Willamette Cascades

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Willamette National Forest

The 1.7 million-acre Willamette National Forest lies along the western slope of the Cascades. The Forest is easily accessed from the Willamette Valley communities of Salem, Albany, and Eugene and from Central Oregon. Four major highways-US Route 20 and Oregon State Routes 22, 126, and 58–provide east-west access across the Forest. 

The Willamette National Forest is named after the Willamette River; originally known as Wallamt, an Indian nam for a location along the river near Oregon City. The Forest is covered with Douglas-fir, the state tree of Oregon, as well as at least 15 other conifer species and over 300 species of fish and wildlife. The majority of the Forest is underlain by volcanic rocks, and at high elevations, evidence of glacial sculpting persists today.

Wilderness

About one-fifth of the Willamette NF (380, 805 acres) is Congressionally-designated Wilderness. Seven major peaks including Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Washington, Three Fingered Jack, Diamond Peak, and the North, Middle, and South Sisters lie within these areas.