Salmo-Priest Wilderness

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Salmo-Priest Wilderness
IUCN Category Ib (Wilderness Area)
Salmo-Priest Wilderness
Location Washington, USA
Nearest city Metaline Falls, Washington
Coordinates 48°55′40″N 117°10′15″W / 48.92778, -117.17083
Area 41,335 acres (167.28 km²)
Established 1984
Governing body U.S. Forest Service

Salmo-Priest Wilderness is a 41,335-acre (167.28 km²) wilderness area located in the Selkirk Mountains in the northeast corner of Washington state, within the Colville National Forest.

Contents

[edit] Topography

The high-country Salmo-Priest Wilderness is comprised of a somewhat wishbone-shaped area atop two Selkirk Range ridges that intersect at 6,828-foot Salmo Mountain. The eastern ridge is somewhat lower, more wooded, more rounded off, and therefore more accessible than the steep-sided, rocky-crested western ridge. Streams have cut deep drainages into both ridges, which flow into Idaho's Priest River on the east and Sullivan Creek and the Salmo River into the Pend Oreille River on the west.[1]

[edit] Wildlife

This rugged area is home to several endangered and threatened species, including woodland caribou, grizzly bears, and gray wolves. [2] The Selkirk Mountains are the last remaining refuge for woodland caribou in the contiguous United States, particularly the Salmo-Priest Wilderness.[3][4] Common wildlife include mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, black bears, cougars, bobcats, badgers, pine martens, lynx, bighorn sheep, and moose.[1]

[edit] References

[edit] See also

This article related to a protected area in the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.