Wild places > Northeast CA: Regional Map

Skedaddle Potential Wilderness

Size: Approximately 140,000 acres.

Managing agency: Bureau of Land Management, Eagle Lake Field Office

Location: 30 miles northeast of Susanville in Lassen County.

Description: The Skedaddle potential wilderness is northern California's largest unprotected wild area. It is composed of eight units separated from one another by dirt roads: Shinn Mountain, Five Springs, Twin Peaks, Dry Valley Rim, Observation Peak, Skedaddle Mountain, Little Mud Flat, and Deep Cut. This is volcanic country, and most of the rocks were extruded during the past ten million years when the earth's crust was breaking along faults into the large blocks that form today's basin valleys and mountain ranges. In days past, bison roamed here. Remnant bands of pronghorn still do. Gray wolves once stalked through the mountains. Today, coyotes are the largest predator.

Golden eagles soar above, and sage grouse perform their complex mating dances before the first rays of dawn strike their strutting grounds. Sage grouse populations are declining due to the degradation of their habitat by livestock grazing, agricultural and urban conversion, herbicides, pesticides, skewed fire regimes, invasive species, oil and gas development, offroad vehicle use, roads, and fences.The Skedaddle potential wilderness offers critical habitat for this important Great Basin species.

The area's mountains are rugged and cut by many steep, rocky canyons, caves, and volcanic spires. The higher elevations support aspen groves and patches of large berry shrubs. Surrounding the mountains are sagebrush flats, some of which are dry ancient lake beds. Vast fields of native grasslands also characterize the potential wilderness. Smoke, Rush, and other creeks provide much-needed habitat for a long list of plant and wildlife species in this high-desert region. These canyons support extensive thickets of wild rose, willow, and cottonwood.

The varied terrain types in Skedaddle make for outstanding cross-country hiking, hunting, and horseback riding, and the expansive views afforded by the potential wilderness's high points are a real treat for visitors. Reminders of Native American habitation, such as rock art and stone hunting blinds, abound in the region. Signs of more recent human use can be seen along the Nobles Emigrant National Historic Trail, an old wagon route which winds through the potential wilderness.

For additional information, please contact:
Ryan Henson
California Wilderness Coalition
P.O. Box 993323
Redding, CA 96099
Phone: (530) 246-3087