Introduction
The United States Congress designated the Mount Wilson Wilderness (
map) in 1990 and it now has a total of
23,900 acres.
All of this wilderness is located in
Arizona and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
Description
Only 30 miles from Las Vegas, Nevada, Mount Wilson Wilderness encompasses eight miles of Wilson Ridge with its summit on Mount Wilson at 5,445 feet in the northwest corner. Approaching this area from U.S. 93, you'll see a stark and forbidding landscape, a harsh and seemingly waterless countryside. Looks, however, can be deceiving, as the area hides several dependable year-round springs that support wildlife, including more than 100 desert bighorn sheep. The high country along Wilson Ridge rises in places to more than 3,000 feet above the desert floor, providing eye-stretching views over Lake Mead and the colored cliffs, badlands, mountains, and deserts in the distance. The Wilderness is almost completely surrounded by Lake Mead National Recreation Area, which is administered by the
National Park Service. Backpackers will find many primitive campsites.
