Hoover Wilderness
First established as a Primitive Area in 1931 and later designated a Wild Area in 1957, the Hoover Wilderness was among the original members of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Located in California’s Sierra Nevada Range, the landscape is extremely rugged and stunningly scenic, with elevations ranging from around 7,000 to over 12,000 feet. Visitors will find alpine lakes, flower-filled meadows, and vast, open terrain with limited tree cover. Weather in the Hoover Wilderness is unpredictable—rain, snow, high winds, and freezing temperatures can occur any time of year.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | California |
| Size | 128,044 acres |
| Designated | 1964, by Congress |
| Center point | 38.14° N, 119.41° W |
| Night sky | Very dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 22) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground
The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
Where to camp
None of the 26 federal campgrounds within ten miles sit inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Show 4 moreHide
14 more within ten miles are not listed here.
Trails
38 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 169 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| PCT: Sonora Pass - Dorothy Lk ↗ | 18.6 | |
| West Walker River ↗ | 16.9 | |
| Buckeye Canyon ↗ | 12.9 | |
| PCT: Stanislaus ↗ | 12.9 | |
| Burt Canyon ↗ | 11.1 | |
| Green Creek ↗ | 10.5 | |
| Robinson Creek ↗ | 9 | |
| Molybdenite Creek ↗ | 6.8 | |
| High Emigrant Lake/Toiyabe ↗ | 6.6 | |
| Eagle Creek ↗ | 6.1 |
Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedD54 Rx Pile Burning
39 mi from the center point
- PrescribedFy27 Hemlock Rx
46 mi from the center point
- PrescribedBig Trees State Park Broadcast Burn Rx
50 mi from the center point · 170 acres
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 0.2 miGreat Sierra Mine Historic Site ↗Lee Vining, CA
- 1.5 miTioga Pass Entrance Station ↗Lee Vining, CA
- 5.6 miSoda Springs Cabin ↗Lee Vining, CA
- 5.7 miMcCauley Cabin ↗Lee Vining, CA
- 6.2 miTuolumne Meadows ↗Lee Vining, CA
- 6.6 miGlen Aulin High Sierra Camp ↗Yosemite, CA
- 8.6 miMono County Courthouse ↗Bridgeport, CA
- 9 miBaker Highway Maintenance Station ↗Strawberry, CA
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for California
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Hoover Wilderness?
128,044 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Hoover Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Hoover Wilderness in?
California.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Hoover Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1964.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Hoover Wilderness?
Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities, and the managing agency page has the permit rules. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.
Source: Where to camp
How do I get to Hoover Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 38.142° N, 119.413° W. Yosemite National Park is 15 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Is there a fire near Hoover Wilderness right now?
3 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest D54 Rx Pile Burning at 39 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Which national parks are near Hoover Wilderness?
Yosemite National Park (15 mi) and Devils Postpile National Monument (22 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.
Source: Nearby on the other atlases
Are there historic places near Hoover Wilderness?
The National Register has 13 listings within 15 miles, including Great Sierra Mine Historic Site and Tioga Pass Entrance Station.
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
- Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
- Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.