Shellback Wilderness
The Shellback Wilderness is in the Northeast White Pine Range. It is a long ridge reaching over 9000 feet. The west side has spring fed basins with aspen stands and linear limestone formations. The east is more arid with pinion juniper forests and some deep rocky canyons. The area is south of highway 50, one hour west of Ely.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Nevada |
| Size | 36,151 acres |
| Designated | 2006, by Congress |
| Center point | 39.25° N, 115.36° W |
| Night sky | Very dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 26) |
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.
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
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.
Trails
1 named Forest Service trail enters this wilderness, 2 miles in all.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Hayden Drill Hole Trail | 2 |
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
- PrescribedWard Terrace Rx
26 mi from the center point
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.
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Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Shellback Wilderness?
36,151 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Shellback Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Shellback Wilderness in?
Nevada.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Shellback Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 2006.
Source: Wilderness Connect
How do I get to Shellback Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 39.247° N, 115.356° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Is there a fire near Shellback Wilderness right now?
1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Ward Terrace Rx at 26 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
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.