South Sierra Wilderness
With Golden Trout Wilderness on its northern boundary and Domeland Wilderness on its southern (except for the road to Kennedy Meadows), South Sierra Wilderness straddles the crest of the Sierra Nevada at the southern end of the range. Here, you'll find fragile meadowland with a great diversity of flora and fauna situated between forested ridges, rolling hills, and craggy peaks. On the western side (in Sequoia National Forest), the terrain is relatively gentle and easy to travel, forested in fir and pine. The crest and eastern portion (in Inyo National Forest) is far more steep and dissected, making for rugged and strenuous travel; it's an arid landscape, spotted by pinion and juniper.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | California |
| Size | 60,280 acres |
| Designated | 1984, by Congress |
| Center point | 36.15° N, 118.12° 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
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.
Trails
18 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 188 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| PCT - Pacific Crest Trail ↗ | 66.9 | |
| Pacific Crest ↗ | 43.9 | |
| Albinita ↗ | 9.5 | |
| Olancha Pass ↗ | 8.8 | |
| Wildrose ↗ | 8 | |
| Strawberry Mdw to Monache ↗ | 7.6 | |
| Deer Mountain ↗ | 6.4 | |
| Honey Bee ↗ | 6.4 | |
| Haiwee Pass ↗ | 6.1 | |
| Beck Meadow ↗ | 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.
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Reference
Questions people ask
How big is South Sierra Wilderness?
60,280 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages South Sierra Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is South Sierra Wilderness in?
California.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was South Sierra Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1984.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at South Sierra 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 South Sierra Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 36.149° N, 118.124° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
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.