South 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

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

South Ridge Roadless Area, RA 728

South Ridge roadless area is a harsh environment, marked by sagebrush steppe rising to high elevations on the south slopes, and dropping into the north faces under a diverse cover of western larch (Larix occidentalis), Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa), Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmanii), lodgepole pine (Pinus latifolia), and less commonly, whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) and alpine larch (Larix lyallii). Because of the harsh environment, the forests are not very productive, and the area was passed over by timber interests, up through the 1990s.

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