What is Wilderness?

Philosophers talk about wilderness as an idea. Congress talks about wilderness as a law. My brother calls his back yard wilderness, and I can’t ride my bike up Mount Whitney because it’s wilderness. Well shoot… I’m confused. What’s wilderness?

The Idea and the Law:

The Idea:

The word wilderness means something different to each of us. We all have our own idea of where civilization ends and wilderness begins, but each of these definitions share in describing a place we consider wild. A wilderness is untamed, free; it exists on its own terms, outside our control. To some a wilderness is that which they don’t know, outside the boundary, unmapped and forbidding. For others it’s a place to escape, a place to explore. In a phrase, wilderness is that place “out there.”

Beyond this personal meaning, wilderness has developed a more specific definition in western european culture. Henry Thoreau, Aldo Leopold, Ralph Waldo Emerson, John Muir, and other great thinkers embraced the concept of what’s “out there” and gave us a definition of wilderness that many share today. According to their ideas, wilderness embodies the freedom of the american frontier, and we must protect wild lands that remain untouched by human hands. These places, the forests and mountains so central to America’s identity, are the wilderness areas that we share as a people.

The Law:

We each have our own wilderness, our own “out there” to experience, but what does the word wilderness mean on a map? On a sign? On this website? What does it mean for a place to be “designated wilderness?”

The idea of wilderness is philosophical, something that writers and thinkers will struggle with forever, but in America the word “wilderness” also has a very specific legal meaning. These two definitions depend on each other and it’s important to understand how they relate; the idea forms a basis for the law, and the law embodies the spirit of the idea.

In 1964, in an almost unanimous vote, the United States Congress passed the Wilderness Act. This short piece of legislation, originally written by Howard Zahniser, legally defined “designated wilderness” and established America’s National Wilderness Preservation System. According to the act, “A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.”

If you’re someone who values America’s wilderness areas, take a few minutes to read the act itself. Quality not quantity: the Wilderness Act is short and sweet.

Since the Wilderness Act was first passed, Congress has established 680 separate wilderness areas. Each of these areas was set aside under the same law, and each enjoys the same basic protections, but they are managed by four different federal agencies: the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, and the Fish and Wildlife Service. Though run by different agencies, designated wilderness areas must be managed in accordance with the provisions set out in the Wilderness Act.

Where Is It?

Designated wilderness areas are all managed by one of these four federal agencies, but the boundaries of our wilderness areas do not necessarily match up with the boundaries of the park of forest that is managing them. Some wilderness areas include only a part of a park or forest (like the Sequoia and Kings Canyon Wilderness) while others are split between various parks and forests (like the Domeland Wilderness managed by Sequoia National Forest and two separate Bureau of Land Management units).

Needless to say, this can make finding information about specific wilderness areas challenging. That’s where SierraNevadaWild.gov comes in. Use this site to cut right to the information you want about how to enjoy the the Sierra Wilderness. Start by visiting our Wilderness Areas page and selecting the area you would like to research.

For additional information about America’s designated wilderness areas, visit wilderness.net

Confused by something on this site? SierraNevadaWild wants your help. Go to the Contact page to contact us with your feedback, and help us make this an even better source for Sierra Wilderness information.