Journey to the Miracle Mile
I have been fascinated for a long time with the conifers of the Klamath Mountains. While there are many places across the region that have a high density of conifer species, one of the hotspots is in the Russian Wilderness in an area known as the Miracle Mile. It has a long, storied history of discovery, research, conservation, and recreation.
If you visit, tread lightly and leave no trace. Day hiking is the best way to see it and preserve the unique natural features of the area. What follows is a summary of my presentation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Plant Lists for the region
- Vascular Plants of the Russian Peak Area (Siskiyou County, California) by James P. Smith Jr
- Vascular Plants of the Big and Little Duck Lakes (Siskiyou County, California) by James P. Smith Jr
Links to recent research in the Miracle Mile
- REVISTING JOHN SAWYER AND DALE THORNBURGH’S 1969 VEGETATION PLOTS IN THE RUSSIAN WILDERNESS: A LEGACY CONTINUED by Melissa H. DeSiervo, Erik S. Jules, Michael E. Kauffmann, Drew S. Bost, and Ramona J. Butz
- Patterns and Drivers of Recent Tree Mortality in Diverse Conifer Forests of the Klamath Mountains, California by Melissa H. DeSiervo, Erik S. Jules, Drew S. Bost, Emily L. De Stigter, and Ramona J. Butz
- Assessing spatial and temporal patterns of canopy decline across a diverse montane landscape in the Klamath Mountains, CA, USA using a 30-year Landsat time series by Drew S. Bost . Matthew J. Reilly . Erik S. Jules . Melissa H. DeSiervo . Zhiqiang Yang . Ramona J. Butz
John Sawyer (back) and Dale Thornburgh (front) climbing through chaparral near South Sugar Lake in the Russian Wilderness in summer 1969. Photograph by Steve Selva. 
John Sawyer looking over the Salmon River Country. Photograph by Steve Selva. 
John Sawyer (left), Dan Franck, undergraduate field assistant (middle), and Dale Thornburgh (right) setting up camp in Etna, California, a town near the “Miracle Mile” in the Russian Wilderness, 1969. Photograph by Steve Selva. 
Photograph by Steve Selva. 
Photograph by Steve Selva. 
Photograph by Steve Selva.
Previous Blogs: Miracle Mile
I really enjoyed this presentation on the Miracle Mile. Great to see old photos of Professors Sawyer and Thornburgh. Good news that you’re finding a lot of healthy whitebark pine seedlings. I’ve also noticed cattle grazing impacts in the Marble Mountains where they’ve grazed for decades. I was zapped by an electric fence near Box Camp Mtn!
Thanks Michael. I need to get back up Box Camp (while avoiding the fences). Only been from the PCT, never the trailhead.