Diamond Peak Wilderness

Wilderness area in Oregon, United States

43°31′0″N 122°9′0″W / 43.51667°N 122.15000°W / 43.51667; -122.15000Area52,337 acres (21,180 ha)Established1964Governing bodyU.S. Forest Service

The Diamond Peak Wilderness is a wilderness area straddling the Cascade crest and includes the Diamond Peak volcano. It is located within two National Forests - the Willamette National Forest on the west and the Deschutes National Forest on the east.^[1]

Designation

On February 5, 1957, the Forest Service established the 36,637-acre (14,826 ha) Diamond Peak Wild Area. Upon passage of the federal Wilderness Act in 1964 it was reclassified as wilderness. With the passage of the Oregon Wilderness Act of 1984, Diamond Peak Wilderness increased in size to its present 52,337 acres (21,180 ha).^[2]

Geography

At 8,744 feet (2,665 m), Diamond Peak is the highest peak in the wilderness. The next highest named peaks are Mount Yoran at 7,100 feet (2,200 m) and Lakeview Mountain at 7,065 feet (2,153 m).^[3]^[4] Diamond Peak is a shield volcano formed as the entire Cascade Range was undergoing volcanic activity and uplift. Glaciers carved the large volcanic peak, and when they receded, the bulk of the mountain remained, with snowfields near the summit and dozens of small lakes surrounding the peak. These lakes range from one to 28 acres (11 ha) in size.^[1] Approximately 14 miles (23 km) of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail pass through this wilderness. Another 38 miles (61 km) of trail, including the 10-mile (16 km) Diamond Peak Trail, stretches the length of the west side of the peak.^[1]

Vegetation

Nearly the entire Diamond Peak Wilderness is covered with mixed stands of mountain hemlock, lodgepole and western white pine, and silver, noble and other true firs.^[1] Alpine flowers, including varieties of mimulus, trillium, lupine, penstemon, heather, and Indian paintbrush, are common along trails, lake shores, streams and in the meadows. Huckleberry and dwarf manzanita are common in the dense underbrush.^[2]^[5]

Wildlife

The Diamond Peak Wilderness is home to black-tailed deer, mule deer, and elk. In winter, the mule deer migrate eastward out of the wilderness to the sage desert, while black-tailed deer and elk drop down the west slope. Black bear and small mammals including marmots, snowshoe rabbits, squirrels, pine martens, foxes, and pikas inhabit the area all year long. The raven, Clark's nutcracker, Oregon jay, and water ouzel frequent the forest and streams year-round. Bufflehead and goldeneye ducks occasionally nest near the lakes.^[2]^[5]

Recreation

Recreational activities in the Diamond Peak Wilderness include hiking, horseback riding, camping, hunting, fishing, and mountain climbing. Some 52 miles (84 km) of trails cross the wilderness, including 14 miles (23 km) the Pacific Crest Trail along the east slope of Diamond Peak. Marie Lake, Divide Lake, and Rockpile Lake are popular base camps for the climb up Diamond Peak. Mount Yoran and Lakeview Mountain can also be climbed. Winter is popular for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.^[1]^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Diamond Peak Wilderness: Willamette". U.S. Forest Service. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Central Oregon Wilderness Areas (Cascades to the Coast), by Donna Aitkenhead, p4. 14-15
^ Geo-Graphics; Deschutes National Forest; Willamette National Forest (2000). Willamette Pass Oregon XC Ski Trails: Salt Creek Falls to Crescent Lake Jct (Topographic map). 1:38,585. Geo-Graphics.
^ U.S. Forest Service; Bureau of Land Management (2017). Willamette Cascades (Map). 1:126,720. Pacific Northwest Recreation Map Series. ISBN 978162811578-9.
^ ^a ^b "GORP - Diamond Peak Wilderness Area, Oregon". Archived from the original on 2010-05-16. Retrieved 2010-05-13.

External links

Willamette National Forest - Diamond Peak Wilderness
Deschutes & Ochoco National Forests - Diamond Peak Wilderness

Protected areas of Oregon

Heritage registers: National Register of Historic Places; National Historic Landmarks; National Natural Landmarks; World Network of Biosphere Reserves

Federal

NPS

National Parks	Crater Lake
National Historic Parks and Sites	Fort Vancouver NHS Lewis and Clark NHP Nez Perce NHP
National monuments	John Day Fossil Beds Newberry National Volcanic Monument (USFS) Oregon Caves

USFS

National Forests	Deschutes Fremont–Winema Malheur Mount Hood Ochoco Rogue River–Siskiyou Siuslaw Umatilla Umpqua Wallowa–Whitman Willamette
National Grasslands	Crooked River
National recreation areas	Hells Canyon Mount Hood Oregon Dunes
Scenic areas	Cape Perpetua Columbia River Gorge

National Wildlife Refuge System	Ankeny Bandon Marsh Baskett Slough Bear Valley Cape Meares Cold Springs Deer Flat Hart Mountain Julia Butler Hansen Refuge for the Columbian White-Tailed Deer Klamath Marsh Lewis and Clark Lower Klamath Malheur McKay Creek Nestucca Bay Oregon Islands Siletz Bay Three Arch Rocks Tualatin River Umatilla Upper Klamath Wapato Lake William L. Finley
Wilderness areas	Badger Creek Black Canyon Boulder Creek Bridge Creek Bull of the Woods Clackamas Copper Salmon Cummins Creek Devil's Staircase Diamond Peak Drift Creek Eagle Cap Gearhart Mountain Grassy Knob Hells Canyon Kalmiopsis Lower White River Mark O. Hatfield Menagerie Middle Santiam Mill Creek Monument Rock Mount Hood Mount Jefferson Mount Thielsen Mount Washington Mountain Lakes North Fork John Day North Fork Umatilla Opal Creek Oregon Badlands Red Buttes Roaring River Rock Creek Rogue–Umpqua Divide Salmon–Huckleberry Sky Lakes Soda Mountain Spring Basin Steens Mountain Strawberry Mountain Table Rock Three Sisters Waldo Lake Wenaha–Tucannon Wild Rogue
National Conservation Lands	Cascade–Siskiyou National Monument Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area
National Wild and Scenic Rivers	List of Oregon's National Wild and Scenic Rivers
Other protected areas	Cascade Head Preserve Christmas Valley Sand Dunes Fossil Lake Area of Critical Environmental Concern Lost Forest Research Natural Area Sandy River Delta South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve Upper and Lower Table Rock Wildwood Recreation Site

State

Parks

North Coast	Arcadia Beach Bob Straub Bradley Cape Kiwanda Cape Lookout Cape Meares Clay Myers at Whalen Island Del Rey Beach Ecola Elmer Feldenheimer Fishing Rock Fort Stevens Gearhart Ocean Haystack Hill Hug Point John Yeon Manhattan Beach Munson Creek Falls Neahkahnie–Manzanita Nehalem Bay Oceanside Beach Oswald West Rockaway Beach Sunset Beach Sunset Highway Forest Sitka Sedge Symons Tolovana Beach Twin Rocks Wilson River Highway Forest
Central Coast	Agate Beach Alsea Bay Beachside Beaver Creek Beverly Beach Boiler Bay Carl G. Washburne Collins Creek D River Darlingtonia Devils Lake Devils Punch Bowl Driftwood Beach Ellmaker Fogarty Creek Gleneden Beach Governor Patterson H.B. Van Duzer Heceta Head Lighthouse Jessie M. Honeyman Joaquin Miller Forest L. Presley & Vera C. Gill Lost Creek Muriel O. Ponsler Neptune Neskowin Beach Ona Beach Otter Crest Pritchard Roads End Rocky Creek San Marine Seal Rock Smelt Sands South Beach Stonefield Beach Tokatee Klootchman W. B. Nelson Whale Watching Yachats Yachats Ocean Road Yaquina Bay
South Coast	Albert H. Powers Alfred A. Loeb Arizona Beach Bandon Bolon Island Tideways Bullards Beach Cape Arago Cape Blanco Cape Sebastian Conde B. McCullough Coquille Myrtle Grove Crissey Field Elk Creek Tunnel Forest Face Rock Floras Lake Geisel Monument Golden and Silver Falls Harris Beach Hoffman Humbug Mountain Hutchinson Lone Ranch Maria C. Jackson McVay Rock Ophir Otter Point Paradise Point Pistol River Port Orford Cedar Forest Port Orford Heads Samuel H. Boardman Seven Devils Shore Acres Sisters Rock Sunset Bay Sweet Myrtle Umpqua Umpqua Lighthouse Umpqua Myrtle William M. Tugman Winchuck Yoakam Point
Portland Metro	Banks–Vernonia Bonnie Lure Government Island L. L. "Stub" Stewart Mary S. Young Milo McIver Tryon Creek Willamette Stone
Columbia River Gorge/ Mount Hood	Ainsworth Benson Bonneville Bridal Veil Falls Crown Point Dabney Dalton Point George W. Joseph Guy W. Talbot Historic Columbia River Highway John B. Yeon Koberg Beach Lang Forest Lewis and Clark Lindsey Creek Mayer McLoughlin Memaloose Multnomah Falls Portland Women's Forum Rocky Butte Rooster Rock Seneca Fouts Shepperd's Dell Sheridan Starvation Creek Viento Vinzenz Lausmann Wyeth Wygant
Willamette Valley	Alderwood Bald Peak Blachly Mountain Forest Bowers Rock Cascadia Champoeg Detroit Lake Dexter Elijah Bristow Erratic Rock Fall Creek Fort Yamhill Holman Jasper Lowell Luckiamute Maples Maud Williamson Molalla River North Santiam Sarah Helmick Silver Falls State Capitol Thompson's Mills Washburne Willamette Mission Willamette Greenway
Southern Oregon	Ben Hur Lampman Canyon Creek Forest Casey Collier Memorial Illinois River Forks Jackson F. Kimball Joseph H. Stewart Klamath Falls – Lakeview Forest OC&E Woods Line Prospect Rough and Ready Forest Stage Coach Forest TouVelle Tub Springs Valley of the Rogue Wolf Creek Inn
Central Oregon	Cline Falls Cottonwood Canyon Deschutes River Dyer Elliott Corbett La Pine Ochoco Peter Skene Ogden Pilot Butte Prineville Reservoir Redmond–Bend Juniper Sisters Smith Rock The Cove Palisades Tumalo White River Falls
Eastern Oregon	Bates Battle Mountain Forest Blue Mountain Forest Booth Catherine Creek Chandler Clyde Holliday Crooked Creek Deadman's Pass Emigrant Springs Farewell Bend Fort Rock Fort Rock Cave Frenchglen Hotel Goose Lake Hat Rock Hilgard Junction Kam Wah Chung Lake Owyhee Minam Ontario Pete French Round Barn Red Bridge Succor Creek Sumpter Valley Dredge Ukiah–Dale Forest Unity Forest Unity Lake Wallowa Lake Wallowa Lake Highway Forest Wallowa River

Forests

Wildlife
areas

Bridge Creek
Dean Creek
Denman
E. E. Wilson
Elkhorn
Fern Ridge
Irrigon
Jewell Meadows
Klamath
Ladd Marsh
Lower Deschutes
Phillip W. Schneider
Prineville
Riverside
Sauvie Island
Snake River Islands
Summer Lake
Wenaha
White River
Willow Creek

Local

Metro	Blue Lake Cooper Mountain Glendoveer Graham Oaks Howell Oregon Zoo Oxbow Smith and Bybee Mount Talbert
Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District	Tualatin Hills Nature Park