GPS Coordinates (to Mount Eddy area): 41.342721, -124.1064563
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REGIONS > WESTERN OREGON
The Klamath Mountains are the major geological feature in the much larger Klamath Mountain ecoregion which covers a large area of southern Oregon and northern California. An ecoregion is a major ecosystem with unique geography and receiving similar sunlight and precipitation. The Klamath Mountain ecoregion includes the Umpqua and Siskiyou Mountains and several interior valleys. The tallest point in the ecoregion is Mount Eddy (California) at 9,025 ft (2,751 m). The Klamath Mountains begin near the South Umpqua River and extend south to the Trinity River area in California. Its diverse geography includes forested peaks, sprawling meadows and sloping foothills crisscrossed by rivers and streams. The elevation varies between 600 to 7,400 feet (182 to 2,255 m). The mountains have a mild climate with wet winters but hot, dry summers. |
The Klamath Mountain's rugged landscape isolates many plants and animals, resulting in several endemic (a plant or animal restricted to a certain area) species, including the Port Orford cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana), foxtail pine (Pinus balfouriana spp. balfouriana) and Brewer spruce (Picea breweriana). Because of its unique biotic communities, much of this wilderness is protected and includes eleven distinct wilderness areas in both Oregon and California, part of the United States’ National Wilderness Preservation System. Most of these areas are administered by the U.S. Forest Service.
Most of the mountain area is light populated or completely untouched by human presence. Contained within its boundaries are the towns of Roseburg and Myrtle Creek. Grants Pass, Jacksonville, Medford and Ashland all lie within the larger ecoregion.
RELATED FEATURES: Mystery Animals of the Klamath Mountains | Monster Bear: The Legend of Clubfoot
Most of the mountain area is light populated or completely untouched by human presence. Contained within its boundaries are the towns of Roseburg and Myrtle Creek. Grants Pass, Jacksonville, Medford and Ashland all lie within the larger ecoregion.
RELATED FEATURES: Mystery Animals of the Klamath Mountains | Monster Bear: The Legend of Clubfoot