Mount Washington Wilderness
This geological wonderland of rugged terrain topped by jagged peaks includes: near its center, the 6,872-foot cinder and ash cone of Belknap Crater, whose eruptions created one of the largest sheets of lava in the United States, and the summit of the 7,794-foot dissected volcano named after our first president, scraped bare by ancient glaciation (the peak, not the president), overlooking some 75 miles of black lava-strewn plains. A dense forest of lodgepole pine and mountain hemlock covers much of the Wilderness. There are 28 lakes and wildlife enough to attract hunters. Only State Highway 242 separates Mount Washington Wilderness from Three Sisters Wilderness to the south.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Oregon |
| Size | 54,406 acres |
| Designated | 1964, by Congress |
| Center point | 44.30° N, 121.88° 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 27 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
15 more within ten miles are not listed here.
Trails
12 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 81 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Pacific Crest Trail - Wif4 ↗ | 48.4 | |
| Deer Butte ↗ | 8 | |
| Hand Lake ↗ | 6.6 | |
| Patjens Lake Loop ↗ | 6 | |
| Benson ↗ | 5.8 | |
| Pacific Crest Trail - Wif4 ↗ | 2 | |
| Scott Mountain | 1.6 | |
| Scotty Way | 1.3 | |
| Hand Lake Cutoff | 0.6 | |
| Little Belknap | 0.2 |
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
- PrescribedNewberry Piles 2026 Rx
33 mi from the center point
- PrescribedTriple Butte Rx
41 mi from the center point · 40 acres
- PrescribedSlow Dxp/Lemiti Piles Rx - West
42 mi from the center point
- PrescribedSpike Timber Sale Piles Rx - West
45 mi from the center point
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
- 2.9 miSantiam Pass Ski Lodge ↗Sisters, OR
- 9 miCamp Sherman Community Hall ↗Camp Sherman, OR
- 10.4 miLog Cabin Inn Ensemble ↗McKenzie Bridge, OR
- 10.9 miSisters High School ↗Sisters, OR
- 13.8 miBelknap Bridge ↗Rainbow, OR
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for Oregon
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Mount Washington Wilderness?
54,406 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Mount Washington Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Mount Washington Wilderness in?
Oregon.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Mount Washington Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1964.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Mount Washington 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 Mount Washington Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 44.305° N, 121.877° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Is there a fire near Mount Washington Wilderness right now?
4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Newberry Piles 2026 Rx at 33 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Are there historic places near Mount Washington Wilderness?
The National Register has 5 listings within 15 miles, including Santiam Pass Ski Lodge and Camp Sherman Community Hall.
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.