Why is this place so special?

The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is an ecological rarity. It is the only national monument set aside specifically for its biodiversity. It's home to an extraordinary array of plants and animals in a rich mosaic of forests, woodlands, grasslands, wet meadows, and interior desert.  

The convergence of the ancient Siskiyou and Klamath Mountains with the younger volcanic Cascade Mountains creates an intersection and connectivity corridor for these distinct ecoregions to blend. Located in the Southwest corner of Oregon and Northern California, you can find more than 300 species of birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians —many of them rare or endemic — that depend on the ecological integrity of the monument to survive.

On a day hike, it is possible to experience each of the distinct ecoregions and to find plants and animals you cannot see anywhere else in the world.

Visitors come to the 114,000 acre monument to explore, study, hike, camp, hunt, and fish. They find a biological crossroads like no other. Rare. Vibrant. Vital.

Friends of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument

For over 20 years, the Friends of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument has promoted the protection, restoration, and conservation of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument through service, advocacy and education. Please explore our website to discover the many ways you can connect with us and the Monument.