Kalmiopsis Wilderness
Nearly 180,000 acres of serpentine ridges and wild rivers west of the valley, named for a shrub found here in 1930. The 2002 Biscuit Fire burned all of it, and trails are rough.
- Phone: (541) 592-4000
- Website: wilderness.net/visit-wilderness/?ID=287
- Area: The Siskiyou high country
From our Lakes and Mountains page
The Kalmiopsis Wilderness covers nearly 180,000 acres west of the valley. It was designated in 1964 and enlarged in 1978. It's named for Kalmiopsis leachiana, a small shrub in the heath family that botanist Lilla Leach found here in 1930. Much of the ground is serpentine and peridotite, rock that is toxic to most plants. Wild stretches of the Illinois, Chetco, and North Fork Smith rivers run through it.
The 2002 Biscuit Fire burned nearly 500,000 acres, including the entire wilderness, and damaged about 160 miles of trail. Expect steep, narrow paths with downed trees, missing signs, and loose rock. From the valley, Babyfoot Lake is the easiest way in. No motor vehicles or bikes are allowed.
Read the whole Lakes and Mountains page.
Nearby
- Babyfoot Lake and Bigelow Lakes, 1.4 miles away in a straight line
- Sweet Cron - Cron Produce, 8.0 miles away in a straight line
- It's a Burl, 8.1 miles away in a straight line
- Kerbyville Museum and History Center, 8.2 miles away in a straight line
- Kerbyville Inn, 8.2 miles away in a straight line
Every place in the valley is on the places page.