South Sierra Wilderness

South Sierra Wilderness
IUCN category Ib (wilderness area)
Location	Tulare and Inyo counties, California, United States
Nearest city	Ridgecrest, California
Coordinates	36°11′01″N 118°06′03″W
Area	62,700 acres (254 km^2)
Established	1984
Governing body	United States Forest Service

The South Sierra Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area in the Southern Sierra Nevada, in eastern California. It is located 65 miles (105 km) northeast of Bakersfield, and is southwest of Owens Lake and Olancha.

Geography

Created with the passage of the California Wilderness Act of 1984 by the U.S. Congress, the South Sierra Wilderness is 62,700 acres (254 km²)^[1] in size. It is managed by the U.S. Forest Service, and within Sequoia National Forest and Inyo National Forest.

The South Sierra Wilderness is the southernmost Forest Service-managed section of a continuous chain of wilderness areas protecting the Sierra Nevada crest from Walker Pass to Lake Tahoe.

Elevations range from about 6,100 feet (1,900 m) near Kennedy Meadows, up to 12,132 feet (3,698 m) at Olancha Peak.^[2] The Wild and Scenic South Fork of the Kern River bisects the wilderness on the east side, in a north–south direction.

Ecology

Wildlife includes the large Monache mule deer herd, the sensitive Sierra Nevada red fox, pine martens, mountain lions, and American black bears.

Flora

See also: List of plants of the Sierra Nevada (U.S.)

Two very different landscapes with distinct habitats are protected within the South Sierra Wilderness:

• The southern portion is the lower Kern Plateau landform, with low, forested ridges, narrow meadows, and woodlands of Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi), red fir (Abies magnifica) and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta).
• The northern portion is more mountainous, and includes the alpine flora of Olancha Peak and Round Mountain.

Rare California native plants observed in the area are Kern ceanothus (Ceanothus pinetorum), a locally endemic shrub found on slopes in pine and red fir forests, at elevations between 5,000 and 9,000 feet (1,500 and 2,700 m). Ceanothus pinetorum is not currently state or federally listed under the Endangered Species Act, but is considered by the California Native Plant Society as "uncommon enough that their status should be monitored regularly".^[3]

Rare wildflowers include Kern Canyon clarkia (Clarkia xantiana ssp. parviflora) and goosefoot yellow violet (Viola pinetorum ssp. grisea), both are also endemic to California.

Recreational activities

Recreational activities include backpacking, day hiking, fishing, rock climbing, mountaineering, skiing and snowshoeing. The majority of trail users are summer grazing allotment permittees, and autumn hunters.

Hiking trails

There are six trailheads leading into the wilderness, and one campground, Kennedy Meadows, providing access to:

• the Pacific Crest Trail.
• the Wildrose Trail — 9 miles (14 km) in length and travels through pinyon pine forests.
• the Olancha Pass Trail — starts at the Sage Flat Trailhead on the eastside and is six miles (9.7 km) in length.

See also

• Flora of the Sierra Nevada
• Protected areas of the Sierra Nevada
• Fauna of the Sierra Nevada

References

1. Wilderness.net acreage data
2. "Olancha". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
3. "List 4: A Watch List". The CNPS Ranking System. California Native Plant Society (CNPS). Retrieved 2009-07-09.

Bibliography

Adkinson, Ron Wild Northern California, The Globe Pequot Press, 2001

External links

• Inyo National Forest section on wilderness areas.
• Sequoia National Forest wilderness areas.