Norse Peak Wilderness

Located in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie and Wenatchee National Forests.

Norse Peak Wilderness, created by the 1984 Washington Act, is 51,000 acres located along the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail north of Chinook Pass (on Highway 410) and east of Mt. Rainier National Park.

Norse Peak Wilderness hosts both forested slopes and exposed volcanic peaks. Topography is generally high and steep with rocky terrain at the high elevations, narrow valleys, mountain lakes, and open park-like basins. Because this wilderness straddles the crest of the Cascades, it has both eastside and westside species. Vegetation includes Douglas-fir, true firs, western and mountain hemlock, ponderosa and white pine, Engelmann spruce, and some lodgepole pine, larch, and Alaska and red cedar.

Much of the area was heavily grazed by permitted sheep bands through the 1940s. Some deposits of gold at the heads of Morse and Crow Creek were of interest to miners, but due to the small amount only recreationists now seek this opportunity. Because of the small number of lakes in the area, those present tend to be overused.

For more information contact: The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest or Wenatchee National Forest