Mount Baker Wilderness

Mount Baker Wilderness is a 119,989-acre (48,558 ha) wilderness area within the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in the western Cascade Range of northern Washington state. Its eastern border is shared with the boundary of the Stephen Mather Wilderness and North Cascades National Park for a distance of 40 miles (65 kilometers). The wilderness extends from State Route 20 north to the Canada–US border. On the west, it is bounded by the foothills of the Puget Sound lowlands.[2]

Mount Baker Wilderness
Twin Sisters Mountain from Grouse Ridge
Map showing the location of Mount Baker Wilderness
Map showing the location of Mount Baker Wilderness
LocationWhatcom County, Washington, USA
Nearest cityBellingham, WA
Coordinates48°48′29″N 121°44′35″W
Area119,989 acres (485.58 km2)[2]
Established1984
Governing bodyU.S. Forest Service
Mt. Baker Wilderness
Bistort and lupine bloom on Cougar Divide with Hadley Peak behind.

Almost entirely within Whatcom County, the wilderness lies on the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains. The three forks of the Nooksack River and the Baker River are the major drainages of the wilderness.

Ecology

Vegetative cover is typical of the west slopes of the Cascades including western redcedar, coast Douglas-fir, noble fir, Pacific silver fir, subalpine fir, western hemlock and mountain hemlock, and at higher elevations, alpine meadows. Animals include mountain goats and hoary marmots. On mountains and higher ridges, considerable areas of rock and permanent glaciers (over 10,000 acres (40 km2)) occur.[3]

Geology

The terrain is rugged, with steep slopes and numerous ridges dissected by small intermittent or permanent drainages. Mount Baker (10,420 feet (3,180 m)),[4] an active volcano, is one of the area's most distinctive features. The mountain periodically exhibits thermal activity. The most northern of Washington's volcanoes it stands at 10,778 feet (3,285 m). Other major mountains include:

The wilderness is wholly contained within Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and is adjacent to the Mount Baker National Recreation Area.

See also

References
  1. "Protected Planet | Mount Baker". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
  2. "Mount Baker Wilderness". University of Montana. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  3. "Mt. Baker Wilderness". U.S. Forest Service. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  4. "Mount Baker". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  5. "North Twin". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  6. "South Twin". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  7. "Tomyhoi Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  8. "American Border Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  9. "Mount Larrabee". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  10. "Goat Mountain Trail, Whatcom County, Washington, Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika". OpenStreetMap.org. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  11. "Mount Sefrit". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  12. "Ruth Mountain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  13. "Hadley Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
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