One of many prominent peaks in Oregon's Cascade Mountain Range, Mount Washington is a popular destination in the Mt. Washington Wilderness Area. A simple climbing route, easy access and its striking rise from the lava fields below make this mountain a tempting weekend hiking and climbing destination. Even its poor rock quality hasn't deterred the mountain climbing community.
   Located in the sprawling Willamette National Forest, the Mount Washington Wilderness covers over 50,000 acres. Its primary forests are made up of jack pines, ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine and mountain hemlock. This highly eroded shield volcano, scraped bare by ancient glacial activity, rises above the forested foothills to nearly 8000 feet. This Mount Washington view from Big Lake doesn't give much of a hint to the immense lava strewn plains surrounding the peak, but the area's lava fields cover 75 square miles. The last volcanic activity has been estimated to be about 1300 years old, but the actual Mount Washington peak was probably created about 200,000 years ago.
   The best Mount Washington distant viewpoints are from U.S. Route 20 (shown here from Big Lake) and Windy Point on Oregon Route 242. The wilderness area is restricted to foot traffic and some of the wilderness trailheads are found here at Big Lake.

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