Sawtooth Ridge Roadless Area

Index to the other Roadless areas in the Western Okanogan National Forest

Selected campfire stories from this area from Lost and Forgotten - A Trail Guide to Roadless Area Hikes and Vistas in Western Okanogan County

Lake Chelan Sawtooth - Twisp River, RA 445, south part

The Chelan Sawtooth - Twisp River roadless area is comprised of roadless lands bordered by the Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness. In addition to thinner sections which zig-zag along the margin of the roaded Forest along the Twisp River, it includes two large areas, one north of the Twisp River, and one between Gold Creek and the Chelan Crest. The entire area is a rugged, wild piece of terrain famous throughout the state for its recreational offerings. Hikers and horseback riders can find many trails in the area allowing access to numerous high country lakes nestled into picturesque cirques. The vegetation covering this area is extremely complex. Fire-maintained Douglas fir and pinegrass dominate much of the interior forests, even with attempted fire suppression. Large wildfires periodically overlay new mosaics of stand types and ages. At lower elevations, ponderosa pine and sagebrush-steppe are found, while higher up, the vegetation passes through subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) alpine larch (Larix lyallii), Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmanii) and whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis). Due to the higher base elevations of the valley floors in the eastern North Cascades, timberline is at about 7500 feet elevation, which is 2000 feet higher than in the west Cascades.

Roadless Area Map of this area (data from Pacific Biodiversity Institute).