Colonel Bob Wilderness is a protected area located in the southwest corner of

Olympic National Forest Olympic National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in Washington, USA. With an area of , it nearly surrounds Olympic National Park and the Olympic Mountain range. Olympic National Forest contains parts of Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jeffer ...

in the state of

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. It is named after 19th-century orator

Robert Green Ingersoll Robert Green Ingersoll (; August 11, 1833 – July 21, 1899), nicknamed "the Great Agnostic", was an American lawyer, writer, and orator during the Golden Age of Free Thought, who campaigned in defense of agnosticism. Personal life Robert Ing ...

Lake Quinault Lake Quinault ( or ) is a lake on the Olympic Peninsula in western Washington state. It is located in the glacial-carved Quinault Valley of the Quinault River, at the southern edge of Olympic National Park in the northwestern United States. One o ...

lies about 15 miles to the west. Elevations in the wilderness vary from 300 to 4,509 feet above sea level. The highest elevation is an unnamed peak; the second-highest elevation is Colonel Bob Mountain at 4,492 feet. The wilderness is a

temperate rain forest Temperate rainforests are coniferous or broadleaf forests that occur in the temperate zone and receive heavy rain. Temperate rain forests occur in oceanic moist regions around the world: the Pacific temperate rain forests of North American P ...

with annual rainfall greater than .

History

In 1984, the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...

established five wilderness areas within the

: *

Buckhorn Wilderness The Buckhorn Wilderness is a mountainous U.S. Wilderness Area, wilderness area on the northeastern Olympic Peninsula in Washington (state), Washington, United States, USA. Named after Buckhorn Mountain (), the wilderness abuts the eastern bounda ...

* Colonel Bob Wilderness * Mount Skokomish Wilderness * The Brothers Wilderness *

Wonder Mountain Wilderness Wonder Mountain Wilderness is a designated wilderness area encompassing Wonder Mountain in the Olympic National Forest on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington in the United States. The wilderness comprises bordering Olympic National Park and admi ...

The Colonel Bob Wilderness sits on the southern flank of the

Olympic Wilderness Olympic National Park is a United States national park located in the State of Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula. The park has four regions: the Pacific coastline, alpine areas, the west-side temperate rainforest, and the forests of the dri ...

, which was created in 1988.

Recreation

More than of trails provide access to the wilderness for backpacking, camping, hunting, and mountain climbing. Access by road is via South Shore Quinault Lake Road to the north, or FS Road 2204 to the south. Access by trail is by Colonel Bob Trail #851, Pete's Creek Trail #858, and Fletcher Canyon Trail #857.

References

External links

Colonel Bob Wilderness
U.S. Forest Service
Colonel Bob Wilderness
Wilderness.net (The University of Montana) {{Protected Areas of Washington Protected areas of Grays Harbor County, Washington Protected areas of Jefferson County, Washington Wilderness areas of Washington (state) Olympic Mountains Olympic National Forest 1984 establishments in Washington (state) Protected areas established in 1984