Opal Creek Wilderness

The Opal Creek Wilderness is a wilderness area located in the Willamette National Forest in the U.S. state of Oregon, on the border of the Mount Hood National Forest. It has the largest uncut watershed in Oregon.Opal Creek and nearby Opal Lake were named for Opal Elliott, wife of early Forest Service ranger Roy Elliott.Geography and ecologyThe 20746acre Opal Creek Wilderness is adjacent to a designated "scenic recreation area" of, creating a nearly 35000acre protected area. In addition, the 36870acre Bull of the Woods Wilderness in the Mount Hood National Forest shares its southern boundary with the Opal Creek Wilderness.The Opal Creek Valley contains 50 waterfalls and five lakes. Eight hiking trails, remnants of the early day prospecting and fire access routes, total 36mi. The valley forms the largest intact stand of old growth forest in the western Cascades, and 500- to 1000-year-old trees are common. The most abundant trees are Douglas fir, Pacific silver fir, and western hemlock. Common hardwoods include bigleaf maple and red alder. Understory vegetation includes huckleberry, vine maple and rhododendron.