USFWS · Washington

Washington Islands Wilderness

Washington Islands Wilderness is located off of the Olympic Coast within the Washington Islands National Wildlife Refuges, established by Theodore Roosevelt. It is comprised of Flattery Rocks, Quillayute Needles, and Copalis, stretching off-shore from Cape Flattery all the way south to Copalis, Washington. More than 600 islands, rocks, and reefs make up this unit, and all but Destruction Island are designated as Wilderness along with several hundred acres of unsurveyed lands above the line of mean high water. The islands range in size from less than 1 acre to about 36 acres, and most drop abruptly into the sea.

Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).

Official page at Wilderness Connect ↗
Washington Islands Wilderness
Photo from Wilderness Connect, wilderness.net
DesignationWilderness
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateWashington
Size451 acres
Designated1970, by Congress
Center point48.18° N, 124.76° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 6)

Boundary map

17 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees

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

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Washington Islands Wilderness40°50°60°January: 15.59 inches of precipitationFebruary: 9.73 inches of precipitationMarch: 11.78 inches of precipitationApril: 8.11 inches of precipitationMay: 4.25 inches of precipitationJune: 3.30 inches of precipitationJuly: 1.58 inches of precipitationAugust: 2.64 inches of precipitationSeptember: 4.56 inches of precipitationOctober: 10.68 inches of precipitationNovember: 15.26 inches of precipitationDecember: 13.84 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 41.7°F averageFebruary: 42.1°F averageMarch: 43.9°F averageApril: 46.9°F averageMay: 51.7°F averageJune: 55.5°F averageJuly: 59.3°F averageAugust: 60.0°F averageSeptember: 57.1°F averageOctober: 50.6°F averageNovember: 44.7°F averageDecember: 41.0°F average0 in5 in10 in15 in20 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Quillayute State AP, 19 miles from the center point at 185 feet, station USW00094240 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 101 inches a year.

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

Campsite Atlas →

No federal campground is within ten miles of the boundary in the Campsite Atlas index. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from trails and water, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit and group-size rules.

Explore

Guidebooks for Washington

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  • Backpacking Washington
    Douglas Lorain, 2020
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Pacific Crest Trail: Oregon and Washington
    Andy Selters, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking Waterfalls in Washington
    Sawyer Scheer, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking Washington's Fire Lookouts
    Amber Casali, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hikes in the Washington Region Part C
    Larry Broadwell and William Needham, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Washington Islands Wilderness?

451 acres.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Who manages Washington Islands Wilderness?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: Wilderness Connect

What state is Washington Islands Wilderness in?

Washington.

Source: Wilderness Connect

When was Washington Islands Wilderness designated?

Congress designated it in 1970.

Source: Wilderness Connect

How do I get to Washington Islands Wilderness?

A point inside the boundary is at 48.176° N, 124.761° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: Wilderness Connect

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.
  • 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.