Wilderness Update Spring 2025
Highlighting a special area in the Crater Lake Wilderness Proposal.
Bulldog Rock Roadless Area Compiled Robin and Gerald Wisdom, 2/19/25
Physical Characteristics: 5,500 acres – roadless area identified by the Forest Service in 1989, most of which is in the Umpqua National Forest, and 555 acres are located in the Willamette National Forest. 60% of the Bulldog Rock Roadless Area is part of an URMA, Unroaded Recreation Management Area.
Bulldog Rock contains an unusual combination of meadows, rock points, and timbered slopes. There are about 800 acres of large meadows scattered throughout the area. There are dry flowers covered with rock meadows, swampy, flowered, boggy meadows, and overgrown meadows where fine maple has taken over. There are some areas where the timber is slowly taking over and other areas where meadows may be forming. There is one meadow where there are potholes (clear pools of water up to 8 feet deep). This area’s evolutionary cycle of living, dying, and dead lakes can be seen. Open park-like timber stands surround each meadow.
The rock formations are Pyramid Rock (a monolith less than ½ miles from the road), Ranger Stone (Rigdon District has decided to make the landmark into a rock pit), Bulldog Rock (less than ½ miles from the road), and Lost Prairie Rock. Bend Canyon is also an area very worth seeing. At one point, there are rock cliffs on both sides of the creek, and one is forced to wade the creek if one wants to take a chance on continuing up Bend Creek.
Mammals: Black-tailed deer, Roosevelt Elk, Black bear, Cougar, Bobcat, Coyote, Weasel and Marten
Birds: Blue Grouse, Ruffed Grouse, Band-tailed pigeons, Eagles
Aquatic Life: Cutthroat trout, Brook trout (stocked), Frogs, Salamanders
The meadows are used as elk calving grounds. Elk and a moderate number of deer also use the area as their summer range. There are approximately 150 elk in the area. A good bear habitat is present, and an estimated 30 animals reside here. Although there is no fishing, the preservation of this area is important to fish and fishermen in that without the cold water from Bend Creek, the water temperature could become too high for the fish to survive.
Flora: Shasta Red Fir, Noble Fir, Pacific Silver Fir, Douglas Fir, Vine Maple. There is very little undergrowth in the area, and most of the Douglas Fir is second-growth, which has resulted from wildfires.
Recreation: The trails provide access to most of the higher elevations. Several potential recreation sites have been inventoried. The area is used by deer and elk hunters, berry pickers, sightseers, hikers, and wildlife photographers. It has very little winter use.
Water: Watershed values are high. Big Bend Creek originates in the unit and is the coldest major tributary to Steamboat Creek during the summer months. A summer flow exception was identified in the Big Bend Creek subwatershed, where cooler and higher flows locally counteract the low, warmer flow of Steamboat Creek at their confluence in the summer. The temperatures of Big Bend Creek are 5 to 10 degrees cooler than those in Steamboat Creek. The high water volume and cold temperatures are vital for summer steelhead resting holes in Steamboat Creek directly below Big Bend Creek junction and for proper rearing temperatures in most of Steamboat below this point. Without Big Bend Creek’s cold water, the steelhead may die before having a chance to spawn.
Geology: Over the last 13,000 years, glacial activity in this area created the cirques and valleys that form the headwaters of Bulldog, Big Bend, and Reynolds Creeks. Glacially derived soils have been identified along Big Bend Creek.
Bulldog Rock Trail: The Bulldog Rock Trail (Umpqua National Forest Trail #1534) is located within the Bulldog Roadless Recreation Area along the divide between Steamboat Creek and the middle fork of the Willamette River. The area contains an unusual combination of meadows, rocky outcroppings, timbered slopes, and huckleberries growing along the trail in the summer. The trail passes by Bullpup Lake. The Bear Camp shelter has been damaged and is no longer available for camping. Dispersed camping is allowed. The trail is open to various uses, including hiking, horseback riding, OHV motorcycle riding, and mountain biking. This is an excellent place to camp and hike. Access is relatively easy, and use is rated “light.”
Robbin and Gerald will be leading a visit here in July.
