- Mount Hood National Forest
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Mount Hood National Forest IUCN Category VI (Managed Resource Protected Area)
Snow covered Mount Hood peaks above the Mount Hood National ForestLocation Oregon, USA Nearest city Government Camp, Oregon Coordinates 45°22′14″N 121°42′14″W / 45.37056°N 121.70389°WCoordinates: 45°22′14″N 121°42′14″W / 45.37056°N 121.70389°W Area 1,067,043 acres (4,318 km2) Established 1908 Visitors 4.4 million[1] (in 2006) Governing body U.S. Forest Service 
Satellite image of part of the forest, including the volcano giving the forest its name.
Old-growth Douglas Fir in the Mount Hood National Forest
Mount Hood in 2006 The Mount Hood National Forest is located 62 miles (100 km) east of the city of Portland, Oregon, and the northern Willamette River valley. The Forest extends south from the Columbia River Gorge across more than 60 miles (97 km) of forested mountains, lakes and streams to the Olallie Scenic Area, a high lake basin under the slopes of Mount Jefferson. The Forest encompasses some 1,067,043 acres (4,318.17 km2).[2] Forest headquarters are located in Sandy, Oregon. A 1993 Forest Service study estimated that the extent of old growth in the Forest was 345,300 acres (139,700 ha).[3] The Forest is divided into four separate districts - Barlow (with offices in Dufur), Clackamas River (Estacada), Hood River (Mount Hood-Parkdale), and Zigzag (Zigzag).
In descending order of land area the National Forest is located in parts of Clackamas, Hood River, Wasco, Multnomah, Marion, and Jefferson counties.[4]
Contents
History
Mount Hood National Forest was first established as the Bull Run Forest Reserve in 1892. It was merged with part of Cascade National Forest on July 1, 1908 and named Oregon National Forest. The name was changed again to Mount Hood National Forest in 1924.[5]
In 2010, Mount Hood National Forest was honored with its own quarter under the America the Beautiful Quarters program.[6]
Recreation
The Mount Hood National Forest is one of the most-visited National Forests in the United States, with over four million visitors annually. Less than five percent of the visitors camp in the forest. The forest contains 170 developed recreation sites, including:[1][2][7]
- Timberline Lodge, built in 1937 high on Mount Hood
- Lost Lake
- Burnt Lake
- Trillium Lake
- Timothy Lake
- Rock Creek Reservoir
- The Old Oregon Trail, including Barlow Road
Other common recreational activities in the Mount Hood National Forest include fishing, boating, hiking, hunting, rafting, horseback riding, skiing, mountain biking, berry-picking, and mushroom collecting.[2] A portion of the Pacific Crest Trail passes through the National Forest on the flanks of the mountain. Mount Hood is a popular destination for mountain climbers, making it the second most climbed mountain in the world.
Several nonprofits lead free hikes into the National Forest to build support for further protection from logging and off-road vehicle use, including Bark and Oregon Wild.[8][9]
Wilderness
There are more than 295,917 acres (1,198 km2) of designated wilderness on the National Forest.
- Mount Hood Wilderness at 67,320 acres (272 km2) includes the peak and upper slopes of Mount Hood.
- Badger Creek Wilderness at approximately 28,140 acres (114 km2)
- Salmon–Huckleberry Wilderness at 61,340 acres (248 km2)
- Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness at approximately 64,960 acres (263 km2)
- Bull of the Woods Wilderness at 37,607 acres (152 km2)
- Roaring River Wilderness at 36,550 acres (148 km2)
- Mount Jefferson Wilderness at 111,177 acres (450 km2), though only part of the wilderness is located in the Mount Hood National Forest
The Olallie Scenic Area is a lightly roaded lake basin that also offers a primitive recreational experience.[2]
References
- ^ a b Revised Visitation Estimates - National Forest Service
- ^ a b c d "About Us". Mt. Hood National Forest. U.S. Forest Service. http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mthood/about/. Retrieved 2007-09-06.
- ^ Bolsinger, Charles L.; Waddell, Karen L. (1993). Area of old-growth forests in California, Oregon, and Washington. United States Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. Resource Bulletin PNW-RB-197. http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_rb197.pdf
- ^ Table 6 - NFS Acreage by State, Congressional District and County - United States Forest Service - September 30, 2007
- ^ Davis, Richard C. (September 29, 2005). National Forests of the United StatesPDF (341 KB). The Forest History Society
- ^ "Mount Hood Quarter Introduced". United States Mint. http://www.americathebeautifulquarters.gov/coins/2010/mount-hood.
- ^ Michael Milstein (September 20, 2007). "Rethinking camping—A Forest Service plan could dramatically change Mount Hood's offerings". OregonLive.com. The Oregonian. http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1190258728155510.xml&coll=7&thispage=2. Retrieved 2007-10-06.
