John Muir Wilderness

Infobox_protected_area | name = John Muir Wilderness
iucn_category = Ib

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caption =
locator_x = 22
locator_y = 90
location = California, USA
nearest_city = Fresno, CA
lat_degrees = 37
lat_minutes = 11
lat_seconds = 44
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 118
long_minutes = 42
long_seconds = 23
long_direction = W
area = 580,323 acres (2,350 km²)
established = January 1, 1964
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body = U.S. Forest ServiceThe John Muir Wilderness is a wilderness area that extends along the crest of the Sierra Nevada of California, USA for approximately 100 miles (150 km), in the Inyo and Sierra National Forestscitation|title=United State Forest Service|name=Inyo National Forest Wilderness Areas|url=http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/recreation/wild/index.shtml|date=2006] . Established in 1964 by the Wilderness Act, and named for naturalist John Muir, it contains 581,000 acres (2350 km²). The wilderness extends from Reds Meadow (near Mammoth Mountain) in the north, to south of Mount Whitney. The wilderness area also spans the Sierra north of Kings Canyon National Park, and extends on the west side of the park down to the Monarch Wilderness.

The wilderness contains the most spectacular and highest peaks of the Sierra Nevada. The peaks are typically made of granite from the Sierra Nevada Batholith, and are dramatically shaped by glacial action. The southernmost glacier in the United States, the Palisade Glacier, is contained within the wilderness area.

The John Muir Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail run through the wilderness, in addition to numerous local hiking trails.

The wilderness area also includes California Bighorn Sheep Zoological Areas, which are set aside for the protection of the species. People cannot enter these areas during calving season, and dogs are prohibited at all times.

Notable mountains in the wilderness area include Mount Whitney, the Palisades, and Mount Humphreys.

ee also

* List of books about the Sierra Nevada for further reading
* Ecology of the Sierra Nevada
* Sierra Nevada (U.S.)

References

External links

* [http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&sec=wildView&wname=John%20Muir Wilderness.net]
* [http://www.topoquest.com/map.asp?z=11&n=4147793&e=329374&s=100&size=l&u=7&datum=nad83&layer=DRG25 TopoQuest map]