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Wilderness Profile


Just three miles off of Interstate 80, Castle Peak Potential Wilderness is among the most scenic areas in the Tahoe National Forest. Home to extraordinary old-growth red fir forests and the little Truckee River, Castle Peak provides clean drinking water to residents of Nevada County.

Slate Range Potential Wilderness

Managing agency: Bureau of Land Management.

Size: Approximately 32,240 acres.

Location: In Inyo County. Includes part of the Slate Range and the southern Panamint Valley.

Description: The diverse terrain of the Slate Range potential wilderness includes jagged peaks and steep canyons, which display a variety of colors from tan to red to gold. The associated bajada gently slopes into the Panamint Valley, with its large, flat salt pan. (A bajada is an alluvial plain formed at the base of a mountain by the coming together of several alluvial fans.) The vegetation of this area is mostly found in the bajada and lower elevations of the mountains, and consists mainly of low desert shrubs, mostly creosote bush.

The Slate Range potential wilderness was dropped from the California Desert Protection Act due to concerns from the U.S. Navy. Those concerns have since been addressed, and the area is worthy of re-consideration.

For additional information, please contact:
Bryn Jones
California Wilderness Coalition
4065 Mission Inn Ave.
Riverside, CA 92501
Phone: (909) 781-1336