| Norse Peak Wilderness is located just northeast of Mount Rainier National Park, Norse Peak Wilderness reaches down both sides of the crest of the Cascade Mountain Range. Narrow drainages below rockbound ridges slice deeply into the area, which opens here and there into scenic basins dotted with lakes. A typical western Cascades forest of Douglas fir, western hemlock, and cedar understoried with ferns and mosses characterizes the western side of the crest, giving way to mountain hemlock, subalpine fir, and lovely meadows before dropping down on the eastern side to drier country and a forest of larch, spruce, and pine. Remnants of the old gold-seeking days recall the past in the southwest corner: mine shafts, tailings, derelict cabins. The bold faces of Fifes Peaks in the southeast portion attract rock climbers. Only the corridor of State Highway 410 and the American River separate Norse Peak from William O. Douglas Wilderness to the south. |
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