BLM NEVADA WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS
As of 2016 BLM Nevada manages 60 Wilderness Study Areas (WSA) totaling 2,516,855 acres. These areas are actively administered to ensure
that wilderness values are preserved and protected until such time as Congress decides either to designate these areas as wilderness or release them for multiple-use purposes. BLM WSAs are open to a wide variety of non-motorized, primitive recreational activities, including horseback riding, rafting, fishing, hunting, backpacking, wildlife viewing, and camping. WSAs often have special qualities such as ecological, geological, educational, historical, scientific, and scenic values.
Featured Wilderness Study Area: Disaster Peak Wilderness Study Area
The Disaster Peak Wilderness Study Area is located in both Nevada and Oregon. Disaster Peak WSA lies in the west-central Trout Creek Mountains at the headwaters of Kings River and McDermitt Creek. It contains a portion of the main north-south ridgeline of the Trout Creek Mountains, a number of stream valleys and rolling sagebrush hills. It has a very irregular horseshoe shape, and is approximately 10 miles long and 8 miles wide. The WSA contains land in BLM's Winnemucca, Nevada district, and Vale and Burns, Oregon, districts. Total public land in the WSA is 32,040 acres; 18,840 acres in Oregon and 13,200 acres in Nevada. The private parcel and the split estate lands are also in Oregon. The boundary follows BLM roads and private land boundaries.
BLM Nevada Wilderness Study Areas
A complete list of the BLM NEVADA wilderness study areas is below:
- Battle Mountain District (17):
- Kawich, Rawhide Mountain
- South Reveille
- Palisade Mesa
- Blue Eagle
- The Wall
- Fandango
- Silver Peak Range
- Pigeon Spring
- Queer Mountain
- Grapevine Mountains
- Antelope Range
- Simpson Park
- Roberts Mountain
- Mountain Meadow Instant Study Area
- Pinyon Joshua Instant Study Area
- Morey Peak
- Carson City District (6):
- Clan Alpine Mountains
- Stillwater Range
- Desatoya Mountains
- Job Peak
- Gabbs Valley Range
- Burbank Canyons
- Elko District (10):
- Bluebell
- Goshute Peak
- South Pequop
- Bad Lands
- Cedar Ridge
- Red Springs
- Little Humboldt River
- Rough Hills
- South Fork Owyhee River
- Owyhee Canyon
- Ely District (3):
- Goshute Canyon
- Park Range
- Riordan's Well
- Southern Nevada District (4):
- Mount Stirling
- Million Hills
- Resting Springs
- Virgin Mountain Instant Study Area
- Winnmeucca District (14):
- Poodle Mountain
- Fox Range
- Pole Creek
- Selenite Mountains
- Mount Limbo
- China Mountain
- Tobin Range
- North Fork of the Little Humboldt River
- Augusta Mountains
- Pueblo Mountains
- Disaster Peak
- Lahontan Cutthroat Trout Instant Study Area
- Public land located in Nevada, but administered by BLM California Offices - Eagle Lake Field Office (5):
- Five Springs
- Skedaddle
- Dry Valley Rim
- Buffalo Hills
- Twin Peaks
- Surprise Field Office (3):
- Wall Canyon
- Sheldon Contiguous
- Massacre Rim