Doty Hills

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Doty Hills
DotyHills.jpg
Forestry in the Doty Hills
Highest point
PeakUnnamed peak
Elevation 2,487 ft (758 m) [1]
Coordinates 46°42′35″N123°19′21″W / 46.70972°N 123.32250°W / 46.70972; -123.32250
Geography
USA Washington relief location map.jpg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Location of the Doty Hills
CountryUnited States
State Washington
Region Western Washington
Range coordinates 46°42′35″N123°19′21″W / 46.70972°N 123.32250°W / 46.70972; -123.32250 Coordinates: 46°42′35″N123°19′21″W / 46.70972°N 123.32250°W / 46.70972; -123.32250
Parent range Willapa Hills
Geology
Type of rock Tertiary volcanic

The Doty Hills are hills in Lewis County and Grays Harbor County in southwest Washington. The hills lie north of Doty, Washington and west of Chehalis, [2] between the Black Hills to their north and the Willapa Hills to their south. They are considered part of the Willapa Hills physiographic province. [3] [4]

Contents

Geography and geology

The highest point in the Doty Hills, an unnamed 2,487-foot (758 m) summit, appears in the list of Washington State's top 200 peaks by topographic prominence. [5]

The geology of the hills is Tertiary volcanic rock. [6] Augite crystals can be found in the hills amongst porphyry tuff. [7] Natrolite has been found at Lincoln Creek in the hills. [8]

Natural resources

Forestry

Forestry is practiced on conifer tree farms in the unpopulated hills, which receive over 80 inches (2,000 mm) annual precipitation, [9] and possess a cool, cloudy climate. Native tree species include Pacific silver fir, Douglas fir, and western hemlock. [10]

Wind power

In 2009, a 120 megawatt wind farm called Coyote Crest Wind Park was proposed in the Doty Hills. It was to be built on tree farm land leased from Weyerhaeuser, and would be the first large wind farm in the Pacific Northwest coastal hills. [11] [9] In November 2013, the developer put the project on hold due to insufficient demand for renewable energy. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewis County, Washington</span> County in Washington, United States

Lewis County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 82,149. The county seat is Chehalis, and its largest city is Centralia. Lewis County comprises the Centralia, WA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Seattle-Tacoma, WA Combined Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chehalis, Washington</span> City in Washington, United States

Chehalis is a city in and the county seat of Lewis County, Washington. The population was 7,439 at the time of the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willapa River</span> River in Washington, United States

The Willapa River is a river on the Pacific coast of southwestern Washington in the United States, approximately 20 miles (32 km) long. It drains an area of low hills and a coastal plain into Willapa Bay, a large estuary north of the mouth of the Columbia River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adna, Washington</span> Unincorporated community in Washington, United States

Adna is an unincorporated community located in Lewis County, Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chehalis–Centralia Railroad</span>

The Chehalis–Centralia Railroad (CHTX) is a heritage railroad based in Chehalis, Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State Route 6</span>

State Route 6 (SR 6) is a 51.37-mile (82.67 km) long state highway in Pacific and Lewis counties in the U.S. state of Washington. The highway, which extends from U.S. Route 101 (US 

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willapa Hills</span> Geologic, physiographic, and geographic region in southwest Washington, United States

The Willapa Hills is a geologic, physiographic, and geographic region in southwest Washington. When described as a physiographical province, the Willapa Hills are bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Columbia River to the south, the Olympic Mountains to the north, and the Cascade Range to the east. Some definitions place the Puget Lowland physiographic province east of the Willapa Hills. Included within the province are the Black Hills, the Doty Hills, and a number of broad river valleys, some of which open up into broad estuaries on the Pacific such as Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay. Other definitions do not include the Black Hills. The USGS GNIS defines the Willapa Hills as bounded by the Columbia River to the south and the Chehalis River to the north, without giving specific east and west bounds. The Willapa Hills are one of the Pacific Coast Ranges, which continue north as the Olympic Mountains and south, across the Columbia River, as the Oregon Coast Range.

The North River is a river, approximately 30 miles (48 km) long, in western Washington, in the United States. It empties into Willapa Bay, the first large estuary on the Washington coast north of the Columbia River.