- ^ Hikes & Events - Oregon Wild
- ^ Activities - Bark
External links
- Mount Hood National Forest - US Forest Service
- Mount Hood National Forest - Wildernet.com
- Hiking Mount Hood National Forest - GORP
Protected Areas of Oregon Federal State Arcadia Beach • Bob Straub • Bradley • Cape Kiwanda • Cape Lookout • Cape Meares • Clay Myers at Whalen Island • Del Rey Beach • Ecola • Elmer Feldenheimer • Fishing Rock • Fort Stevens • Gearhart Ocean • Haystack Hill • Hug Point • John Yeon • Manhattan Beach • Munson Creek Falls • Neahkahnie–Manzanita • Nehalem Bay • Oceanside Beach • Oswald West • Rockaway Beach • Sunset Beach • Sunset Highway Forest • Symons • Tolovana Beach • Tolovana Beach • Twin Rocks • Wilson River Highway Forest
Agate Beach • Alsea Bay • Beachside • Beaver Creek • Beverly Beach • Boiler Bay • Carl G. Washburne • Collins Creek • D River • Darlingtonia • Devils Lake • Devils Punch Bowl • Driftwood Beach • Ellmaker • Fogarty Creek • Gleneden Beach • Governor Patterson • H.B. Van Duzer • Heceta Head Lighthouse • Jessie M. Honeyman • Joaquin Miller Forest • L. Presley & Vera C. Gill • Lost Creek • Muriel O. Ponsler • Neptune • Neskowin Beach • Ona Beach • Otter Crest • Pritchard • Roads End • Rocky Creek • San Marine • Seal Rock • Smelt Sands • South Beach • Stonefield Beach • Tokatee Klootchman • W. B. Nelson • Whale Watching • Yachats • Yachats Ocean Road • Yaquina Bay
Albert H. Powers • Alfred A. Loeb • Arizona Beach • Bandon • Bolon Island Tideways • Bullards Beach • Cape Arago • Cape Blanco • Cape Sebastian • Conde B. McCullough • Coquille Myrtle Grove • Crissey Field • Elk Creek Tunnel Forest • Face Rock • Floras Lake • Geisel Monument • Golden and Silver Falls • Harris Beach • Hoffman • Humbug Mountain • Hutchinson • Maria C. Jackson • McVay Rock • Ophir • Otter Point • Paradise Point • Pistol River • Port Orford Cedar Forest • Port Orford Heads • Samuel H. Boardman • Seven Devils • Shore Acres • Sisters Rock • Sunset Bay • Sweet Myrtle • Umpqua • Umpqua Lighthouse • Umpqua Myrtle • William M. Tugman • Winchuck • Yoakam Point
Banks–Vernonia • Bonnie Lure • Government Island • L. L. "Stub" Stewart • Mary S. Young • Milo McIver • Tryon Creek • Willamette Stone
Ainsworth • Benson • Bonneville • Bridal Veil Falls • Crown Point • Dabney • Dalton Point • George W. Joseph • Guy W. Talbot • Historic Columbia River Highway • John B. Yeon • Koberg Beach • Lang Forest • Lewis and Clark • Lindsey Creek • Mayer • McLoughlin • Memaloose • Multnomah Falls • Portland Women's Forum • Rocky Butte • Rooster Rock • Seneca Fouts • Shepperd's Dell • Sheridan • Starvation Creek • Viento • Vinzenz Lausmann • Wyeth • Wygant
Alderwood • Bald Peak • Blachly Mountain Forest • Bowers Rock • Cascadia • Champoeg • Detroit Lake • Dexter • Elijah Bristow • Erratic Rock • Fall Creek • Fort Yamhill • Holman • Jasper • Lowell • Luckiamute • Maples • Maud Williamson • Molalla River • North Santiam • Sarah Helmick • Silver Falls • State Capitol • Thompson's Mills • Washburne • Willamette Mission
Ben Hur Lampman • Canyon Creek Forest • Casey • Collier Memorial • Illinois River Forks • Jackson F. Kimball • Joseph H. Stewart • Klamath Falls – Lakeview Forest • OC&E Woods Line • Prospect • Rough and Ready Forest • Stage Coach Forest • TouVelle • Tub Springs • Valley of the Rogue • Wolf Creek Inn
Cline Falls • Deschutes River • Dyer • Elliott Corbett • La Pine • Ochoco • Peter Skene Ogden • Pilot Butte • Prineville Reservoir • Redmond–Bend Juniper • Sisters • Smith Rock • The Cove Palisades • Tumalo • White River Falls
Bates • Battle Mountain Forest • Blue Mountain Forest • Booth • Catherine Creek • Chandler • Clyde Holliday • Crooked Creek • Deadman's Pass • Emigrant Springs • Farewell Bend • Fort Rock • Fort Rock Cave • Frenchglen Hotel • Goose Lake • Hat Rock • Hilgard Junction • Kam Wah Chung • Lake Owyhee • Minam • Ontario • Pete French Round Barn • Red Bridge • Succor Creek • Sumpter Valley Dredge • Ukiah–Dale Forest • Unity Forest • Unity Lake • Wallowa Lake • Wallowa Lake Highway Forest • Wallowa River
Bridge Creek • Dean Creek • Denman • E.E. Wilson • Elkhorn • Fern Ridge • Irrigon • Jewell Meadows • Klamath • Ladd Marsh • Lower Deschutes • Phillip W. Schneider • Prineville • Riverside • Sauvie Island • Snake River Islands • Summer Lake • Wenaha • White River • Willow Creek
Regions Portland metroBlue Lake • Cooper Mountain • Glendoveer • Howell • Oregon Zoo • Oxbow • Smith and Bybee • Mount Talbert
Cities PortlandForest Park • Washington Park
Heritage registers: National Register of Historic Places • National Historic Landmarks • National Natural Landmarks • World Network of Biosphere Reserves Categories:- IUCN Category VI
- National Forests of Oregon
- Columbia River Gorge
- Mount Hood
- Mount Hood National Forest
- Protected areas of Clackamas County, Oregon
- Protected areas of Hood River County, Oregon
- Protected areas of Wasco County, Oregon
- Protected areas of Multnomah County, Oregon
- Protected areas of Marion County, Oregon
- Protected areas of Jefferson County, Oregon
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