North Fork John Day Wilderness

North Fork John Day Wilderness


	Courtesy of EatStayPlay.com

From rolling benchlands to the granite outcrops of the Greenhorn Mountains, the rugged North Forest John Day Wilderness provides diverse landscapes. Much of the wilderness is composed of gentle benchlands and tablelands; the remaining of steep ridges and alpine lake basins. A continuous vegetative canopy covers most of the land, including dense virgin stands of conifer species like Douglas-fir, white fir, western larch and lodgepole pine. This wilderness, which is broken into four segments and traverses two national forests, is known for its big game and anadromous fish habitat. Headwaters of the Wild and Scenic North Fork John Day River is in this wilderness, accounting for many miles of steelhead and trout habitat. Dominant wildlife species are elk, deer and some bear. Many small game and nongame species also inhabit the area, as do mountain goats. An interesting aspect of this Wilderness is it's small size. At 13,715 acres, the direction of the Wilderness Act to maintain outstanding opportunities for solitude, and to allow natural processes to function "untrammeled by man", is an ongoing challenge for Wilderness managers. Unless willing to travel cross country and off the beaten track, finding solitude may be difficult. There are, however, outstanding opportunities to engage in an unconfined recreation experience, and to experience first-hand an untrammeled, natural landscape. Since the acres are few, it is critical for all Wilderness visitors to utilize their minimum impact skills to help protect and preserve every acre of this precious landscape.