 | | Pasayten Wilderness, skirting more than 50 miles of Canada's border and encompassing the crest of the Cascades, this big piece of very wild country is home to the largest population of lynx in the Lower 48. The Wilderness boasts almost 150 peaks over 7,500 feet in elevation, 160 or more bodies of water, and at least as many waterways, some fierce enough to have carved incisive canyons with sheer walls. Rugged ridges in the west flatten into parklike plateaus toward the east, with deep drainages on both sides. Its diverse forest changes from vegetation typical of western Washington (fir, cedar, western hemlock) to growth typical of eastern Washington (fir, pine, larch). Deer, moose, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, the fabled gray wolf, and the intimidating grizzly bear steal through these woods. Snow falls between October and May, and the hardpack may block the high western-side trails sometimes until early August. Eastern-side trails are usually free of snow by early July. Although part of the Wilderness lies in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, the largest section (and its management) falls within the boundaries of Okanogan National Forest. |
| |  | | | Facilities: Pasayten Wilderness provides campgrounds. Reservations: Reservations are not needed or accepted for Pasayten Wilderness. Best Time To Visit: Pasayten Wilderness is open year-round. Fees: No fees are charged. Accessibility: This wilderness is not handicap accessible. Rules: Do not litter. Directions: To reach Pasayten Wilderness from Bellingham, start out going northeast on J Street toward Ellsworth for less than 0.1 miles. Turn right onto Ellsworth Street for 0.3 miles. Turn left onto C Street for 0.1 miles. Turn right onto Halleck Street for 0.2 miles. Halleck Street becomes Ohio Street for 0.5 miles. Merge onto I-5 South for 22.4 miles. Take the WA-11 North exit-Exit 231-toward Burlington for 0.2 miles. Turn right onto WA-11 and continue for 0.1 miles. WA-11 becomes North Burlington Boulevard for 0.3 miles. Turn left onto WA-20 for 28.8 miles. Turn left onto North Dillard Avenue for 0.1 miles. From Concrete, travel east on state highway 20 about 30 miles south, then northeast to reach the southwest boundary of this wilderness. | | |
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| | | | Address | | Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Supervisor's Office | | 21905 64th Avenue West | | Mountlake Terrace, Washington 98043 |
| | | Phone | | General: (425) 775-9702 | | Toll Free:1(800) 627-0062 | |
| | | | | Website | | Email |
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