Kiavah Wilderness
Embracing the eroded hills, canyons, and bajadas of the Scodie Mountains–the southernmost reach of the Sierra Nevada–Kiavah Wilderness lies primarily within Sequoia National Forest but includes a portion on BLM land. Here in the transition zone between the Sierra Nevada and the Mojave Desert, you'll find an unusual mix of plants and animals: creosote bush, Joshua tree, burro bush, and shadscale growing near pinion pine, juniper, canyon oak, and gray pine; yellow-eared pocket mice and lizards watching the skies for raptors. Trails enter from all sides, often fading into the terrain. The Pacific Crest Trail enters on the northeast from Walker Pass and crosses the area for 16 miles, exiting over Bird Spring Pass to the south.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service |
| State | California |
| Size | 86,245 acres |
| Designated | 1994, by Congress |
| Center point | 35.62° N, 118.11° W |
| Night sky | Very dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 21) |
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
1 federal campground sits inside the boundary and 3 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Trails
3 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 92 miles in all.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Pacific Crest ↗ | 43.9 | |
| Pacific Crest ↗ | 43.9 | |
| Scodie | 4 |
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.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 0.3 miBandit Rock ↗Inyokern, 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 Kiavah Wilderness?
86,245 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Kiavah Wilderness?
Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service share management. The Bureau of Land Management portion is the largest in the wilderness record.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Kiavah Wilderness in?
California.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Kiavah Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1994.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Kiavah 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 Kiavah Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 35.623° N, 118.112° W. César E. Chávez National Monument is 29 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Which national parks are near Kiavah Wilderness?
César E. Chávez National Monument (29 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.
Source: Nearby on the other atlases
Are there historic places near Kiavah Wilderness?
The National Register has 1 listing within 15 miles, including Bandit Rock.
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.