Visit Wilderness

Search for a wilderness as the destination for your next outdoor adventure.

Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, Minnesota

Why Visit Wilderness?

While wilderness can be appreciated from afar—through online content, television, or books—nothing compares to experiencing it firsthand. Activities like camping, hiking, or hunting allow you to fully enjoy the recreational, ecological, spiritual, and health benefits that wilderness areas offer. These areas provide “outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation,” chances to observe wildlife, moments to renew and refresh, and the physical benefits of outdoor exercise. In many wilderness areas, you can even bring your well-behaved dog.

Learn more about the diverse ways in which we benefit from wilderness and threats wilderness areas face today.

Just northeast of Mount Rainier National Park, Norse Peak Wilderness reaches down both sides of the crest of the Cascade Mountain Range. Narrow drainages below rockbound ridges slice deeply into the area, which opens here and there into scenic basins dotted with lakes.

A typical western Cascades forest of Douglas fir, western hemlock, and cedar understoried with ferns and mosses characterizes the western side of the crest, giving way to mountain hemlock, subalpine fir, and lovely meadows before dropping down on the eastern side to drier country and a forest of larch, spruce, and pine.

Remnants of the old gold-seeking days recall the past in the southwest corner: mine shafts, tailings, derelict cabins.

The bold faces of Fifes Peaks in the southeast portion attract rock climbers

Only the corridor of State Highway 410 and the American River separate Norse Peak from William O. Douglas Wilderness to the south. Norse Peak (6,856 feet) anchors the southwestern boundary.

Hike the 5.2-mile Trail 1191 (also known as the Norse Peak Trail) that leads to the summit and you will be rewarded with panoramic views. Carry water and you can pitch a tent on top and watch the sunrise.

The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) crosses the Wilderness in a north-south direction for about 27 miles. Other trails enter from all four sides of the Wilderness to join the PCT.

Leave No Trace

How to follow the seven standard Leave No Trace principles differs in different parts of the country (desert vs. Rocky Mountains). Click on any of the principles listed below to learn more about how they apply in the Norse Peak Wilderness.

Plan Ahead and Prepare
Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Dispose of Waste Properly
Leave What You Find
Minimize Campfire Impacts
Respect Wildlife
Be Considerate of Other Visitors

For more information on Leave No Trace, Visit the Leave No Trace, Inc. website.

Location

Maps

Digital and paper maps are critical tools for wilderness visitors. Online maps can help you plan and prepare for your visit ahead of time. You can also carry digital maps with you on your GPS unit or other handheld GPS device. Having a paper map with you in the backcountry, as well as solid orienteering skills, however, ensures that you can still route-find in the event that your electronic device fails.

Online Maps

Interactive Map of the Norse Peak Wilderness
FS Topographic Map
Google Earth

Washington Wildernesses

Printed Maps

Fetching MyTopo from Database

USGS Store

Rules & Regulations

Motorized equipment and equipment used for mechanical transport is generally prohibited in all wilderness areas. This includes the use of motor vehicles, motorboats, motorized equipment, bicycles, hang gliders, wagons, carts, portage wheels, and the landing of aircraft including helicopters.

Wilderness-Specific Regulations

Learn more about why regulations may be necessary in wilderness.

Contacts

Applicable Wilderness Law(s)

Public Law 98-339

Date: July 3, 1984
Acreage: 50,923 acres

Washington State Wilderness Act of 1984 - Public law 98-339 (7/3/1984) To designate certain National Forest System lands in the State of Washington for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System, and for other purposes.

For more information (To download or see all affected wilderness areas) visit our law library for 98-339 or special provisions for 98-339 or legislative history for 98-339.

Want to Volunteer for Wilderness?

People who volunteer their time to steward our wilderness areas are an essential part of wilderness management. Contact the following groups to inquire about volunteer opportunities. Groups are listed alphabetically by the state(s) in which the wilderness is located.