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PASAYTEN
WILDERNESS
Okanogan National Forest
1240 South Second Ave.
Okanogan, WA 98840
(360) 826-3275
Web site http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/oka/
The Pasayten (pronounced pah-SAY-ten) was
designated Wilderness in 1968 by the same
congressional act that created the neighboring
North Cascades National Park. Before that
time it was a primitive area used by miners,
trappers, hunters, recreationists and stockmen.
Evidence of that past use, including many
miles of maintained and abandoned trails,
is still plentiful. This area covers approximately
530,000 acres bordered by Ross Lake National
Recreation Area and on the north by Canada.
In general, the Pasayten Wilderness is a
tossed salad of topography, laced with trails
and full of hideaways and surprises. You need
at least three days to get the flavor of the
place and can easily spend a week or two wandering
it's many ridges and valleys. The west side
is more rugged and wet with steep valleys
and views of the glaciated, lofty peaks of
the main Cascade backbone. Going eastward
the area gentles down to high rounded peaks
and alpine meadows. The highest land in the
Pasayten is Jack Mountain, which rises from
the shores of Ross Lake to 9,066 feet. Average
elevation of the Wilderness is 5,500 feet.
Compared with wilderness areas closer to
Seattle or Portland, use in the Pasayten
is fairly low, however, there several
areas that are often crowded and suffering
the impacts of heavy use and Leave No
Trace techniques should be practiced.
Summer weather is often sunny and warm with
frequent thunderstorms. Rain is more common
in the western 1/3. Cold temperatures and
even snow are possible anytime.
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