| Badger Creek Wilderness | |
| Iucn Category: | Ib |
| Location: | Wasco / Hood River counties, Oregon, USA |
| Nearest City: | Dufur, Oregon |
| Coordinates: | 45.3061°N -121.4764°W |
| Established: | 1984 |
| Governing Body: | U.S. Forest Service |
The Badger Creek Wilderness is a 29057acres wilderness area located east of Mount Hood in the northwestern Cascades of Oregon, United States. It is one of six designated wilderness areas in the Mount Hood National Forest, the others being Mark O. Hatfield, Salmon-Huckleberry, Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson, and Bull of the Woods.
The elevation of Badger Creek Wilderness ranges from 2100to. Steep walled glacial valleys lead to the top of Lookout Mountain, at .[1] Annual precipitation in the Wilderness ranges from 80inches on the western ridges to 20inches in the dry eastern lowlands.[2]
Three creeks drain the Wilderness - Badger, Little Badger, and Tygh.[3]
Lookout Mountain and the high ridgeland extending east support a subalpine ecosystem, with hardy trees and rocky terrain. Penstemon, Indian paintbrush, yellow avalanche lilies, and stonecrop are common in the area. Farther east in the Wilderness the climate is warm and dry, where ponderosa pine forest and extensive growths of Oregon white oak and grasslands are common. Larkspur, shooting star, lupine, balsamroot, death camas, and purple onion can be found in the area.[3] [2]
Common recreational activities in Badger Creek Wilderness include hiking, camping, wildlife watching, cross-country skiing, and horseback riding. There are approximately of developed trails in the Wilderness. These trails lead to Lookout Mountain, Flag Point fire lookout, Badger Lake, and along Badger, Little Badger, and Tygh Creeks. There are several primitive campsites in the wilderness. the Bonney Butte area of the wilderness is in Mount Hood National Recreation Area.