Devil’s Staircase: More Info | Cascadia Wildlands

Wasson Creek, proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness (Tim Giraudier)

Waterfalls, old-growth rainforest, Pacific giant salamanders, roadless country, solitude. Find them all in the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness — a priceless wild area located in the heart of the central Oregon Coast Range, northeast of Reedsport, Oregon. The Devil's Staircase area has one of the greatest concentrations of primary rainforest in the Coast Range. It is also simply the wildest, most remote country left in this part of Oregon and is a stark reminder of what the Coast Range was once like. The rugged topography and unstable soils have played a role in keeping the clearcuts and roads away.

Administered by the Bureau of Land Management's Coos Bay District and the Siuslaw National Forest, the Devil's Staircase area has long been proposed for Wilderness but has never received the protection it deserves. Wasson Creek, the main drainage that winds through the area, features the elusive Devil's Staircase waterfall. Other nearby drainages with a wild character are also included in the proposed Wilderness, like Little Mill Creek, Franklin Creek and Perkins Creek. These roadless drainages are home to river otter, spotted owl, marbled murrelet, black bear, cougar, water ouzels, beaver, crayfish, Coho and Chinook salmon and a myriad of other critters.

Devil's Staircase lies in the heart of Representative Peter DeFazio's 4th Congressional district. He, along with Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, have sponsored bills in Congress to protect the area and continue to need to hear from you until the area is officially designated as Wilderness.