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DRIFT CREEK
WILDERNESS
Siuslaw National Forest
Box 1148
Corvallis, OR 97339
(541) 750-7000
Web site http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/siuslaw/
The Drift Creek Wilderness, created by the 1984 Oregon Wilderness Act, is slightly northeast of Waldport, Oregon. This 5,800-acre Wilderness is influenced by the marine climate and prevailing westerly winds. This coastal area can receive 100 inches of rain annually.
The temperate climate and abundant rainfall provide a lush forest environment. Bigleaf maple, salmonberry, and ferns overhang the creek banks. Sitka spruce, western hemlock, western redcedar and Douglas-fir are the dominant conifers. Drift Creek watershed contains one of the largest remaining stands of old-growth forest in the Coast Range. Here giant Douglas-fir and western hemlock have been growing for hundreds of years, reaching heights of 200 feet or more, especially in the northern part of the area.
Steep canyons lend a mountainous feeling to the Drift Creek Wilderness, although it lies only six miles from the Pacific Ocean and the creek runs close to tidewater.
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