USFS · Washington

Wild Sky Wilderness

The Wild Sky Wilderness is the newest addition to a 2.6 million acre wilderness complex that straddles the rugged North Cascade Range from Canada to Snoqualmie Pass. The southwestern portion of the wilderness...

Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net), where the full text continues.

Official page at Wilderness Connect ↗
Wild Sky Wilderness
Photo from Wilderness Connect, wilderness.net
DesignationWilderness
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateWashington
Size105,543 acres (Wilderness Connect)
Designated2008, by Congress
Center point47.8567, -121.3966
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 8)

Boundary map

3 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Wild Sky Wilderness30°40°50°60°70°January: 16.72 inches of precipitation, 13.8 inches of snowFebruary: 10.60 inches of precipitation, 4.6 inches of snowMarch: 11.90 inches of precipitation, 3.8 inches of snowApril: 8.35 inches of precipitation, 0.8 inches of snowMay: 5.02 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 3.96 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 1.73 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 1.90 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 4.79 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 12.30 inches of precipitation, 0.1 inches of snowNovember: 18.06 inches of precipitation, 4.2 inches of snowDecember: 14.56 inches of precipitation, 17.0 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 36.7°F averageFebruary: 39.2°F averageMarch: 42.8°F averageApril: 48.2°F averageMay: 55.0°F averageJune: 58.8°F averageJuly: 64.4°F averageAugust: 64.7°F averageSeptember: 59.5°F averageOctober: 49.9°F averageNovember: 41.6°F averageDecember: 36.2°F average0 in5 in10 in15 in20 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Baring, 7 miles from the center point at 770 feet, station USC00450456 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 110 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 44 inches a year on the same inches scale. The station sits about 5,000 feet lower than the center point, so temperatures on the ground run cooler.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

1 federal campground sits inside the boundary and 8 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

Show 1 more

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 1

The Forest Service lists 1 recreation site inside this wilderness, among them 1 campground. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.

15 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 75 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Quartz Creek11.4
North Fork Skykomish9.1
Meadow Creek8.1
West Cady Ridge7.7
Frog Mountain7.1
Alpine Baldy6.5
Kelley Creek6
Johnson Ridge4.6
Beckler Peak3.5
Blanca Lake3.5

Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas, refreshed September 18, 2026. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-09-18
  • Wildfire
    King

    27 mi from the center point · 3,304 acres · 0% contained

  • Wildfire
    Gamma Creek

    27 mi from the center point · 29 acres

  • Wildfire
    Little Giant

    28 mi from the center point · 172,814 acres · 81% contained

  • Wildfire
    Miners

    29 mi from the center point · 149 acres · 0% contained

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 7 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Wild Sky Wilderness?

105,543 acres.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Who manages Wild Sky Wilderness?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: Wilderness Connect

What state is Wild Sky Wilderness in?

Washington.

Source: Wilderness Connect

When was Wild Sky Wilderness designated?

Congress designated it in 2008.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Can I camp at Wild Sky Wilderness?

1 federal campground sits inside the boundary, including Evergreen Mountain Lookout. 9 in all are within ten miles. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit rules.

Source: Where to camp

Where are the trailheads in Wild Sky Wilderness?

The Forest Service lists 1 recreation site here, including 1 campground campground. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to Wild Sky Wilderness?

A point inside the boundary is at 47.857, -121.397. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Is there a fire near Wild Sky Wilderness right now?

4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-09-18, the nearest King at 27 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Wild Sky Wilderness?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 8 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Are there historic places near Wild Sky Wilderness?

7 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Evergreen Mountain Lookout and Bush House.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
  • Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.