Waldo Lake Wilderness is a wilderness area surrounding Waldo Lake in the central Oregon Cascades. Located within the Willamette National Forest, it was established in 1984 and consists of 37162 acre.

Geography

Ninety-eight percent of the Waldo Lake Wilderness is covered by forest on moderate to steep terrain, which ranges in elevation from 2800 to 7144 ft. Waldo Lake itself is outside the wilderness boundary, but it is considered one of the purest lakes in the world: vertical visibility can exceed 100 ft on a clear day. It was scooped out by ancient glaciers, and is Oregon's second largest lake at 10 sqmi with a maximum depth of 420 ft. Within the wilderness are the Six Lakes Basin, Eddeeleo Lakes, Wahanna Lakes, and Quinn Lakes. There are approximately 84 mi of trails which lead to many of these lakes. Waldo Lake Trail, much of which is not in the wilderness boundary, provides a 22 mi loop around Waldo Lake. Vegetation in the Waldo Lake Wilderness consists mostly of Douglas-fir, mountain hemlock, and Pacific silver fir.

Recreational activities

Primary activities in the Waldo Lake Wilderness are hiking, camping, fishing, and boating. Gasoline-powered motor boats on the lake have been banned since 2012 after nearly twelve years of public comment, deliberations, and decision making.