Santa Rosa Wilderness
The stark Colorado Desert, with its agave, ocotillo, and creosote, rises up boulder-strewn and eroded canyons to chaparral, juniper, and pine-covered ridges. Elevations change drastically from just above sea level to over 7,000 feet. Seemingly desolate and inhospitable, the Santa Rosa Mountains are laced with deep washes and shallow drainages. Several riparian streams flow year-round. Blistering summer heat is sometimes relieved by thunderstorms that send torrents of water down the sandy washes. Many of these regions are important lambing sites for bighorn sheep; in fact, the mountains support the largest herd of rare peninsular bighorn sheep in the United States.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service |
| State | California |
| Size | 78,576 acres |
| Designated | 1984, by Congress |
| Center point | 33.51° N, 116.31° W |
| Night sky | Very dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 27) |
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
None of the 2 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.
Trailheads and sites
The Forest Service lists 1 recreation site inside this wilderness, among them 1 viewpoint. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.
- 8 miCahuilla Tewanet Scenic Overlook ↗Viewpoint
Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.
Trails
3 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 23 miles in all.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Cactus Springs ↗ | 10.2 | |
| Cactus Springs ↗ | 10.2 | |
| Sawmill | 2.5 |
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
- under 0.1 miMartinez Canyon Rockhouse ↗North Palm Springs, CA
- 3 miMartinez Historical District ↗Torres-Martinez Indian Reservation, CA
- 7 miBates, Miles C., House ↗Palm Desert, CA
- 9.2 miKenaston House ↗Rancho Mirage, CA
- 13.1 miElrod, Arthur, House ↗Palm Springs, CA
- 13.6 miSandcliff ↗Palm Springs, CA
- 13.7 miFages-De Anza Trail-Southern Emigrant Road ↗Borrego Springs, CA
- 14.1 miKrisel Tract Home, 1882 S. Caliente Road (apn 511032005-9) ↗Palm Springs, Agua Caliente Indian Reservation, 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 Santa Rosa Wilderness?
78,576 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Santa Rosa 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 Santa Rosa Wilderness in?
California.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Santa Rosa Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1984.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Santa Rosa 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 Santa Rosa Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 33.514° N, 116.314° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Are there historic places near Santa Rosa Wilderness?
The National Register has 12 listings within 15 miles, including Martinez Canyon Rockhouse and Martinez Historical District.
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.