Indian Heaven Wilderness
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Indian Heaven Wilderness
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 Lemei Rock , the highest peak in the Indian Heaven Wilderness |
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| location | Skamania County , Washington , USA | |
| surface | 84.1 km² | |
| WDPA ID | 11111459 | |
| Geographical location | 46 ° 1 ′ N , 121 ° 47 ′ W | |
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| Setup date | 1984 | |
| administration | United States Forest Service | |
The Indian Heaven Wilderness a is a protected area within the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in the southwest of the US state Washington . The wilderness area consists of 20,782 acres (8,410 hectares) of a wide, wooded plateau with meadows that extends over numerous volcanic cones and at least 150 small lakes, ponds and swamps. The wilderness area also contains the Indian Heaven volcanic field . Originally the area was called "Sahalee Tyee" by the Indians; it was and is culturally significant for the indigenous peoples. For the past 9,000 years, the Yakima , Klickitat , Wasco-Wishram , Wasco , Wishram, and Umatilla roamed the area to gather berries, fish, and hunt.
landscape
Lava once flowed from the numerous volcanic cones that rise above the plateau and can be classified as shield volcanoes , cinder cones and ash cones and reach an average height of 4,500 ft (approx. 1,400 m). The highest point of the area is the Lemei Rock (5,927 ft (1,807 m)), the crater of which today contains Lake Wapiki. Other prominent volcanoes include Bird Mountain, Sawtooth Mountain , Gifford Peak, East Crater, and Red Mountain. The Big Lava Bed is the result of recent volcanic activity around 8,200 years ago.
Map with all coordinates of the landscape section : OSM
| Surname | Height in meters | Coordinates | Last outbreak |
| Big Lava Bed | 1,279 | 45 ° 55 ′ N , 121 ° 45 ′ W. | ≈ 8,150 years ago |
| Bird Mountain | 1,712 | 46 ° 2 ′ N , 121 ° 47 ′ W. | ≈ 8,200 years ago |
| Crazy Hills | |||
| East Crater | 1,614 | 46 ° 0 ′ N , 121 ° 47 ′ W. | ≈ 8,200 years ago |
| Gifford Peak | 1,636 | 45 ° 59 ′ N , 121 ° 48 ′ W. | ≈ 8,200 years ago |
| Lemei skirt | 1,806 | 46 ° 1 ′ N , 121 ° 46 ′ W. | ≈ 8,200 years ago |
| Lone butte | 1,457 | 46 ° 3 ′ N , 121 ° 50 ′ W. | ≈ 8,200 years ago |
| Red Mountain | 1,513 | 45 ° 56 ' N , 121 ° 49' W. | ≈ 8,200 years ago |
| Sawtooth Mountain | 1,632 | 46 ° 4 ′ N , 121 ° 46 ′ W. | ≈ 8,200 years ago |
geology
The Lemei Rock is one of the many shield volcanoes, which are crowned by cinder and ash cones and make up the Indian Heaven volcanic field. Around 60 eruptive centers can be identified in the 30 km long, N10 ° E-directed Indian Heaven fracture zone . The approximately 600 km² volcanic field has a volume of approx. 100 cubic kilometers and forms the western part of a 2,000 km² Quaternary basalt field in the southern cascades of Washington, which also includes the King Mountain Fracture Zone together with Mount Adams .
fauna and Flora
fauna
The wilderness area is inhabited by deer and elk until onset of winter, which, along with blackberries, are attracted by the lush stands of huckleberries ( Vaccinium parvifolium ) that ripen in autumn before the snowfalls push them lower down. Numerous species of birds are native to the area; smaller forest species such as chipmunks can also be observed.
flora
Most of the coniferous forests consist of rock mountain firs and Douglas firs . The area (including the Sawtooth Berry Fields) is known for its masses of huckleberries , which are ripe from mid-August to early September. They grow particularly frequently in the meadows surrounded by old fir trees, which were regularly burned down by the Indians in the past to stimulate the growth of the berry bushes and to increase the yield.
tourism
The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail crosses the wilderness area, known for the many lakes and the views of the nearby volcanoes (Mount Adams, Mount Hood , Mount St. Helens , Mount Rainier ), from south to north. It is also known by hikers for the many mosquitoes that occur here. Other important trails through the area are the Indian Heaven Trail and Cultus Creek Trail, which crosses the east side of Bird Mountain, and the Lemei Trail, which crosses the east side of Lemei Rock and passes Lake Wapiki. In late autumn, the huckleberry bushes shine in bright orange in some years, in addition to the colors of their berries.
Nearly 8,000 people visited the area in 2015 for recreation, which exceeded the US Forest Service's standards for solitude and seclusion.
Remarks
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Indian Heaven Wilderness . In: Wilderness.net . University of Montana. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
- ↑ a b Indian Heaven Wilderness . In: Gifford Pinchot National Forest . US Forest Service. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
- ↑ a b c Wilderness: Indian Heaven . In: Gifford Pinchot National Forest . US Forest Service. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Charles A. Wood, Jűrgen Kienle: Volcanoes of North America . Cambridge University Press , 1993, ISBN 0-521-43811-X , pp. 166-167.
- ↑ Big Lava Bed Crater, Washington . PeakBagger.com. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ^ Bird Mountain - Southeast Peak, United States . PeakBagger.com. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ^ East Crater, Washington . PeakBagger.com. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ^ Gifford Peak, Washington . PeakBagger.com. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
- ↑ Lemei Rock, Washington . PeakBagger.com. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ↑ Lone Butte, Washington . PeakBagger.com. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ↑ Red Mountain, Washington . PeakBagger.com. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ↑ Sawtooth Mountain, Washington . PeakBagger.com. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ↑ Al Thomas: Solitude at Risk in Indian Heaven Wilderness . In: The Columbian , September 1, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
Web links
- Indian Heaven Wilderness on the US Forest Service website
- Indian Heaven Wilderness in the Wilderness.net project of the University of Montana (English)