Salmo-Priest Wilderness

Infobox_protected_area | name = Salmo-Priest Wilderness
iucn_category = Ib

---

caption =
locator_x = 45
locator_y = 11
location = Washington, USA
nearest_city = Metaline Falls, Washington
lat_degrees = 48
lat_minutes = 55
lat_seconds = 40
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 117
long_minutes = 10
long_seconds = 15
long_direction = W
area = convert|41335|acre|km2
established = 1984
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body = U.S. Forest Service

Salmo-Priest Wilderness is a 41,335 acre (167.28 km²) wilderness area located in the Selkirk Mountains in the northeast corner of Washington state, within the Colville National Forest.

Topography

The high-country Salmo-Priest Wilderness is a somewhat wishbone-shaped area atop two Selkirk Range ridges that intersect at convert|6828|ft|m|sing=on Salmo Mountain. The eastern ridge is somewhat lower, more wooded, more rounded off, and therefore more accessible than the steep-sided, rocky-crested western ridge. Streams have cut deep drainages into both ridges, which flow into Idaho's Priest River on the east and Sullivan Creek and the Salmo River into the Pend Oreille River on the west.cite web | title=Wilderness.net: Salmo-Priest Wilderness | url=http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&sec=wildView&wname=Salmo-Priest| accessdate=2008-02-14]

Wildlife

This rugged area is home to several endangered and threatened species, including woodland caribou, grizzly bears, and gray wolves. cite web | title=The Salmo-Priest Wilderness and roadless area | url=http://www.forwolves.org/ralph/wpages/salmopr.htm| accessdate=2007-12-23] The Selkirk Mountains are the last remaining refuge for woodland caribou in the contiguous United States, particularly the Salmo-Priest Wilderness.cite web | title=Mammals of Eastern Washington | url=http://www.wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/region1/mammals.htm Mammals of Eastern Washington| accessdate=2007-12-23] [cite web | title=Colville National Forest - Wildlife | url=http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/colville/wildlife/caribou.shtml | accessdate=2008-02-14] Common wildlife include mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, black bears, cougars, bobcats, badgers, pine martens, lynx, bighorn sheep, and moose.

Vegetation

Much of the Salmo-Priest Wilderness is made up of Douglas fir and Western hemlock. Old growth red ceder is also present in the Wilderness.cite web | title=GORP Salmo-Priest Wilderness | url=http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_wilderness_area/wa_salmo.htm | accessdate=2008-02-14]

References

ee also

*List of U.S. wilderness areas
*Wilderness Act
*List of old growth forests