| Owens Peak Wilderness | |
|---|---|
Owens Peak | |
| Location | Kern /Inyo /Tulare counties,California,United States |
| Nearest city | Ridgecrest, CA |
| Coordinates | 35°43′01″N117°58′04″W / 35.71694°N 117.96778°W /35.71694; -117.96778 |
| Area | 73,767 acres (298.52 km2) |
| Established | 1994 |
| Governing body | U.S.Bureau of Land Management |

TheOwens Peak Wilderness is a 73,767-acre (298.52 km2)[1]wilderness area comprising the rugged eastern face of theSierra Nevada.Owens Peak (8,445 ft)[2] is the high point. The land was set aside with the passage of theCalifornia Desert Protection Act of 1994 (Public Law 103–433) by theUS Congress.
The mountainous terrain has deep, winding, open and expansive canyons, many of which contain springs with extensive riparian vegetation. This area is a transition zone between theGreat Basin,Mojave Desert and Sierra Nevadaecoregions. Vegetation varies considerably with acreosote desert scrub community on thebajadas, scatteredyuccas,cacti, annuals,cottonwood andoak trees in the canyons and valleys and ajuniper-pinyon woodland withsagebrush anddigger/gray pine on the upper elevations.
Wildlife includesmule deer,golden eagle andprairie falcon. Evidence of occupation by prehistoric peoples has been found throughout the wilderness.
ThePacific Crest Trail passes through the wilderness along the crest and western side.
Starting in 1992, an ongoing effort to restore the environment in both theKiavah and Owens Peak wilderness areas is being conducted by theUniversity of California, Davis, Student Conservation Corps. By March 1997, 15 miles (24 km) of closed roads had been restored by relieving soil compaction with hand tools or a dozer-drawn ripper, installingwaterbars, placing vertical mulch (woody debris and rocks) and scarifying disturbed area surfaces to increase water absorption and seed collection. Despite continued monitoring, illegal off-highway vehicle (OHV) use is a problem in some areas.[3]