| Bright Star Wilderness | |
|---|---|
| Location | Kern County, California,United States |
| Nearest city | Lake Isabella, California |
| Coordinates | 35°30′23″N118°14′34″W / 35.5063454°N 118.2428549°W /35.5063454; -118.2428549[1] |
| Area | 8,190 acres (3,314 ha)[2] |
| Established | October 31, 1994 |
| Governing body | Bureau of Land Management |
Bright Star Wilderness is a 8,190-acre (3,314 ha)wilderness area inKern County in theU.S. state ofCalifornia.[3][4]
TheCalifornia Desert Protection Act of 1994 (Public Law 103–433) added the wilderness to theNational Wilderness Preservation System and it is administered by theBureau of Land Management (BLM).
Bright Star Wilderness surrounds 5,090-foot (1,551 m) Kern County's Kelso Peak and drainages to the north, south and east, including Bright Star Canyon and Cortez Canyon.[5]
The Wilderness lies within the BLM'sJawbone-Butterbredt Area of Critical Environmental Concern in the higherMojave Desert and protects much of the Piute Mountains, of the southernSierra Nevada (not to be confused with thePiute Mountains to east inMojave National Preserve).[4]
A wide variety of vegetation grows in the Bright Star Wilderness. The upper slopes of Kelso Peak are dotted withSingle-leaf piñon pine (Pinus monophylla) andCalifornia juniper (Juniperus californica), while the lower slopes are brushy and broken by large granite outcroppings. The valley below the peak is dense withJoshua trees (Yucca brevifolia).[3]