Wilderness

The 1964 National Wilderness Preservation Act designated portions of federally owned land as Wilderness. By law, these lands are affected primarily by the forces of nature, where natural biological and physical processes are allowed to proceed with little or no human intervention and humans are considered “visitors.” Thirteen percent of the Cherokee National Forest’s land base – more than 86,000 acres – is Congressionally designated Wilderness, including:
 

No motorized equipment or wheeled vehicles except wheelchairs are allowed in Wilderness or Wilderness Study Areas. Visiting a Wilderness requires a high degree of self-reliance. Trails are minimally maintained with a limited number of signs, trail blazes and footbridges. Group sizes are limited – six or fewer is best for minimum impact. Leave No Trace practices preserve an area’s primitive character. (Read about Leave No Trace practices on page 16.) In the Cherokee National Forest, horses are permitted on a limited number of designated trails in Unaka Mountain, Citico Creek, Gee Creek and Big Frog Wildernesses.