Mount Baker Wilderness

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Mount Baker Wilderness
IUCN Category Ib (Wilderness Area)

Location:	Washington, USA
Nearest city:	Vancouver, BC
Coordinates:	48°46′36″N, 121°48′51″W
Area:	117,528 acres (475.6 km²)
Established:	1984
Governing body:	U.S. Forest Service

Mount Baker Wilderness in northern Washington, USA, contains 117,500 acres (475 km²). Its eastern border is shared with the boundary of the North Cascades National Park for a distance of 40 miles (65 kilometers). The Wilderness extends from U.S. Highway 20 north to the Canadian border. On the west, it is bounded by the foothills of the Puget Sound lowlands.

Twin Sisters Mountain from the Railroad Grade Trail

This entire Wilderness lies on the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains. The three forks of the Nooksack River and the Baker River are the major drainages of the Wilderness.

Vegetative cover is typical of the west slopes of the Cascades including Western Redcedar, Coast Douglas-fir, Noble Fir, Pacific Silver Fir, Subalpine Fir, Western Hemlock and Mountain Hemlock, and at higher elevations, alpine meadows. Animals include Mountain Goats and Hoary Marmots. On mountains and higher ridges, considerable areas of rock and permanent glaciers (over 10,000 acres (40 km²)) occur.

The terrain is rugged, with steep slopes and numerous ridges dissected by small intermittent or permanent drainages. Mount Baker, an active volcano, is one of the area's most unique features. The mountain periodically exhibits thermal activity. The most northern of Washington's volcanoes it stands at 10,778 feet (3,285 m). Other major mountains include: