Introduction
The United States Congress designated the Copper Salmon Wilderness (
map) in 2009 and it now has a total of
13,757 acres.
All of this wilderness is located in
Oregon and is managed by the Forest Service.
The Copper Salmon Wilderness is bordered by
the
Grassy Knob Wilderness to the west (separated by a road corridor).
Description
The Copper Salmon Wilderness is tucked away in the northwest corner of the Rogue River - Siskiyou National Forest, 11 miles east of Port Orford on the Elk River, and includes the North and South Forks of Elk River and the upper Middle Fork of Sixes River. The area contains one of the nation's largest remaining stands of low-elevation old-growth forest and in the north Fork of the Elk, one of the healthiest salmon, steelhead, and cutthroat trout runs in the continental United States. Its forests feature Douglas fir trees as large as 10 feet in diameter and up to 300 feet in height, and large disease-free stands of Port-Orford cedar. The Copper Salmon Wilderness also has an abundance of wildlife including endangered marbled murrelets, northern spotted owls and Roosevelt elk, mountain lions and black bears.
