Visit Wilderness

Search for a wilderness as the destination for your next outdoor adventure.

Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, Minnesota

Why Visit Wilderness?

While wilderness can be appreciated from afar—through online content, television, or books—nothing compares to experiencing it firsthand. Activities like camping, hiking, or hunting allow you to fully enjoy the recreational, ecological, spiritual, and health benefits that wilderness areas offer. These areas provide “outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation,” chances to observe wildlife, moments to renew and refresh, and the physical benefits of outdoor exercise. In many wilderness areas, you can even bring your well-behaved dog.

Learn more about the diverse ways in which we benefit from wilderness and threats wilderness areas face today.

Volcanic-deposited sediments uplifted into a fault-block mountain range, now called Nevada's White Pine Range, which peaks at the 11,513-foot Currant Mountain near the center of the Wilderness.

Sagebrush, pinion pine, and juniper dot the lower elevations, deferring to white fir, limber pine, and bristlecone pine higher up.

Portions of the area are important to upland game birds, especially partridge, and sometimes to members of the northernmost herd of desert bighorn sheep. The southern section provides ideal habitat for raptors. Monte Cristo Wild Horse and Burro Territory extends into the western section of the area, but wild horses are not frequently seen here. Elk use the northeastern section, and mule deer are common.

Extremely rugged terrain and limited access (especially from the east) make this an odds-on favorite for solitude in a Nevada Wilderness.

The 10 miles or so of trail are in poor condition and receive light use. The Broom Canyon Trail enters on the western side, follows an old road for about 2.5 miles, and, although it disappears, probably provides the best access.

You'll find little to no water in this region.

Three acres of the Wilderness lie in the Ely District on BLM land.

Leave No Trace

How to follow the seven standard Leave No Trace principles differs in different parts of the country (desert vs. Rocky Mountains). Click on any of the principles listed below to learn more about how they apply in the Currant Mountain Wilderness.

Plan Ahead and Prepare
Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Dispose of Waste Properly
Leave What You Find
Minimize Campfire Impacts
Respect Wildlife
Be Considerate of Other Visitors

For more information on Leave No Trace, Visit the Leave No Trace, Inc. website.

Location

Maps

Digital and paper maps are critical tools for wilderness visitors. Online maps can help you plan and prepare for your visit ahead of time. You can also carry digital maps with you on your GPS unit or other handheld GPS device. Having a paper map with you in the backcountry, as well as solid orienteering skills, however, ensures that you can still route-find in the event that your electronic device fails.

Online Maps

Interactive Map of the Currant Mountain Wilderness
FS Topographic Map
Google Earth

Nevada Wildernesses

Printed Maps

Fetching MyTopo from Database

USGS Store

Rules & Regulations

Motorized equipment and equipment used for mechanical transport is generally prohibited in all wilderness areas. This includes the use of motor vehicles, motorboats, motorized equipment, bicycles, hang gliders, wagons, carts, portage wheels, and the landing of aircraft including helicopters.

Wilderness-Specific Regulations

Learn more about why regulations may be necessary in wilderness.

Contacts

Applicable Wilderness Law(s)

Public Law 101-195

Date: December 5, 1989
Acreage: 36,000 acres

Nevada Wilderness Protection Act - Public law 101-195 (12/5/1989) To designate certain lands in the State of Nevada as wilderness, and for other purposes

For more information (To download or see all affected wilderness areas) visit our law library for 101-195 or special provisions for 101-195 or legislative history for 101-195.

Public Law 109-432

Date: December 20, 2006
Acreage: 10,697 acres

Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 - Public law 109-432 (12/20/2006) To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend expiring provisions, and for other purposes.

For more information (To download or see all affected wilderness areas) visit our law library for 109-432 or special provisions for 109-432 or legislative history for 109-432.

Want to Volunteer for Wilderness?

People who volunteer their time to steward our wilderness areas are an essential part of wilderness management. Contact the following groups to inquire about volunteer opportunities. Groups are listed alphabetically by the state(s) in which the wilderness is located.