Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area Trails

If I were forced to designate my favorite wildlands in Oregon, the Kalmiopsis would easily rank up among the top two or three. There is just no other part of the state that possesses such lovely rivers, rugged mountains, steep canyons, and magically rich floral biodiversity. Oregon’s third largest official wilderness area, 180,000- acre Kalmiopsis Wilderness provides plenty of room for exploration. The wilderness is named for a unique shrub, the Kalmiopsis leachiana, a relict of the pre–Ice Age era and one of the oldest members of the heath (Ericaceae) family, which includes huckleberry and azalea. Every season has its attractions, but my favorite time of year to visit is in May, when the flowering dogwood, kalmiopsis, and other shrubs are all in bloom. Kalmiopsis shrubs begin to flower in April at low elevations along the Illinois River and in May and June near the peaks. Look for them on Vulcan Peak, along the Johnson Butte Trail near Dry Butte, and along the Upper Chetco River between Slide Creek and Taggart’s Bar. The Kalmiopsis Wilderness is surrounded by hundreds of thousands of acres of unprotected roadless land. The North and South Kalmiopsis Roadless Areas—with a combined acreage of nearly 200,000 acres—are among the largest unprotected, forested landscapes in Oregon. These expansive roadless units are often contiguous or separated by a single road corridor between the Kalmiopsis and Wild Rogue Wilderness Areas and form what is often referred to as the Kalmiopsis Wildlands—a mix of congressionally protected wilderness and unprotected roadless areas. This trail guide contains descriptions of seven trails ranging from 1.3 to 27 miles in length