Fremont National Forest is hemmed in by towering snow-capped peaks, volcanic landscapes and wide-open sage basins. The nearby Sky Lakes Wilderness, designated by Congress in 1984, is a land of lakes, rocky ridges and timbered slopes. It is approximately 6 miles wide and 27 miles long, with elevations ranging from 3,800 feet in the canyon of the Middle Fork of the Rogue River to a lofty 9,495 feet at the top of Mount McLoughlin. More than 200 pools of water, from mere ponds to lakes of 30 to 40 acres, dot the landscape. Large mammals, such as mule deer, Rocky Mountain elk, and pronghorn antelope, find homes in the the forests, while several varieties of trout inhabit lakes and streams. In the spring and fall, migrating geese, ducks and swans frame the Oregon sky. Black bears, mountain lions, and bobcats, also find homes in the forest.