Clackamas Wilderness
The Clackamas Wilderness consists of five widely separated tracts of roadless land, scattered left and right of the Clackamas River for 50 miles. These pieces include Big Bottom, Clackamas Canyon, Memaloose Lake, Sisi Butte and South Fork Clackamas. With the largest trees in northwest Oregon, the Clackamas Wilderness protects clean drinking water for many Oregonians. A well-known hike in the Clackamas Wilderness is the trail to Memaloose Lake. It climbs through an old-growth forest 1.4 miles to the lake, and then continues a mile up to a viewpoint atop South Fork Mountain. The word memaloose means "dead" in Chinook jargon, the old Indian trade language of the Northwest.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Oregon |
| Size | 9,465 acres |
| Designated | 2009, by Congress |
| Center point | 44.91° N, 121.84° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 9) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground
The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
Where to camp
None of the 35 federal campgrounds within ten miles sit inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Show 4 moreHide
23 more within ten miles are not listed here.
Trails
3 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 11 miles in all.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Clackamas River ↗ | 7.5 | |
| Memaloose Lake | 1.8 | |
| Hillockburn | 1.4 |
Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedSlow Dxp/Lemiti Piles Rx - West
3 mi from the center point
- PrescribedSpike Timber Sale Piles Rx - West
3 mi from the center point
- PrescribedTriple Butte Rx
6 mi from the center point · 40 acres
- WildfireAustin
10 mi from the center point · 12,888 acres · 98% contained
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 3.2 miOlallie Meadows Guard Station ↗Estacada, OR
- 5.3 miOlallie Lake Guard Station ↗Estacada, OR
- 10.5 miBagby Guard Station ↗Estacada, OR
- 13.1 miFoster, Philip, Farm ↗Eagle Creek, OR
- 14 miJohnston, Andrew J. and Anna B., Farmstead ↗Oregon City, OR
- 14.1 miVaughan, William Hatchette, House ↗Molalla, OR
- 14.4 mi
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for Oregon
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Clackamas Wilderness?
9,465 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Clackamas Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Clackamas Wilderness in?
Oregon.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Clackamas Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 2009.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Clackamas Wilderness?
Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities, and the managing agency page has the permit rules. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.
Source: Where to camp
How do I get to Clackamas Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 44.906° N, 121.837° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Is there a fire near Clackamas Wilderness right now?
4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Slow Dxp/Lemiti Piles Rx - West at 3 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Are there historic places near Clackamas Wilderness?
The National Register has 7 listings within 15 miles, including Olallie Meadows Guard Station and Olallie Lake Guard Station.
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
- Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
- Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.