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.

Gently sloping from about 2,000 feet elevation in the south to 4,000 feet in the north, Pine Creek and its numerous tributaries drain this Wilderness in a north-south direction. With the exception of the creek itself, home to rainbow trout and bass, most of the streams dry up part of the year.

Chaparral and scrub oak entirely dominate the vegetation, with some riparian and oak woodlands emerging from the stream bottoms.

You may see deer, coyotes, mountain lions, gray foxes, hawks, owls, and several species of reptiles. You might also encounter small herds of private livestock grazing because their owners were issued permits prior to designation.

Several trails provide access and receive only light human use. The Espinosa Trail leaves the Horsethief Trailhead on the west side of the Wilderness and switchbacks down into Horsethief Canyon taking you to the waters of Pine Creek. From the pools and falls of Pine Creek the Espinosa Trail continues to the junction with the Secret Canyon Trail, a north / south trail that leads 13 miles to the northern boundary of the Wilderness.

Groups are limited to 15 people.

Campfires are not permitted.

Non-conforming uses (e.g. drug trafficking, nonsystem trails, litter and undocumented immigration) have negatively impacted the wilderness character in the past, though these uses have decreased in recent years.

Please call the District Office (619-445-6235) for current conditions and remote camping information.

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 Pine Creek 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 Pine Creek Wilderness
FS Topographic Map
Google Earth

California 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 98-425

Date: September 28, 1984
Acreage: 13,100 acres

California Wilderness Act of 1984 - Public Law 98-425 (9/28/1984) California Wilderness Act of 1984

For more information (To download or see all affected wilderness areas) visit our law library for 98-425 or special provisions for 98-425 or legislative history for 98-425.

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.