Willapa Hills

The Willapa Hills is a geologic, physiographic, and geographic region in southwest Washington. When described as a physiographical province, the Willapa Hills are bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Columbia River to the south, the Olympic Mountains to the north, and the Cascade Range to the east.[1] Some definitions place the Puget Lowland physiographic province east of the Willapa Hills.[2] Included within the province are the Black Hills, the Doty Hills, and a number of broad river valleys, some of which open up into broad estuaries on the Pacific such as Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay.[2] Other definitions do not include the Black Hills.[3] The Willapa Hills are one of the Pacific Coast Ranges, which continue north as the Olympic Mountains and south, across the Columbia River, as the Oregon Coast Range.

Willapa Hills
Highest point
PeakBoistfort Peak
Elevation949 m (3,114 ft)
Coordinates46°29′17.3″N 123°12′55.1″W 
Geography
Willapa Hills
Location of the Willapa Hills
CountryUnited States
StateWashington
RegionWestern Washington
HillsBlack Hills and Doty Hills
Parent rangePacific Coast Ranges
Borders onColumbia River, Olympic Mountains, Pacific Ocean and Cascade Range

The highest point is 3,087-foot (941 m) Boistfort Peak. The Willapa Hills are the lowest uplands in the entire Pacific Coast Range system. Almost all of the land is privately held and has been repeatedly logged. Only a few long corners remain with virgin forest. Alders less than twenty years old are typically harvested for pulp mills.

The Willapa Hills receive abundant rainfall and a number of rivers originate in the region, including the Chehalis River, Willapa River, North River, Bone River, Niawiakum River, Palix River, Bear River, Naselle River, Grays River, and Elochoman River, among others.

Notes
  1. Ares, Adrian (2007). The Fall River long-term site productivity study in coastal Washington. General Technical Report, Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station. DIANE Publishing. p. 15. ISBN 978-1-4223-2472-1.
  2. "Geology of Washington - Willapa Hills". Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
  3. {{cite web |title= Willapa Hills |publisher= Peakbagger.com |url= http://www.peakbagger.com/range.aspx?rid=12213 ] defines the Willapa Hills as bounded by the Columbia River to the south and the Chehalis River to the north, without giving specific east and west bounds.<ref name=gnis>"Willapa Hills". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
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