Palen/McCoy Wilderness
Within the Palen-McCoy Wilderness lie five distinct desert mountain ranges: the Palen, McCoy, Granite, Little Maria, and Arica. They are separated from each other by broad, sloping bajadas, and don't receive...
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net), where the full text continues.
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | Bureau of Land Management |
| State | California |
| Size | 236,488 acres (Wilderness Connect) |
| Designated | 1994, by Congress |
| Center point | 33.8653, -115.0436 |
| Night sky | Very dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 27) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees
The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.
Where to camp
No federal campground is within ten miles of the boundary in the Campsite Atlas index. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from trails and water, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit and group-size rules.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Palen/McCoy Wilderness?
236,488 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Palen/McCoy Wilderness?
The Bureau of Land Management.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Palen/McCoy Wilderness in?
California.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Palen/McCoy Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1994.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Palen/McCoy Wilderness?
No federal campground is within ten miles of the boundary in the Campsite Atlas index. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit rules.
Source: Wilderness Connect
How do I get to Palen/McCoy Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 33.865, -115.044. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
How dark is the night sky at Palen/McCoy Wilderness?
NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 27 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, very dark ground, a faint glow at most.
Source: NASA Black Marble
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.
- 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.