Mokelumne Wilderness

Located in the Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada and the Eldorado and the Stanislaus National Forests in California.

The 105,165 acre Mokelumne Wilderness straddles the crest of the central Sierra Nevada mountain range within the Stanislaus, Eldorado and Toiyabe National Forests. This area lies within portions of Calaveras Alpine and Amador Counties and is bordered by State Highway 4 on the south and State Highway 88 on the north. Watersheds drain to the Mokelumne River on the west slope and the Carson River on the east slope. The Mokelumne draws its name from a Me-Wuk village near the present town of Lockeford in San Joaquin County.

The Mokelumne Wilderness is a rugged landscape of great scenic beauty. Much of the area is dominated by volcanic ridges and peaks. The prominent feature is disputably the rugged Mokelumne River Canyon. There are many smaller streams flowing through deep granitic canyons but only a few lakes concentrated in the northern portion of this spectacular area. Elevations range from about 3,900 feet near Salt Springs Reservoir to 10,380 feet at Round Top. Precipitation averages 50 inches annually on the west slope and as little as 15 inches on the east slope, 80 percent of it in the form of snow. Snowpacks typically linger into June in the Round Top region to the north and on the Mokelumne Plateau to the south, while the Mokelumne River Canyon above Salt Springs Reservoir can be free of snow as early as March. Summers are generally dry and mild but afternoon thundershowers occur periodically and nighttime temperatures may dip below freezing any time.

This wilderness is home to a wide variety of wildlife including deer, bear, coyote, bobcat, mountain lion and beaver. Birdlife includes grouse, mountain quail, and red-tailed hawks. The lakes support rainbow, cutthroat, brown, brook and golden trout.

History - Various Native Americans inhabited the area for 10,000 years. The most recent inhabitants the Mi-Wuk from the west slope and the Washoe of the Great Basin spent the warmer months hunting. In the high country and trading with each other. Explorers such as Jedediah Smith (1826) and John C. Fremont and Kit Carson (1844) were the first Euro-Americans to visit the Mokelumne Wilderness. In 1848 the Mormon Battalion successfully pioneered a trail just south of present day Carson Pass in a trek from Sutter's Fort to Salt Lake City, and later, thousands of emigrants followed this route on the way to the gold fields of California. A brief period of gold and sliver mining occurred during the 1860's southwest of Blue Lakes, but by the turn of the century the wilderness was infrequently visited, mostly by shepherds who grazed stock in the spring and summer. In the 1930's a trapper and guide known as Monty Wolf constructed log cabins in the wilderness; he eventually lived there until his disappearance in 1940.

Recreation - Management of visitors and their impacts is especially important for preserving the naturalness and solitude that distinguish wilderness from other settings. Those people who use the Mokelumne Wilderness visit primarily from April through October. Most use is concentrated around the few lakes found in the Wilderness. By applying no-trace camping skills visitors can minimize the impact of recreational use on the wilderness environment. Information about leave no trace skills can be found on wilderness permit attachments and is posted at trailheads.

Wilderness Travel - There are over 100 miles of trails in the Mokelumne Wilderness. Travel is restricted to foot or horseback. Mechanized transportation of any kind including bicycles is prohibited (wheel chair use by those in genuine need is permissible). Major trailheads on the Stanislaus portion are located at Lake Alpine, Woodchuck Basin and Sandy Meadow on the Calaveras District (Hwy. 4). On the Eldorado at Tanglefoot, Plasse Trading Post, Caples Lake, Woods Lake and Carson Pass on the Amador District (Hwy.88) and on the Toiyabe at Ebbetts Pass (Pacific Crest Trail), Pleasant Valley and Wet Meadows on the Carson District.

For further information contact: Amador Ranger District, Eldorado National Forest -Or- Calaveras Ranger District, Stanislaus National Forest -Or- Carson Ranger District, Toiyabe National Forest