountain Hemlock
Tsuga mertensiana, known as Mountain 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 Tulare County, California....
(Tsuga mertensiana), White Fir
White Fir
White Fir is a fir native to the mountains of western North America, occurring at altitudes of 900-3,400 m. It is a medium to large evergreen coniferous tree growing to 25–60 m tall and with a trunk diameter of up to 2 m . It is popular as an ornamental landscaping tree and as a Christmas Tree...
(Abies concolor subsp. lowiana), Red Fir
Red Fir
Abies magnifica, the Red Fir or Silvertip fir, is a western North American fir, native to the mountains of southwest Oregon and California in the United States. It is a high altitude tree, typically occurring at altitude, though only rarely reaching tree line...
(A. magnifica subsp. shastensis), Weeping Spruce (Picea breweriana), Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), and Pacific Yew (Taxus brevifolia). The largest extant Black oak, Quercus kelloggii, is found in the Siskiyou Mountains. The Blue Oak
Blue Oak
Quercus douglasii, the Blue Oak, is an oak in the white oak section of the genus, Quercus sect. Quercus. It is endemic to California and is found in foothills surrounding the Central Valley of California and certain locations in the California Coast Ranges, USA...
, Quercus douglasii, is beyond its contiguous range; however, there are disjunctive populations of Blue Oak within the Siskiyou Mountains. The eponymous endangered Siskiyou Mountains salamander
Siskiyou Mountains salamander
The Siskiyou Mountains salamander, Plethodon stormi, also called the Siskiyou Mountain salamander, exists only in isolated locations along the Klamath River in northern California and southern Oregon...
is also found within this mountain range.
The Siskiyou range has federal protection in several forms. Oregon Caves National Monument
Oregon Caves National Monument
Oregon Caves National Monument is a national monument in the northern Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon in the United States. The main part of the park, including the marble cave and a visitor center, is located east of Cave Junction, on Oregon Route 46. A separate visitor center in Cave...
protects 488 acres (2 km²) in the northern part of the range south of Grants Pass, Oregon
Grants Pass, Oregon
-Rogue River:The Rogue River runs through Grants Pass.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 23,003 people, 9,376 households, and 5,925 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 9,885 housing units at an average density of 1,303.3 per square mile . By 2008,...
. The Cascade–Siskiyou National Monument protects 52940 acres (214 km²) at the junction of the Siskiyou and Cascade Ranges. There are three designated 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...
areas in the range in Oregon and California - the Red Buttes Wilderness
Red Buttes Wilderness
The Red Buttes Wilderness is a wilderness area in Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest in the U.S. states of Oregon and California. It comprises , approximately of which is located in California, and in Oregon...
, which protects 19940 acres (80.7 km²),the Kalmiopsis Wilderness
Kalmiopsis Wilderness
Kalmiopsis Wilderness is a wilderness area in the Klamath Mountains of southwestern Oregon, within the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. It was designated wilderness by the United States Congress in 1964 and now comprises a total of...
, which protects 179755 acres (727.4 km²) and the Siskiyou Wilderness
Siskiyou Wilderness
The Siskiyou Wilderness is a federal wilderness area designated by the passage of the California Wilderness Act of 1984. Originally, the land area was The Northern California Wild Heritage Act of 2006 added for the current total of . All of the wilderness is in Northern California and is managed...
, which protects 153432 acres (620.9 km²).
Siskiyou Trail
The Siskiyou Trail stretched from California's Central Valley, through the Siskiyous, to Oregon's Willamette Valley
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...
. Originally based on existing Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
foot trails winding their way through river valleys, the Siskiyou Trail provided the shortest practical travel path between early settlements in California and Oregon in the 1820s.
Siskiyou Summit
Interstate 5Interstate 5
Interstate 5 is the main Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific Ocean coastline from Canada to Mexico . It serves some of the largest cities on the U.S...
passes through the Siskiyou Mountains at Siskiyou Summit, located just north of the Oregon/California border, and just south of Ashland, Oregon
Ashland, Oregon
Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States, near Interstate 5 and the California border, and located in the south end of the Rogue Valley. It was named after Ashland County, Ohio, point of origin of Abel Helman and other founders, and secondarily for Ashland, Kentucky, where other...
. Siskiyou Summit is the highest pass on Interstate 5, at 4310 feet (1,313.7 m). This pass is one of the most treacherous in the Interstate highway system. The California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
side has a more gradual ascent/descent, but on the Oregon side of the pass (the side which is more hazardous), the freeway gains (loses) 2300 feet (701 m) in elevation over a 7 miles (11.3 km) stretch of freeway. In addition, the pass includes several hazardous curves, and is frequently hit with bad weather (including snow, ice, and fog) during winter storms. During winter, it is common for the highway to be closed one to four times by transportation authorities due to hazardous conditions. The speed limit is 55 miles per hour (88.5 km/h), but lower limits are set for larger vehicles.