The Three Sisters Wilderness is a wilderness area in the Cascade Range, within the Willamette and Deschutes National Forests in Oregon, United States. It comprises 286,708 acres (1,160.27 km2), making it the second largest wilderness area in Oregon, after the Eagle Cap Wilderness. It was established by the United States Congress in 1964 and is named for the Three Sisters volcanoes. The wilderness boundary encloses the Three Sisters as well as Broken Top, which is southeast of South Sister.
The Willamette National Forest is a National Forest located in the central portion of the Cascade Range of the U.S. state of Oregon. It comprises 1,678,031 acres (6,790.75 km2). Over 380,000 acres are designated wilderness which include seven major mountain peaks. There are also several National Wild and Scenic Rivers within the forest. The forest is named for the Willamette River, which has its headwaters in the forest. The forest headquarters are located in the city of Springfield. There are local ranger district offices in McKenzie Bridge, Detroit, Sweet Home, and Westfir.
Broken Top is a glacially eroded complex stratovolcano. It lies in the Cascade Volcanic Arc, part of the extensive Cascade Range in the U.S. state of Oregon. Located southeast of the Three Sisters peaks, the volcano, residing within the Three Sisters Wilderness, is 20 miles (32 km) west of Bend, Oregon in Deschutes County. Eruptive activity stopped roughly 100,000 years ago, and currently, erosion by glaciers has reduced the volcano's cone to where its contents are exposed. There are two named glaciers on the peak, Bend and Crook Glacier.
The Three Sisters are closely spaced volcanic peaks in the U.S. state of Oregon. They are part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc, a segment of the Cascade Range in western North America extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. Each more than 10,000 feet (3,000 m) in elevation, they are the third-, fourth- and fifth-highest peaks in Oregon. Located in the Three Sisters Wilderness at the boundary of Lane and Deschutes counties and the Willamette and Deschutes national forests, they are about 10 miles (16 km) south of the nearest town, Sisters. Diverse species of flora and fauna inhabit the area, which is subject to frequent snowfall, occasional rain, and extreme temperature variation between seasons. The mountains, particularly South Sister, are popular destinations for climbing and scrambling.
Diamond Peak is a volcano in Klamath and Lane counties of central Oregon in the United States. It is a shield volcano, though it might also be considered a modest stratocone. Diamond Peak forms part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc, a segment of the Cascade Range in western North America extending from southern British Columbia through Oregon to Northern California. Reaching an elevation of 8,748 feet (2,666 m), the mountain is located near Willamette Pass in the Diamond Peak Wilderness within the Deschutes and Willamette national forests. Surrounded by coniferous forest and visible in the skyline from foothills near Eugene, Diamond Peak offers a few climbing routes and can be scrambled. Diamond Peak is one of Oregon's Matterhorns.
The Deschutes National Forest is a United States National Forest located in parts of Deschutes, Klamath, Lake, and Jefferson counties in central Oregon. It comprises 1.8 million acres (7,300 km2) along the east side of the Cascade Range. In 1908, the Deschutes National Forest was established from parts of the Blue Mountains, Cascade, and Fremont National Forests. In 1911, parts of the Deschutes National Forest were split off to form the Ochoco and Paulina National Forests, and parts of the Cascade and Oregon National Forests were added to the Deschutes. In 1915, the lands of the Paulina National Forest were rejoined to the Deschutes National Forest. A 1993 Forest Service study estimated that the extent of old growth in the forest was 348,100 acres (140,900 ha). Within the boundaries of the Deschutes National Forest is the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, containing cinder cones, lava flows, and lava tubes. The Deschutes National Forest as a whole contains in excess of 250 known caves. The forest also contains five wilderness areas, six National Wild and Scenic Rivers, the Oregon Cascade Recreation Area, and the Metolius Conservation Area. Forest headquarters are located in Bend, Oregon. There are local ranger district offices in Bend, Crescent, and Sisters.
The Mount Washington Wilderness is a wilderness area located on and around Mount Washington in the central Cascade Range of Oregon in the United States. The wilderness was established in 1964 and comprises 54,278 acres (219.66 km2) of the Willamette National Forest and Deschutes National Forest. It is administered by the U.S. Forest Service.
The Young Fire was a wildfire in the Siskiyou Wilderness in California in the United States. The fire was reported on August 7, 2017. The cause of the fire is currently unknown. As of August 28, the fire had burned 2,650 acres (11 km2) and been added to the Eclipse Complex Fires. By September 1, the Young Fire entirely merged into the Oak Fire.
