The Black Canyon Wilderness of

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

is a

wilderness area Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

in the

Ochoco National Forest The Ochoco National Forest is located in the Ochoco Mountains in Central Oregon in the United States, north and east of the city of Prineville, location of the national forest headquarters. It encompasses of rimrock, canyons, geologic oddities, ...

. It is within the drainage basin of the

South Fork John Day River The South Fork John Day River is a tributary of the John Day River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It begins in the Malheur National Forest in Harney County about north-northwest of Burns and flows generally north to Dayville, where it meets the m ...

. It lies in

Grant Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom * Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama * Grant, Inyo County, ...

and

Wheeler Wheeler may refer to: Places United States * Wheeler, Alabama, an unincorporated community * Wheeler, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Wheeler, California, an unincorporated community * Wheeler, Illinois, a village * Wheeler, Indiana, a ...

counties in Oregon. The nearest city is Paulina, in Crook County.Deschutes & Ochoco National Forests - Black Canyon Wilderness
/ref> It was established in 1984 and encompasses .

Topography

The elevation ranges from . There are about of developed trail; 80 percent of the wilderness has a

grade Grade most commonly refers to: * Grade (education), a measurement of a student's performance * Grade, the number of the year a student has reached in a given educational stage * Grade (slope), the steepness of a slope Grade or grading may also ref ...

exceeding 30 percent, typically steep canyons and sharp ridges.Black Canyon Wilderness
- GORP Three sides of the canyon reach elevations to , while waters in the gorge have downcut through

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...

lava, emptying into the South Fork John Day at .Black Canyon Wilderness
- Public Lands Information Center

Flora and fauna

Much of the Black Canyon Wilderness consists of a dry

sagebrush Sagebrush is the common name of several woody and herbaceous species of plants in the genus '' Artemisia''. The best known sagebrush is the shrub '' Artemisia tridentata''. Sagebrushes are native to the North American west. Following is an al ...

environment, but

ponderosa pine ''Pinus ponderosa'', commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is the ...

mountain mahogany ''Cercocarpus'', commonly known as mountain mahogany, is a small genus of at least nine species of nitrogen-fixing flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae. They are native to the western United States and northern Mexico, where they grow ...

, juniper, and fir forests can also be explored. A wide range of vegetative conditions in the wilderness provide habitat for nearly 300 different species of wildlife, including

black bear Black bear or Blackbear may refer to: Animals * American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), a North American bear species * Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), an Asian bear species Music * Black Bear (band), a Canadian First Nations group ...

, cougar,

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...

elk The elk (''Cervus canadensis''), also known as the wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The common ...

, and rattlesnake.

steelhead trout Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the common name of the anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or redband trout (O. m. gairdneri). Steelhead are native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific basin in Northeast Asia and ...

can be found in perennial streams, which they use for spawning. Wildflowers such as crimson columbine, lupine, and Indian paintbrush flourish throughout the wilderness.Black Canyon Wilderness
- Wilderness.net

References

External links

Black Canyon Wilderness
- Deschutes & Ochoco National Forests
Black Canyon Wilderness
- Public Lands Information Center Wilderness areas of Oregon Protected areas of Grant County, Oregon Protected areas of Wheeler County, Oregon Ochoco National Forest 1984 establishments in Oregon Protected areas established in 1984 {{GrantCountyOR-geo-stub

Topography

Flora and fauna

See also

References

External links