# Russian Wilderness

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The **Russian Wilderness** is a [wilderness area](/source/Wilderness_area) of 12,000 acres (49 km2) located approximately 65 miles (105 km) northeast of [Eureka](/source/Eureka,_California) in northern [California](/source/California).[1][2] It is within the [Klamath National Forest](/source/Klamath_National_Forest) in Siskiyou County and is managed by the [US Forest Service](/source/US_Forest_Service). It was added to the [National Wilderness Preservation System](/source/National_Wilderness_Preservation_System) when the US Congress passed the [California Wilderness Act of 1984](/source/California_Wilderness_Act_of_1984).

The Russian Wilderness protects the **Russian Mountains**,[2] a portion of the high crest of the [Salmon Mountains](/source/Salmon_Mountains), which are composed of metamorphic and granitic rock. There are over twenty named lakes at different elevation levels as well as the major watersheds of the [Scott River](/source/Scott_River) and [North Fork Salmon River](/source/North_Fork_Salmon_River_(California)).

The Russian is one of three wilderness areas that form an almost continuous chain, from the [Trinity Alps Wilderness](/source/Trinity_Alps_Wilderness) to the south, and the [Marble Mountain Wilderness](/source/Marble_Mountain_Wilderness) in the north, these areas provide an important corridor for wildlife such as the migrating herds of black-tailed deer. The Russian Wilderness is part of the largest nearly roadless complex in northwestern California.[3]

Elevations range from 2,500 feet (760 m)[3] to the high point of the wilderness, [Russian Peak](/source/Russian_Peak), at 8,196 feet (2,498 m) [[41°17′N 122°57′W](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?params=41_17_N_122_57_W)].[4]

## Flora and fauna

There are several stands of conifers that are rare for California, including [subalpine fir](/source/Subalpine_fir) and [Engelmann spruce](/source/Engelmann_spruce) in the wilderness. The region gained prominence amongst botanists in the 1970s when Dale Thornburgh and John Sawyer began conducting studies in Sugar Creek. In addition to discovering the first stands of [subalpine fir](/source/Subalpine_fir) in California, the diversity of other conifers they found here was reason for pause and then return studies. In all, after several years of research, they discovered 17 species of conifers in one square mile—of varied terrain—below the peak. Those conifers are: [foxtail pine](/source/Foxtail_pine), [whitebark pine](/source/Whitebark_pine), [western white pine](/source/Western_white_pine), [Jeffrey pine](/source/Jeffrey_pine), [ponderosa pine](/source/Ponderosa_pine), [lodgepole pine](/source/Lodgepole_pine), [sugar pine](/source/Sugar_pine), [white fir](/source/White_fir), [Shasta fir](/source/Shasta_Fir), [subalpine fir](/source/Subalpine_fir), [Engelmann spruce](/source/Engelmann_spruce), [Brewer spruce](/source/Brewer_spruce), [mountain hemlock](/source/Mountain_hemlock), [Douglas-fir](/source/Douglas-fir), [incense-cedar](/source/Incense-cedar), [common juniper](/source/Common_juniper), and [Pacific yew](/source/Pacific_yew).[5][6] An 18th conifer, the [western juniper](/source/Western_juniper), was documented and reported by Richard Moore in 2013.[7]

Rare perennials include the Siskiyou fireweed (*Epilobium siskiyouense*), and several types of lousewort (*[Pedicularis](/source/Pedicularis)*). The rare annual Siskiyou phacelia ( *Phacelia leonis*), was observed by John O. Sawyer and J. Smith in 1988.[8] Siskiyou phacelia has bell-shaped blue-purple flowers, blooms in summer, and grows in [serpentine soils](/source/Serpentine_soil).