The Rice Ridge Fire was a wildfire that burned northeast of Seeley Lake in the Lolo National Forest in Montana in the United States. The fire, which was started by a lightning strike on July 24, 2017, became a megafire on September 3, growing from 40,000 acres (162 km2) to over 100,000 acres (405 km2), at which time it became the nation’s top wildfire priority as of early September 2017. Located north and east of Seeley Lake, Montana, over 700 firefighting personnel were assigned to the blaze, primarily active in a mountainous lodgepole and mixed conifer forest. The fire had burned 155,900 acres (631 km2) and at one point threatened over 1,000 homes in Powell County and Missoula County including the town of Seeley Lake, Montana and areas north of Highway 200, east of Highway 83. Evacuation orders included parts of Powell County north of Montana Highway 200, areas east of Montana Highway 83, and evacuation warnings for other sections of the forest within Missoula County.
The Bearskin Fire was a wildfire in Valley County, Idaho in the United States, 21 miles northeast of Lowman. The fire, which was reported on August 23, 2017, burned a total of 30,251 acres (122 km2).
The Lolo Peak Fire was a wildfire in Lolo National Forest and Bitterroot National Forest, Montana in the United States, that began by lightning strikes on the western flank of Lolo Peak, 10 miles southwest of Lolo, Montana on July 15, 2017. The fire burned a total of 53,902 acres (218 km2). One firefighter, Brent Witham, was killed working the fire, and another firefighter was injured. Two homes were destroyed, over 3,000 people were evacuated and 1,150 residences were threatened. The fire threatened homes along Highway 12 and Highway 93, impacting recreational activities in the area and the communities of Lolo and Florence.
The Alice Creek Fire was a wildfire north of Lincoln in the Lewis and Clark National Forest, located in Lewis and Clark County in Montana in the United States. The fire, started by a lightning strike, was reported on July 22, 2017. The fire burned at least 29,252 acres (118 km2). The Alice Creek Fire crossed the Continental Divide, impacting wildlife, specifically aquatic life, and threatened the Alice Creek Historic District.
The High Cascades Complex was a group of 20 fires burning in four protected areas in Oregon, in the United States, specifically: Crater Lake National Park, Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest, Umpqua National Forest, and Fremont–Winema National Forest. The first fire in the complex, the Blanket Creek Fire, was started by a lightning strike on July 29, 2017. In total, the fires have burned 72,309 acres (293 km2) and are 28% contained. The fires are directly impacting the communities of Prospect, Union Creek and Diamond Lake, park headquarters, old growth forests that house endangered species like the spotted owl and volcanic features.
The Milli Fire was a wildfire that burned over 24,000 acres (97 km2) of Oregon forest land during the summer of 2017. The fire began in the Deschutes National Forest on 11 August 2017, the result of a lightning strike. The fire consumed thick forest vegetation southwest of Sisters, Oregon. Most of the burned area was public lands administered by the United States Forest Service, much of it in the Three Sisters Wilderness. Firefighters battled the blaze for over a month. At the peak of the firefighting effort, there were 675 firefighters working on the Milli Fire.
The Jones Fire was a wildfire in the Willamette National Forest, approximately 10 miles northeast of Lowell, in Oregon in the United States. The fire, which was first reported on August 10, 2017, burned a total of 10,114 acres (41 km2) and was started by lightning. The fire threatened the community of Lowell and distributed various activities in the park, including the start of deer hunting season.
The Whitewater Fire was a wildfire in and near the Mount Jefferson Wilderness, approximately 13 miles east of Detroit, Oregon, United States. The fire, which was caused by a lightning strike and first reported on July 23, 2017, has burned approximately 14,500 acres (59 km2) and is currently no longer active. It is one of eight fires to burn in Willamette National Forest in the Fall of 2017.
The Park Creek Fire was a wildfire located two miles north of Lincoln in Helena National Forest and Lewis and Clark National Forest in Montana in the United States. The fire, which was reported on July 14, 2017, was started by lightning and burned over 18,000 acres (73 km2). It threatened the community of Lincoln and directly impacted recreational activities in the national forests.
The Strawberry Fire was a wildfire burning eight miles south of Swift Reservoir in the Flathead National Forest in the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana in the United States. The fire was started by lightning and was reported on August 25, 2017. It has burned a total of 30,461 acres (123 km2). The fire threatened communities around the Swift Reservoir, including tribal lands of the Blackfeet Nation and Heart Butte, Montana. Its estimated containment date was November 1, 2017.
The Gibralter Fire was a wildfire in Kootenai National Forest, seven miles east of Eureka, Montana in the United States. The fire, which was started by a lightning strike, was reported on August 7, 2017, and burned a total of 12,938 acres (52 km2). The fire threatened numerous private property and structures, as well as recreational and historical sites in the forest.
The Jack Creek Fire was a wildfire in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in Washington, approximately 15 miles southwest of Leavenworth, Washington in the United States. It was started by a lightning strike on August 11, 2017. The fire burned a total of 4,606 acres (19 km2).
