John Muir Wilderness


The John Muir Wilderness is a wilderness area that extends along the crest of the Sierra Nevada of California for, in the Inyo and Sierra National Forests. Established in 1964 by the Wilderness Act and named for naturalist John Muir, it contains. The wilderness lies along the eastern escarpment of the Sierra from near Mammoth Lakes and Devils Postpile National Monument in the north, to Cottonwood Pass near Mount Whitney in the south. The wilderness area also spans the Sierra crest north of Kings Canyon National Park, and extends on the west side of the park down to the Monarch Wilderness.

Geography and geology

The wilderness contains some of the most spectacular and highest peaks of the Sierra Nevada, with 57 peaks over in elevation. 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. Notable eastside glaciated canyons are drained by Rock, McGee, and Bishop Creeks.
The eastern escarpment in the wilderness rises from from base to peak, in. The Sierra crest contains peaks from in elevation, including Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the continental United States. Other notable mountains in the wilderness area include the Palisades and Mount Humphreys. Mount Muir is located 2 miles south of Mount Whitney. Mount Williamson is the second-highest peak in the wilderness, at : it rises in one continuous sweep of granite from the floor of the Owens Valley to a peak just east of the main range.
and Mount Tyndall in the John Muir Wilderness from near the Independence Airport

Ecology

The John Muir Wilderness contains the largest contiguous area above in the continental United States. It contains large areas of subalpine meadows and fellfields above, containing stands of whitebark and foxtail pine. From to, the wilderness is dominated by lodgepole pines. Below the lodgepole forest is forest dominated by Jeffrey pine.
Common animals in the wilderness include yellow-bellied marmots, pikas, golden-mantled ground squirrels, Clark's nutcrackers, golden trout, and black bears. The wilderness area also includes California bighorn sheep zoological areas, which are set aside for the protection of the species.

Recreation

The wilderness contains of hiking trails, including the John Muir Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail, which run through the wilderness from north to south. The John Muir Wilderness is the second most-visited wilderness in the United States, and quota are required for overnight use on virtually all trailheads.

Lakes