USFS · Washington

William O. Douglas Wilderness

This magnificent region pays tribute to the Wilderness-loving Supreme Court justice who often explored the area on foot. It lies bordered to the west by Mount Rainier National Park, with Norse Peak and...

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

Official page at Wilderness Connect ↗
William O. Douglas Wilderness
Photo from Wilderness Connect, wilderness.net
DesignationWilderness
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateWashington
Size168,955 acres (Wilderness Connect)
Designated1984, by Congress
Center point46.7967, -121.3053
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 12)

Boundary map

1 outline

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 William O. Douglas Wilderness20°30°40°50°60°January: 17.22 inches of precipitationFebruary: 12.93 inches of precipitationMarch: 13.21 inches of precipitationApril: 8.35 inches of precipitationMay: 5.08 inches of precipitationJune: 3.84 inches of precipitationJuly: 1.41 inches of precipitationAugust: 1.64 inches of precipitationSeptember: 4.43 inches of precipitationOctober: 11.25 inches of precipitationNovember: 18.16 inches of precipitationDecember: 18.92 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 29.2°F averageFebruary: 28.3°F averageMarch: 29.7°F averageApril: 33.2°F averageMay: 40.6°F averageJune: 45.2°F averageJuly: 53.1°F averageAugust: 54.4°F averageSeptember: 49.3°F averageOctober: 39.6°F averageNovember: 31.5°F averageDecember: 27.3°F average0 in5 in10 in15 in20 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Rainier Paradise RS, 21 miles from the center point at 5,427 feet, station USC00456898 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 116 inches a year.

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 33 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 4 more

22 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 3

The Forest Service lists 3 recreation sites inside this wilderness, among them 2 trailheads, 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.

65 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 470 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Pcnst136.5
American Ridge25.7
Indian Creek20.3
PCT: Naches Central19.4
Rattlesnake15.6
Pleasant Valley Loop13.4
Mount Aix13.3
Mud Springs 1613-69611.4
Little Bald10.6
Ironstone Mountain10.3

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
    West Fork

    22 mi from the center point · 310 acres · 16% contained

  • Wildfire
    Three Queens

    43 mi from the center point · 9,562 acres · 23% contained

  • Wildfire
    King

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

  • Wildfire
    Goat

    47 mi from the center point · 815 acres · 64% 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 Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Register listings within 15 miles · 24 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is William O. Douglas Wilderness?

168,955 acres.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Who manages William O. Douglas Wilderness?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: Wilderness Connect

What state is William O. Douglas Wilderness in?

Washington.

Source: Wilderness Connect

When was William O. Douglas Wilderness designated?

Congress designated it in 1984.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Can I camp at William O. Douglas Wilderness?

1 federal campground sits inside the boundary, including Pine Needle Group Site. 34 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 William O. Douglas Wilderness?

The Forest Service lists 3 recreation sites here, including 2 trailheads and 1 campground campground. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to William O. Douglas Wilderness?

A point inside the boundary is at 46.797, -121.305. Mount Rainier National Park is 9 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Is there a fire near William O. Douglas Wilderness right now?

4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-09-18, the nearest West Fork at 22 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at William O. Douglas Wilderness?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 12 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near William O. Douglas Wilderness?

Mount Rainier National Park (9 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

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.