Dinkey Lakes Wilderness
Area Management
The Dinkey Lakes Wilderness is part of the 110 million acre National Wilderness Preservation System. This System of lands provides clean air, water, and habitat critical for rare and endangered plants and animals. In wilderness, you can enjoy challenging recreational activities like hiking, backpacking, climbing, kayaking, canoeing, rafting, horse packing, bird watching, stargazing, and extraordinary opportunities for solitude. You play an important role in helping to "secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness" as called for by the Congress of the United States through the Wilderness Act of 1964. Please follow the requirements outlined below and use Leave No Trace techniques when visiting the Dinkey Lakes Wilderness to ensure protection of this unique area.General Wilderness Prohibitions
Motorized equipment and equipment used for mechanical transport is generally prohibited on all federal lands designated as wilderness. This includes the use of motor vehicles, motorboats, motorized equipment, bicycles, hang gliders, wagons, carts, portage wheels, and the landing of aircraft including helicopters, unless provided for in specific legislation.In a few areas some exceptions allowing the use of motorized equipment or mechanical transport are described in the special regulations in effect for a specific area. Contact the Forest Service office or visit the websites listed on the 'Links' tab for more specific information.
These general prohibitions have been implemented for all national forest wildernesses in order to implement the provisions of the Wilderness Act of 1964. The Wilderness Act requires management of human-caused impacts and protection of the area's wilderness character to insure that it is "unimpaired for the future use and enjoyment as wilderness." Use of the equipment listed as prohibited in wilderness is inconsistent with the provision in the Wilderness Act which mandates opportunities for solitude or primitive recreation and that wilderness is a place that is in contrast with areas where people and their works are dominant.
Wilderness-Specific Regulations
Wilderness managers often need to take action to limit the impacts caused by visitor activities in order to protect the natural conditions of wilderness as required by the Wilderness Act of 1964. Managers typically implement 'indirect' types of actions such as information and education measures before selecting more restrictive measures. When regulations are necessary, they are implemented with the specific intent of balancing the need to preserve the character of the wilderness while providing for the use and enjoyment of wilderness.The following wilderness regulations are in effect for this area. Not all regulations are in effect for every wilderness. Contact the Forest Service office or visit the websites listed on the 'Links' tab for more specific information about the regulations listed.
ALL VISITORS
To protect natural resources and promote public safety:
1. Campfires are prohibited above 10,000 feet north of the elevational boundary, and above 10,400 feet south of the elevational boundary. The line dividing the two elevational zones begins at the point where the Sierra National Forest and Kings Canyon National Park boundaries converge and follows the northern boundary of Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park generally west, and then generally south, to the summit of Mount Henry. From the Summit of Mount Henry, the line dividing the two elevation zones, and then generally northwest, along the southern boundary of the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River Watershed, and ends where the southern boundary of Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River Watershed crosses the John Muir Wilderness boundary to the east of Mount Givens.
2. Camping is prohibited within 100 feet of any water source. If steep or rocky terrain prevents camping more than 100 feet from any water source, camping is permitted within 50 to 100 feet of the water source.
STOCK USERS
To protect natural resources, grazing of pack stock animals, including horses, mules, donkeys, and llamas is prohibited above 10,000 feet in elevation.
OVERNIGHT VISITORS
To promote public safety, store all food or refuse in a container designed to prevent access by bears, or counter-balanced at least 15 feet above the ground and 10 feet horizontally from a tree trunk.
Learn more about why regulations may be necessary in wilderness.