Doty, Washington is an unincorporated community located 1.3-miles directly west of Dryad and 5 miles east of Pe Ell on Washington State Route 6. Today, about 250 people reside in or around Doty, which boasts a general store, post office, fire department, and two churches. Logging and farming are the industries that most of the residents rely on for income.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dryad, Washington</span> Unincorporated community in Washington, United States

Dryad is a rural unincorporated community in Lewis County, Washington. The town of Doty is 1.3-miles to the west, with Adna and Ceres to the east, on Washington State Route 6. The Chehalis River bisects the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainbow Falls State Park</span>

Rainbow Falls State Park is a public recreation area on the Chehalis River one mile east of the town of Dryad, Washington. The state park's 129 acres (52 ha) feature 3,900 feet (1,200 m) of shoreline, the waterfall for which the park is named, and some of the last standing old-growth trees in the Chehalis Valley.

The Niawiakum River is a short river in the U.S. state of Washington. It is approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) long.

The Palix River is a stream in the U.S. state of Washington. Its tributaries include three forks, North, Middle, and South Fork Palix River, as well as the Canon River. The river's length, including the Canon River, its longest tributary, is approximately 14 miles (23 km).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hoquiam River</span> River in Washington, United States

The Hoquiam River is a stream in the U.S. state of Washington. It has three main tributaries, the East Fork, West Fork, and Middle Fork Hoquiam Rivers. The main stem Hoquiam River is formed by the confluence of the West and East Forks. The Middle Fork is a tributary of the West Fork.

Littell is an unincorporated community in Lewis County, Washington, United States, located off Washington State Route 6 between the towns of Adna and Claquato. The Willapa Hills Trail passes thru the area. A pedestrian bridge was begun to be built in Littell in 2021, allowing users of the trail to pass over the highway to lessen vehicular accidents.

Ceres is an unincorporated community in Lewis County, in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located off Washington State Route 6 in a bend of the Chehalis River. The Willapa Hills Trail bisects the area.

McCormick is an unincorporated community off Washington State Route 6 in Lewis County, in the U.S. state of Washington.

The Chehalis, Washington park system is administered by the Chehalis Parks and Recreation Department. Trails that connect Chehalis with locations beyond the city limits are maintained in conjunction with other local jurisdictions, state government agencies, and/or local non-profit groups and volunteers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willapa Hills Trail</span>

The Willapa Hills Trail is a 56-mile intercounty trail in the U.S. state of Washington that is part of the Willapa Hills State Park. Following an east–west route alongside State Route 6, the tract links Chehalis and South Bend, traveling through or near several small towns and parks along the way. Overseen by the Washington State Park System, local cities and towns often maintain areas of the trail within their jurisdictions. The trail is built upon a decommissioned railroad track.

Ruth, also known as Ruth Station, is a place located in Lewis County, Washington. The area is located on Washington State Route 6 between the towns of Adna and Ceres, near the confluence of the Chehalis River and the South Fork Chehalis River. The Willapa Hills Trail passes near the area.

References

  1. USGS Doty topographical quad via Lists of John ID 54357
  2. Olympics field trip: February 19-20-21 1994, Geological Society of the Oregon Country, 1994, p. 6
  3. Willapa Hills, Washington State Department of Natural Resources
  4. "Willapa Hills". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2009-05-17. "Willapa Hills: Mountain range extending from the Columbia River N to the Chehalis River."
  5. "Washington State Top 200 by Prominence", Peakbagger.com (website), November 1, 2004
  6. Samuel Y. Johnson; et al. (1984), Petroleum Geology of the State of Washington, U.S. Geological Survey, p. 20–21, U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1582
  7. Lasmanis, Raymond (December 1999), "Augite crystals from Doty Hills, Lewis County, Washington" (PDF), Washington Geology, 27 (2/3/4): 20
  8. Moore, Thomas (May 1, 2009), "What's new in minerals", The Mineralogical Record, archived from the original on November 15, 2018 via HighBeam (subscription required)
  9. 1 2 "Land ownership and use", Lewis County Special Use Permit Application for the Coyote Crest Wind Park (PDF), Everpower prepared for Pe Ell North LLC, pp. 5–6 via Lewis County, Washington{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  10. Marshall D. Murray (July 1988), Growth and yield of a 30-year-old Noble Fir plantation (PDF), United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, p. 2, PNW-RN-475
  11. Coyote Crest Wind Park Announced for Lewis County: EverPower Wind Plans Renewable Power Project on Weyerhaeuser Timberlands (press release), September 10, 2009 via Renewable Northwest Project
  12. Kyung M. Song (January 21, 2013), Wind Power in Washington State Still in Limbo Despite Renewed Federal Tax Break, TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE via Governing