The wilderness protects habitats for [American black bears](/source/American_black_bear), [deer](/source/Deer), [Douglas squirrels](/source/Douglas_squirrel), [California quail](/source/California_quail) and [rattlesnakes](/source/Rattlesnake). Less common animals include the [fishers](/source/Fisher_(animal)), [American martens](/source/American_marten), [wolverines](/source/Wolverine), northern [pileated woodpeckers](/source/Pileated_woodpecker), [North American beavers](/source/North_American_beaver), California valley [coyotes](/source/Coyote) and [North American cougars](/source/North_American_cougar). [Rainbow trout](/source/Rainbow_trout), [eastern brook trout](/source/Eastern_brook_trout) and [brown trout](/source/Brown_trout) are found in the lakes and streams.[9]

## Geology

The wilderness is dominated by [glacier](/source/Glacier)-carved [granite](/source/Granite) crags, dating from the [Mesozoic](/source/Mesozoic), similar to the [Sierra Nevada](/source/Sierra_Nevada_(U.S.)).[3] This results in similar surface topography, including [cirques](/source/Cirque) and U-shaped [glacial valleys](/source/Glacial_valley). Similar to the [Ritter Range](/source/Ritter_Range), a chain of dark [metavolcanic](/source/Metavolcanic) rock is dominant in the mountains along the edge of the wilderness.[3]

## Recreation

The [Pacific Crest Trail](/source/Pacific_Crest_Trail) travels 18.5 miles (29.8 km) along the [Salmon Mountain](/source/Salmon_Mountains) crest. The [Bigfoot Trail](/source/Bigfoot_Trail) passes through the wilderness for 5 miles (8.0 km) where it crosses the Salmon Mountain crest, from Syphon Lake to Russian Creek. Because of the small size of the wilderness, visitors can reach the highlights in less than two hours of hiking or horseback riding.[3] Ski and snowshoe trips are possible with four cirque (glacial lake) basins providing good [telemark skiing](/source/Telemark_skiing).[3] Major drainages are the North Fork Salmon and Scott rivers and have populations of rainbow [trout](/source/Trout) and steelhead.

## Roadless areas

There are three separate units totaling 16,800 acres (68 km2) adjacent to the wilderness.[3] These [roadless areas](/source/Roadless_area_conservation) have stands of [old growth forests](/source/Old_growth_forest) of oak and madrone growing in a terrain of glacially modified landscape, with U-shaped valleys and granite crags.

## References

1. ["Russian Wilderness"](http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&sec=wildView&WID=507&tab=General). *Wilderness.net*. Retrieved 2010-09-10.

1. ["Russian Wilderness"](http://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/klamath). *Klamath National Forest*. [United States Forest Service](/source/United_States_Forest_Service). Retrieved Feb 16, 2013.

1. Adkinson, Ron (2001). [*Wild Northern California*](https://archive.org/details/wildnortherncali0000adki/page/276). The Globe Pequot Press. pp. [276–280](https://archive.org/details/wildnortherncali0000adki/page/276). ISBN 1-56044-781-8.

1. ["Russian Peak, California"](http://peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=1128). *Peakbagger.com*. Retrieved 2009-03-08.

1. Wallace, David Rains (1983). [*The Klamath Knot*](https://archive.org/details/klamathknotexplo00wall). San Francisco: Yolla Bolly Press, Sierra Club Books. ISBN 0-87156-316-9.

1. Kauffmann, Michael (2012). *Conifer Country*. Kneeland: Backcountry Press. ISBN 978-0-578-09416-8.

1. ["Conifer Country"](https://web.archive.org/web/20141018225724/http://blog.conifercountry.com/2014/07/miracle-mile-russian-wilderness/). *Field Notes from Plant Explorations*. Archived from [the original](http://blog.conifercountry.com/2014/07/miracle-mile-russian-wilderness/) on October 18, 2014. Retrieved 2014-07-18.

1. ["Phacelia leonis"](https://archive.today/20120728102858/http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/occform.cgi?taxon=Phacelia+leonis&add_syn=t&county=Siskiyou&oform=html&out_map=t&action=t). *Calflora list of observations*. Archived from [the original](http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/occform.cgi?taxon=Phacelia+leonis&add_syn=t&county=Siskiyou&oform=html&out_map=t&action=t) on 2012-07-28.

## External links

- [Table of lakes in the Russian](http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/klamath/recreation/wilderness/russian/lake_table.shtml)
- [Conifers of Northwest California](https://web.archive.org/web/20090218111532/http://conifercountry.com/)
- 276427. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
- [Russian Wilderness](https://wilderness.net/visit-wilderness/?ID=507) - Wilderness.net

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Russian Wilderness](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Wilderness) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Wilderness?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.