The Chimney Peak Wilderness is a

wilderness area Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

located northwest of Ridgecrest, in southeastern

Tulare County, California Tulare County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 473,117. The county seat is Visalia. The county is named for Tulare Lake, once the largest freshwater lake west of the Great Lake ...

. The 1994 California Desert Protection Act ( Public Law 103–433) created the wilderness and it is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Department of the Interior. The Chimney Peak Wilderness is a rugged and mountainous

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily ...

environment on the eastern side of the Southern Sierra Nevada Range. The wilderness is named for Chimney Peak, elevation , located in the northeast corner of the wilderness. The area has Mojave Desert plants such as Joshua tree (''Yucca brevifolia'') and creosote bush (''Larrea tridentata'') on the valley floors and

alluvial fan An alluvial fan is an accumulation of sediments that fans outwards from a concentrated source of sediments, such as a narrow canyon emerging from an escarpment. They are characteristic of mountainous terrain in arid to semiarid climates, but a ...

s and in the Sierra foothills. Higher Sierra elevations have single-leaf pinyon pine (''Pinus monophylla'').

Recreation

Recreational activities include hiking, horseback riding, fishing and camping/backpacking. No motorized vehicles or mechanical equipment is allowed within a wilderness area. A backcountry byway for vehicles is adjacent to part of it. The

Pacific Crest Trail The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie ...

passes through the wilderness area. A portion of the Sacatar Trail, an old wagon road into the

Owens Valley Owens Valley ( Numic: ''Payahǖǖnadǖ'', meaning "place of flowing water") is an arid valley of the Owens River in eastern California in the United States. It is located to the east of the Sierra Nevada, west of the White Mountains and Iny ...

once used by soldiers and cattlemen, cross the Chimney Peak Wilderness, . ;Chimney Peak Backcountry Byway The BLM began a "byway" program in 1989 which is a tour by automobile through or near scenic public lands. This program designates "backcountry byways" along secondary roads. The Chimney Peak Backcountry Byway can be accessed from State Route 178, is over in length and travels through Lamont Meadow, circles around Chimney Peak, and returns to Canebrake Road at Lamont Meadow.

Notes

External links

* * {{authority control Wilderness areas of California Protected areas of the Mojave Desert Protected areas of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Protected areas of Tulare County, California Bureau of Land Management areas in California Protected areas established in 1994 1994 establishments in California

Recreation

See also

Notes

External links