The Mount Washington Wilderness lies near the Willamette Valley, which is heavily populated. While the area is not used as frequently as many other wilderness areas in the Oregon branch of the Cascade Range, it offers scenic lakes and trails. These include volcanic features such as lava flows from Mount Washington and Belknap Crater. Permits have been required for visitors since 1991; they are offered for no charge after Memorial Day through October 31. Motorized and mechanical equipment like drones or bicycles are prohibited. Visitation to the wilderness has declined since the mid-1990s but leveled off after the B&B Complex fires in 2003. Surveys suggest that about 50 percent of visitors to the Mount Washington Wilderness do not make campfires, a lower rate than other nearby wilderness areas. Additional surveys suggest that about 82 percent of respondents who come to the wilderness area to camp do so within of a lake.