Wilderness
Wilderness is a federal land designated by Congress. It is a place "where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.... which is protected and managed to preserve its natural condition - Wilderness Act of 1964.
In the Wilderness, preservation of the land, its natural processes, native vegetation and wildlife is the first priority of management. Human use is secondary. All mechanized equipment and vehicles are prohibited (including mountain bikes).
Wilderness is an indispensable part of American history. Native Americans depended on the bounty of wildlands for survival and held Earth and its wild places as sacred. The great western explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were inspired by the untamed beauty of wild places that became the forge upon which our distinctive American national character was created. After just 200 years from the time of Lewis and Clark, the essential wildness of America had virtually disappeared. As Americans realized that the long-term health and welfare of the nation were at risk, a vision for conservation emerged.
In 1964 our nation's leaders formally acknowledged the immediate and lasting benefits of wild places to the human spirit and fabric of our nation. That year, in a nearly unanimous vote, Congress enacted landmark legislation that permanently protected some of the most natural and undisturbed places in America. The Wilderness Act of 1964 established the National Wilderness Preservation System, the system of all America's wilderness areas, to "secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness."
The United States was the first country in the world to define and designate wilderness areas through law. Subsequently, countries around the world have protected areas modeled after the Wilderness Act. Wilderness is part of our history and heritage and is passed as a legacy to future generations. Indispensable to the American past, the legacy that is wilderness will remain indispensable to the American future.
"A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain."
The Wilderness Act of 1964
full text at Wilderness.net
Wilderness Trip Planning
Before heading into wilderness, take plenty of time to plan your trip thoroughly by visiting SierraWild.gov. Planning is the most important first step to ensure the best wilderness experience possible. At SierraWild.gov, you'll find great resources on what you need to know and how to plan your wilderness trip into the Sierra Nevada backcountry. Also visit Wilderness.net in your planning efforts. Planning includes calling the district office of the wilderness and contacting a wilderness ranger or the wilderness manager to receive the most up-to-date and detailed information.
The Sequoia National Forest has six designated wildernesses. For information regarding current conditions and regulations about a wilderness on the Sequoia National Forest, click on a link below: