Abert Rim Wilderness (Proposed)

Suggested Citation: Kerr, Andy. 2000. Oregon Desert Guide: 70 Hikes. Seattle: The Mountaineers Books. pp. 94-95.

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The largest continuous fault scarp in North America.

Location: Lake County, 5 miles northeast of Valley Falls

Size: 105 square miles (67,478 acres) 

Terrain: Mostly flat and gently rolling hills, save for huge Abert Rim

Elevation Range: 4,289-7,040 feet Managing Agency: Lakeview District BLM

Agency Wilderness Status: 23,760-acre BLM wilderness study area; 23,760 acres recommended

Recreation Map: Southwest Quarter, South Half Lakeview Re- source Area, Lakeview District BLM

Abert Rim rises 2,000 feet above Lake Abert. The rim is vertical in most places and unscalable from the bottom at Lake Abert (see Lake Abert National Wildlife Refuge). At the base of the rim along US 395 is mostly sagebrush. Above the north rim is much of the same. Above the south rim are separate groves of moun- tain mahogany, ponderosa pine, and aspen interspersed with low sage.

The rim is highest at Abert Point on the adjacent Fremont National Forest, where Abert Rim meets the Warner Mountains.

Birds of prey include great horned owl, burrowing owl, short-eared owl, red- tailed hawk, northern harrier, rough-legged hawk, bald eagle, ferruginous hawk, peregrine falcon, golden eagle, turkey vulture, prairie falcon, and American kestrel. Golden eagles average two nests, and prairie falcons one nest, per mile of rim.

Evaporation of Lake Abert water significantly cools the adjacent Abert Rim, making it a haven for wildlife in the hot summer.

Sage grouse are found in the gently eastward-draining flats above the rim. Burrowing owls, downy and hairy woodpeckers, and a variety of songbirds are also known here.

The Oregon Biodiversity Project includes the area within its Honey Creek Conservation Opportunity Area. Much of the south part of the area drains into Honey Creek, one of the last best holdouts for the Warner sucker, a federally listed species.

Petroglyphs surround Colvin Lake.