Judge J. B. Waldo Tree [Suggest Edits]

Description

In 1888, Judge John B. Waldo, Oregon's foremost nineteenth-century conservationist, and his companions rested at Island Lake and carved their names into the mountain hemlock near the southeast shore of the lake. This trip provided Waldo with the information needed to lobby successfully for legislation designating the 4.5 million-acre Cascade Forest Reserve in 1893. The Waldo Tree is the only known tangible evidence of Waldo's 1888 trip, a journey that is significant in the forest conservation history of Oregon and the entire Pacific Northwest.

All-Day Hike: The tree is 200 feet north of the Blue Canyon Trail #982 at the south end of Island Lake in the Sky Lakes Wilderness. It is about a 12-mile roundtrip hike from the nearest road at the Blue Canyon Trailhead.

Gem Type: Historic Site