Willamette National Forest

The Moose Creek Roadless Area in the Sweet Home Ranger District of the Willamette National Forest is approximately 20 miles east of Sweet Home, just northwest of the Menagerie Wilderness area.

Moose Creek, which flows through the area, is eligible for federal Wild & Scenic river designation and provides habitat for imperiled wild winter steelhead and spring chinook salmon. Both these species have been proposed by the National Marine Fisheries Service for listing as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says that an extinction warning is warranted for the steelhead in the South Santiam and that with very little additional stress, the steelhead could go extinct. The creek is also a major tributary to the South Santiam River, which provides drinking water to the communities of Lebanon, Sweet Home and Albany.

The area is one of the most primitive in the ranger district. Extremely steep slopes (elevations range from 1,300 feet at the creek to 4,000 feet at the northern edge of Moose Ridge) along Moose Creek contribute to its rugged nature. The high concentration of moss covered boulders, logs and cliffs along the stream show the excellent health of the creek and ecosystem, indicating that little scouring has occurred from peak flows and that the ecosystem has been stable for many years. The area is also characterized by dozens of waterfalls which seem to cascade over every large boulder and downed log.

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