Sky Lakes Wilderness

The Sky Lakes Wilderness is a wilderness area located in the Rogue River-Siskiyou  and Winema National Forests in the southern Cascade Range of Oregon, U.S. It comprises 116,300 acres (47,065 ha). 75,695 acres (30,633 ha) of the area are located in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, and 40,605 acres (16,432 ha) located in the Winema National Forest. It was established in 1984 under the Wilderness Act of 1964. The Wilderness contains more than 200 pools of water, from small ponds to lakes of 30 to 40 acres (12 to 16 ha). Fourmile Lake, near the southern end of the area exceeds 900 acres (360 ha). Several of the lakes at Sky Lakes, including Alta and Natasha, were found to have among the most chemically pure water known of all lakes on the globe. Elk herds spend much of the summer and early fall in the northern third of the Sky Lakes Wilderness. The entire wilderness supports roving populations pine martens and fishers, black bears, cougars, coyotes, as well as pikas and golden-mantled ground squirrels, goshawks and various other species of wildlife. During October and November, migrating birds pass over in the hundreds of thousands, often stopping at the high lakes. Ospreys, eagles, and other large hawkss can occasionally be seen at Sky Lakes. Uncommon animals in the area include the yellow-bellied marmot, the fisher, and the pine marten