White Mountains Wilderness
The White Mountains Wilderness was designated through the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009. The Wilderness contains Cottonwood Creek, which was designated a Wild and Scenic River at the same time as the wilderness designation. The White Mountains are one of the largest and highest desert mountain ranges in North America. The range rises abruptly from the Owens and Chalfant Valleys along its western escarpment, with several peaks along the crest exceeding 13,000 feet in elevation. White Mountain, at 14,246 ft., is the highest peak in the Great Basin. Much of the crest is comprised of plateaus, which contain the largest expanse of rare alpine tundra in the far western United States.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service |
| State | California |
| Size | 230,966 acres |
| Designated | 2009, by Congress |
| Center point | 37.62° N, 118.20° 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 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 1 federal campground within ten miles sits 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 day hiking. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.
- 6 miPatriarch Grove Trailhead ↗Day hiking
Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.
Trails
12 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 53 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Cottonwood Stock ↗ | 19.9 | |
| Mill Canyon Stock ↗ | 6.3 | |
| Water Canyon Stock ↗ | 4.7 | |
| Indian Creek Stock | 4.3 | |
| Blanco Mountain | 3.8 | |
| Indian Garden Stock | 3.3 | |
| Indian Garden Stock | 3.3 | |
| Water Can.-Crooked Ck.stock | 2.5 | |
| Leidy Creek Stock | 2.2 | |
| Station Peak Stock | 1.3 |
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
- 4.6 mi
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for California
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is White Mountains Wilderness?
230,966 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages White Mountains 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 White Mountains Wilderness in?
California.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was White Mountains Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 2009.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at White Mountains 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 White Mountains Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 37.618° N, 118.204° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Are there historic places near White Mountains Wilderness?
The National Register has 1 listing within 15 miles, including Laws Narrow Gauge Railroad Historic 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.