Chimney Peak Wilderness
The Chimney Peak Wilderness is a 13,134-acre (53.15 km2) wilderness area located 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Ridgecrest, in southeastern Tulare County, California.
| Chimney Peak Wilderness | |
|---|---|
IUCN category Ib (wilderness area) | |
| Location | Tulare County, California, United States |
| Nearest city | Ridgecrest, California |
| Coordinates | 35°50′56″N 118°05′09″W |
| Area | 13,134 acres (53.15 km2) |
| Established | Oct. 31, 1994 |
| Governing body | Bureau of Land Management |
The 1994 California Desert Protection Act (Public Law 103–433) created the wilderness and it is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Department of the Interior.
The Chimney Peak Wilderness is a rugged and mountainous Mojave Desert environment on the eastern side of the Southern Sierra Nevada Range. The wilderness is named for Chimney Peak, elevation 7,871 feet (2,399 m), located in the northeast corner of the wilderness.
The area has Mojave Desert plants such as Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) and creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) on the valley floors and alluvial fans and in the Sierra foothills. Higher Sierra elevations have single-leaf pinyon pine (Pinus monophylla).