Marble Mountain Wilderness
Craggy peaks, abundant meadows, large streams, and a whopping 89 lakes highlight this wild and pleasant area. Adding to the visual interest are many fascinating geological features, including Marble Mountain itself, a stark, red-and-gray marbled peak. Most of the peaks exceed 6,000 feet in height, with Boulder Peak being the highest at 8299 feet. Most of the lakes are gems set in rocky settings, and at least one-third of the Wilderness is cloaked in a great variety of trees, dominated by tanbark oak, madrone, and Douglas fir lower down, and whitebark pine, foxtail pine, and mountain hemlock higher up. You will find alpine meadows and bare rock in the highest elevations. Bear, deer, and many other species of wildlife are plentiful.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | California |
| Size | 225,114 acres |
| Designated | 1964, by Congress |
| Center point | 41.49° N, 123.23° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 8) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site
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 13 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
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2 more within ten miles are not listed here.
Trailheads and sites
The Forest Service lists 1 recreation site inside this wilderness, among them 1 campground. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.
- 8 miLovers Camp Campground ↗Campground
Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.
Trails
94 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 442 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Pacific Crest Trail ↗ | 114.7 | |
| Wooley Creek ↗ | 26.3 | |
| Haypress ↗ | 19.3 | |
| North Fork Salmon ↗ | 13.7 | |
| Bridge Creek ↗ | 10.4 | |
| Garden Gulch ↗ | 10.4 | |
| Kelsey Creek ↗ | 8.6 | |
| Granite Creek ↗ | 8.4 | |
| Crapo ↗ | 8.3 | |
| Johnson'S Hunting Ground ↗ | 7.6 |
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
- PrescribedSrf 2026 Rx Implementation
21 mi from the center point · 500 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
- 3.4 miSawyers Bar Catholic Church ↗Sawyers Bar, CA
- 4.9 miWhite's Gulch Arrastra ↗Sawyers Bar, CA
- 10.8 miFort Jones House ↗Fort Jones, CA
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for California
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Marble Mountain Wilderness?
225,114 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Marble Mountain Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Marble Mountain Wilderness in?
California.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Marble Mountain Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1964.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Marble Mountain 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 Marble Mountain Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 41.491° N, 123.227° W. Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve is 29 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Is there a fire near Marble Mountain Wilderness right now?
1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Srf 2026 Rx Implementation at 21 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Which national parks are near Marble Mountain Wilderness?
Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve (29 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.
Source: Nearby on the other atlases
Are there historic places near Marble Mountain Wilderness?
The National Register has 3 listings within 15 miles, including Sawyers Bar Catholic Church and White's Gulch Arrastra.
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.