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The Dark Divide is the largest roadless area in western Washington state, comprising approximately 76,000 acres (310 km²) of intact wilderness on Juniper Ridge linking Mount Saint Helens and Mount Adams in the southern Cascade Mountains of Washington. In two remote valleys of the Lewis River drainage are 500-year-old trees much coveted by timber companies, which successfully lobbied Congress to omit the Dark Divide from protection in the Washington Wilderness Act of 1984. Today those ancient forests are protected from logging as reserves for the northern spotted owl and other species under the Northwest Forest Plan. The area's recreational-use regulations however are disputed by advocates for hikers and wildlife, since it is currently the only sub-alpine area in Washington open to motorcycles. Downstream of the confluence of Quartz Creek, the Lewis River plunges over four large waterfalls. Curly Creek, another tributary, is the only cataract in Washington with an intact natural stone bridge, and the early formation of a second natural bridge can be observed. Although the Dark Divide is largely composed of black basalt, features such as 5,238-foot Dark Mountain, Dark Creek and Dark Meadows are actually named for John Dark, a 19th-century gold prospector and speculator. ==Gallery== File:Jumbo Peak 3482.JPG|A rock outcropping immediately north of the summit of Jumbo Peak with Mount Rainier in the background File:Jumbo Peak 3246s.JPG|Rock outcropping on slopes of Jumbo Peak File:Campanula scouleri 3224f.JPG|Pale bellflower ''Campanula scouleri'' File:Fragaria virginiana 3128.JPG|Virginia strawberry ''Fragaria virginiana'' File:Eriogonum umbellatum 3451.JPG|Sulphur flower ''Eriogonum umbellatum'' File:Calochortus subalpinus 3135.JPG|Subalpine Mariposa Lily ''Calochortus subalpinus'' File:Xerophyllum tenax 3555.JPG|Bear Grass ''Xerophyllum tenax'' File:Speyeria coronis 3312.JPG|Coronis Fritillary ''Speyeria coronis'' 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Dark Divide」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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