Mountains to Sound Greenway - I-90
Wenatchee National Forest, WA

"Something for everyone" may be the best way to describe what the 2.2 million acre Wenatchee National Forest has to offer its visitors.

The Wenatchee Forest covers an area approximately 40 miles wide and 140 miles in length, encompassing much of Chelan, Kittitas, and Yakima counties. It stretches from upper Lake Chelan on the north to the Yakama Indian Reservation on the south.

The vegetation varies with the elevation, from the sagebrush and pine covered slopes at 2,000 feet, to higher elevation areas with alpine fir and mountain huckleberry, to the crest of the Cascade Mountain range at 8,000 feet and above where vegetation is sparse.

Approximately 40 percent of the Wenatchee Forest is designated as Wilderness in seven Wilderness Areas: Lake Chelan-Sawtooth, Glacier Peak, Henry M. Jackson, Alpine Lakes, William O. Douglas, Norse Peak, and Goat Rocks. Here, foot travel is the only method of transportation allowed, and the land is managed in such a way as to preserve its natural, primitive condition. There are no developments or roads in Wilderness.

The remaining 60 percent of the Forest is managed to provide multiple uses to its public owners. On these lands, activities such as timber harvest, livestock grazing, road building, woodcutting, developed camping, and off-road vehicles are common.