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

Why Visit Wilderness?
Learn more about the diverse ways in which we benefit from wilderness and threats wilderness areas face today.
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Search for a wilderness as the destination for your next outdoor adventure.

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.
The High Rock Lake Wilderness includes the northern portion of the Calico Mountains, a typical north-south trending Great Basin mountain range. Elevations in the Wilderness range from 4,000 to 7,000 feet.
Sagebrush is the dominant vegetation type, with saltbush and greasewood occurring at the lower elevations. Several canyons also contain willows, cottonwoods, aspens and other riparian species.
The Wilderness was named for the usually dry High Rock Lake in the northwestern part of the Wilderness. The lake occasionally fills with waters flowing from High Rock and Little High Canyons. The lake was formed when a massive rockslide occurred thousands of years ago blocking the mouth of Box Canyon and diverting flows through Fly Canyon further to the north.
A portion of the Applegate-Lassen Emigrant Trail crosses through the northern portion of the Wilderness.
Wildlife that inhabit the area include mule deer, California bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, mountain lion, kit fox, coyote, and sage grouse.
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 High Rock Lake Wilderness.
For more information on Leave No Trace, Visit the Leave No Trace, Inc. website.
The Wilderness is located in western Humboldt County. The best access to the Wilderness is located along the maintained Soldier Meadows Road that forms the eastern boundary of the Wilderness.
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.
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.
Date: December 21, 2000
Acreage: 59,300 acres
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2001 - Public law 106-554 (12/21/2000) In order to conserve, protect, and enhance for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations the unique and nationally important historical, cultural, paleontological, scenic, scientific, biological, educational, wildlife, riparian, wilderness, endangered species, and recreational values and resources associated with the Applegate-Lassen and Nobles Trails corridors and surrounding areas, there is hereby established the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area in the State of Nevada
For more information (To download or see all affected wilderness areas) visit our law library for 106-554 or special provisions for 106-554 or legislative history for 106-554 for this law.
Date: November 6, 2001
Acreage: 0 acres
Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2002 - Public law 107-63 (11/6/2001) The Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area Act of 2000 is amended in sections 4(b) (16 U.S.C. 460ppp–2(b)) and 8(a) (16 U.S.C. 460ppp–6(a)) by striking ‘‘July 19, 2000’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘October 3, 2001’’
For more information (To download or see all affected wilderness areas) visit our law library for 107-63 or special provisions for 107-63 or legislative history for 107-63 for this law.
Date: December 19, 2014
Acreage: 0 acres
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 - Public law 113-291 (12/19/2014) To authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2015 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes.
For more information (To download or see all affected wilderness areas) visit our law library for 113-291 or special provisions for 113-291 or legislative history for 113-291 for this law.
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.