Granite Chief Wilderness

Infobox_protected_area | name = Granite Chief Wilderness

iucn_category = Ib

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caption =
locator_x = 18
locator_y = 79
location = California, USA
nearest_city = Tahoe City CA
lat_degrees = 39
lat_minutes = 08
lat_seconds = 58
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 120
long_minutes = 17
long_seconds = 45
long_direction = W
area = 19,048 acres (77 km²)
established = January 1, 1984
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body = U.S. Forest ServiceThe Granite Chief Wilderness is a 19,048 acre (77 km²)federally designated wilderness area of the Tahoe National Forest. Created by the California Wilderness Act of 1984, [ [http://www.nps.gov/legal/parklaws/1/laws1-volume1-appendix.pdf The National Park Service webpage on this Act] ] it is located in the Sierra Nevada mountains west of Lake Tahoe in California, USA.It is managed by the Tahoe National Forest and the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. Elevations range from 4,800 feet to 9,006 feet at the summit of Granite Chief.

Events such as the Western States Endurance Run and the equestrian Western States Trail Ride, popularly called The Tevis Cup cross portions of the wilderness. The Pacific Crest Trail also enters the wilderness in the northeastern area.

This region is extensively glaciated and has features such as hanging valleys, cirques and U-shaped valleys, but few lakes. Just outside the wilderness boundary there are two large recreation lakes, Hell Hole Reservoir to the south and French Meadows Reservoir to the west.

The Sierra Club had maintained the Bradley Hut, which was a ski hut located at the Five Lakes Basin, but in 1994 the Sierra Club was asked to remove the hut by the U. S. Forest Service as it was now inside the newly created wilderness. The hut was dismantled and relocated four miles away. Because no mechanical equipment can be used in a wilderness, the dismantling of the Bradley Hut took until the fall of 1996 to finish. [ [http://www.sierraclub.org/awards/1999winners/simpson.asp The Sierra Club's webpage on the Bradley Hut] .]

Lakes and waterways

The principal drainages are the Middle Fork of the American River and Five Lakes Creek. The small lakes within the wilderness boundary are the Five Lakes, Mildred Lake and Little Needle Lake.

Fish such as rainbow, brook and brown trout can be seen in Whiskey, Picayune, and Bear Pen creeks as well as the largest lake of the Five Lakes group.

Flora and fauna

Rich, volcanic soils support a range of plant life, from fields of mule ears to conifer forests including whitebark pine at the highest elevations. Along the creeks grow black cottonwood, alder and aspen.Typical high sierra wildlife include mountain lion, black bear, and mule deer.

Granite Chief wilderness provides important fawning areas for mule deer, so visitors are prohibited from bringing dogs into certain areas of the wilderness from May 15th to July 15th.

Recreation

Activities include day-hiking, backpacking, fishing, cross-country skiing, mountain climbing and horsepacking. The Five Lakes basin is the most heavily used area in the wilderness due to the close proximity to both Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows ski areas. Two commercial outfitters offer horsepacking trips into the wilderness.The Forest Service encourages the practice of Leave No Trace principles of outdoor travel to minimize human impact on the environment.

Trails

There are 37 miles of trails with eight trailheads. The most used is the Granite Chief trailhead located at Squaw Valley Ski Area parking lot. Talbot campground is located near the Talbot trailhead, four miles north of French Meadows Reservoir and is the only trailhead with a no-fee campground.

Notable peaks

Footnotes

External links

* [http://www.nps.gov/legal/parklaws/1/laws1-volume1-appendix.pdf The Text of Wilderness Act of 1984]
* [http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/tahoe/recreation/gcw/index.shtml Tahoe National Forest - Granite Chief Wilderness ]
* [http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&sec=wildView&wname=Granite%20Chief Wilderness.net]
* [http://www.topoquest.com/map.asp?z=10&n=4342276&e=734245&s=100&size=l&datum=nad83&layer=DRG25 TopoQuest map]
* [http://www.summitpost.org/object_list.php?object_name_1=California&object_type=1&orderby=object_name&page=7|The Summitpost webpage, "G"section]