Klamath Mountains

Rogue River Gorge, Oregon

The Klamath Mountains, sometimes called the salmon mountains, are a rugged lightly populated mountain range in northwest California and southwest Oregon, the highest peaks being Mount Eddy in Siskiyou County, California, Thompson peak (9002 ft / 2744 m) in Trinity County, and Mount Ashland (7,533 ft / 2296 m) in Jackson County, Oregon. They have a varied geology, with substantial areas of serpentine and marble, and a climate characterised by a moderately cold winters with very heavy snowfall, and warm very dry summers with limited rainfall. As a consequence of the geology, they have a unique flora, known as the Klamath-Siskiyou forests, which includes several endemic or near-endemic trees, such as Port Orford cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana), Foxtail pine (Pinus balfouriana spp, balfourinana), Brewer spruce (Picea breweriana) and Kalmiopsis (Kalmiopsis leachiana), forming one of the largest collections of different conifers in the world. The northernmost range of the Klamath Mountains are known as the Siskiyou Mountains. The area is also home to a diverse array of wild fish and animal species, including 9 species of salmonid, and bears, large cats, and eagles.

Several Wilderness Areas

File:Wpdms shdrlfi020l klamath river.jpg

Klamath River and tributaries

The largest concentration of diverse coniferous species of trees exists in these mountains. Specifically in the Russian Wilderness there are more species of coniferous tree in one location than anywhere else on the globe. Other official wilderness areas include the Trinity Alps Wilderness (second largest in California), the Siskiyou Wilderness, the Marble Mountain Wilderness, the Yolla Bolly Middle Eel Wilderness, the Red Buttes Wilderness, and the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. There are extensive hiking trail systems, recreation areas and campgrounds both primitive and developed, and the Pacific Crest Trail passes through these mountains as well.

Major Rivers & Game Fish Species

File:Chinook Salmon.jpeg

A male Chinook/King salmon specimen

Major rivers include the

• the Eel River
• the Van Duzen River
• the Klamath River
• the Trinity River
• the Mad River
• the Smith River
• the Salmon River
• the Rogue River
• the Scott River

The many mountains streams and rivers form a major spawning ground for several species of trout and salmon, yet recently, in the last 50 years, some of the fish stocks have fallen drastically, particularly salmon stocks. The ecoregion's rivers and streams are home to nine species of native Salmonids. The depletions occur mainly as of the creation of dams, and excessive clear cut logging on the steep rugged slopes of the area, both contributing to large amounts of silt in the stream beds, which interferes especially with the salmon spawning as they need exposed gravel beds to lay their eggs in. Other notable fish species, besides king salmon & silver salmon, include steelhead, brown trout, rainbow trout, eastern brook trout, large & smallmouth bass.

Plentiful Wildlife

Animal species include mountain lions, black bears, bobcats, lynx, raccoons, martens, fishers, beavers, grey fox, red fox, golden eagles, bald eagles, pileated woodpecker, plentiful deer, several large owl species including the spotted owl, and an extensive variety of additional species both plant and animal. The area used to have grizzly bear, wolves, and Roosevelt elk, with the latter two being considered for reintroduction.

Wide variety of Trees & Plant Species

The Klamath-Siskiyou forests are a temperate coniferous forest ecoregion of northwestern California and southwestern Oregon. The ecoregion extends across 50,300 square kilometers (19,400 square miles) of the mountainous region known as the Klamath Knot. The ecoregion harbors rich biodiversity, with several distinct plant communities, including temperate rain forests, moist inland forests, oak forests and savannas, high elevation forests, and alpine grasslands. Thirty conifer species inhabit the region, including seven endemic species, making the region one of the richest coniferous forest regions of the world in species diversity. The region also has several edaphic plant communities, adapted to specific soil types, notably serpentine outcrops.

Conifer species include Coast Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii subsp. menziesii), Lawson's Cypress (also known as Port Orford Cedar, Chamaecyparis lawsoniana), Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa), Sugar Pine (Pinus lambertiana), Mountain Hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana), White Fir (Abies concolor subsp. lowiana), Red Fir (A. magnifica subsp. shastensis), Weeping Spruce (Picea breweriana), Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), and Pacific Yew (Taxus brevifolia).

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external links

• pics from Mt Eddy [1]
• link to trinity alps[[2]]
• visitors guide to trinity county[3]