Three Sisters Wilderness
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Three Sisters Wilderness | |
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| IUCN Category Ib (Wilderness Area) | |
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| Location: | Oregon, USA |
| Nearest city: | Sisters, OR (20 miles NE) Bend, OR (20 miles E) |
| Coordinates: | |
| Area: | 286,708 acres (1,160 km²) |
| Established: | January 1, 1964 |
| Governing body: | U.S. Forest Service |
The Three Sisters Wilderness is a wilderness area in the Willamette National Forest in Oregon, east of Eugene and southeast of Portland. It consists of 242,000 acres (979 km²) along the crest of the Cascades, and ranges in elevation from 2,000 to 10,358 feet (600 to 3157 m). Access from the Willamette Valley to the west is by Oregon State Route 242.
The wilderness contains the largest glacier in Oregon, as well as some of the best examples of glaciated terrain in the northwestern United States.
More than 260 miles (418 km) of trails cross through the wilderness, including 40 miles (60 km) of the Pacific Crest Trail. The Three Sisters themselves are a group of three mountains: North, Middle, and South. The South and Middle are not technically difficult climbs, but the North requires a bit of technical expertise and equipment.
Forest cover includes Douglas Fir, Silver Fir, Subalpine Fir, Mountain Hemlock, Western Hemlock, True Fir, Lodgepole Pine and Ponderosa Pine. There also is a large area above timberline containing alpine meadows.
