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.

Long, lean, and lovely best describes Lake Chelan. From Chelan's northeastern shore, this secluded Wilderness rears rapidly skyward to the crest of bold Sawtooth Range, which cuts diagonally through the area, rising serenely from the south to fall off dramatically on the north faces. Northeast of the crest, the terrain drops into the valley of the Twisp River only to climb again into a subrange. Wolf Creek and other creek drainages have cut deep ravines through much of the area, with elevations ranging from 1,100 feet to 9,000 feet. You'll find 63 lakes, many too small to have ever been named, often tucked into scenic cirques in the high country and without trail access. A pleasant forest covers the ground below the tree line, home to bears and mule deer. Winters are colder and summers hotter than in western Washington.

One appealing aspect of this Wilderness is its lack of direct road access on the south and west sides. All trailheads on the south side, on Lake Chelan, must be gained via a regularly scheduled ferry boat or a private craft. From the roadless town of Stehekin, the northern terminus of the ferry, the Lakeshore Trail follows the lake south for 18 miles, with 14 miles within the Wilderness. Trails entering from the west first cross North Cascades National Park or Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. The Twisp River road offers easier access to the Wilderness from the east. Park-like ridges and open forests encourage you to leave the trail for relatively easy bushwhacking travel. A high-quality Wilderness experience awaits. A Recreation Pass is required at some trailheads accessing the Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness.

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 Lake Chelan-Sawtooth 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 Lake Chelan-Sawtooth 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: 158,833 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.