# Have you USA members ever been in a designated Wilderness Area, age when, where?



## David777 (Jan 4, 2022)

A government designated wilderness area is a region where the land is in a natural state; where impacts from human activities are minimal—that is, a wilderness. It might also be called a wild or natural area.  Many have visited National Parks which some indeed have designated wilderness areas within their boundaries but are never adjacent to highways and roads thus always require hiking. Maybe you visited a park and went hiking but are uncertain if you hiked into an actual wilderness?  On trails such boundaries are always obvious because of entry signs. If you actually spent a night out in the backcountry, you are likely to have obtained a Wilderness Permit. In any case one might look at this map and zoom in where you hiked to see if true:

https://umontana.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=a415bca07f0a4bee9f0e894b0db5c3b6

There are 803 areas within the USA's National Wilderness Preservation System:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wilderness_areas_of_the_United_States

Another 74 areas are within state or tribal jurisdictions:  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._state_and_tribal_wilderness_areas

This person has overnight backpacked 215 times including a couple times during each of the last two pandemic years. Also day hiked into wilderness countless times. I like to think it is a primary reason I've remained fit over decades despite being an octogenarian.


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## ohioboy (Jan 4, 2022)

Antarctica is actually classified as a Desert, but of course not in the sense we know it.


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## Murrmurr (Jan 4, 2022)

I've been to a few of California's Wetlands, sanctuaries for waterbirds, amphibians, and fish. People mainly go to those places to watch and photograph birds stopping off on their migration route or stopping to nest and raise their chicks. I've been to some state conservation areas and gone scuba diving in marine reserve waters too.


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## Gaer (Jan 4, 2022)

Don't know.  Does getting lost in the  Yukon count?  And in Alaska, a lot of wilderness areas but don't know if they were "designated".


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## feywon (Jan 4, 2022)

When i was a kid i was in some pretty wild places in rural Florida probably not designated as such at the time-- just unpopulated and not getting many human visitors.  

Have visited a few designated Wilderness areas since. We lived in Wyoming (fall of '94 to spring of 2012) We hiked various state and federal parks but our favorite was "6 Mile Road" Wilderness area in southern Wyoming, very near border with Colorado.  

There was a parking area, toilets and trash cans a top of a hill and a short hike down to river (no motorised boats allowed), nothing motrized allowed once you headed down from the parking lot. Made a day.of it several times a year.


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## palides2021 (Jan 4, 2022)

It's wonderful that these areas of wilderness still exist!


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## David777 (Jan 5, 2022)

Wildflower meadow near 11k elevation in John Muir Wilderness August 2020.


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## Murrmurr (Jan 5, 2022)

Gaer said:


> Don't know.  Does getting lost in the  Yukon count?  And in Alaska, a lot of wilderness areas but don't know if they were "designated".


There are several designated wilderness areas in Alaska, and at least one of them is a multinational research area. They are all huge and most are remote, so you don't see a lot of signs or markers. Some of them are patrolled, but it's too challenging and dangerous to patrol all of them.


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## Alligatorob (Jan 5, 2022)

When I was in college I worked as a firefighter summers for the Forest Service, got to a lot of wilderness areas doing that.  Sometimes helicoptered in, but usually just walking.  Don't think they helicopter firefighters into wilderness areas any more.

For pleasure I have been to the Gros Ventre and Teton Wilderness areas in my youth (20s) https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/btnf/recarea/?recid=71647 and https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/btnf/recarea/?recid=77359

More recently in my late 60s I recently hiked into the Wellsville Mountain Wilderness area, not the first time. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/uwcnf/recreation/wintersports/?cid=fsem_035479 . probably been to a few others but I don't recall right now.


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## old medic (Jan 6, 2022)

I grew up in the Catskills, Slide Mountain was my back yard playground, Hiked Camped Hunted. plenty of time in the Dacks too.


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## WheatenLover (Jan 7, 2022)

I went to the Daniel Boone National Forest in KY when I was a kid. I don't know if it was a  Wilderness Area then.


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## JustBonee (Jan 7, 2022)

Having lived in Arizona,  I don't think you can go too far in any direction w/o  being in a  Wilderness  Area.  

The Superstition Mountains closest to our  last home is one of many.


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## Timetrvlr (Jan 7, 2022)

I grew up next to the Gila Wilderness area in southwestern New Mexico. My father and I went deer hunting there every fall. When I was 15, I started volunteering as a forest firefighter (good pay!) mostly in that wilderness area.


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## Ruthanne (Jan 7, 2022)

Yes the Mohave Desert .  I was in my 20s.  Man it gets hot but felt so good with dry heat.


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## SeaBreeze (Jan 7, 2022)

David777 said:


> A government designated wilderness area is a region where the land is in a natural state; where impacts from human activities are minimal—that is, a wilderness. It might also be called a wild or natural area.  Many have visited National Parks which some indeed have designated wilderness areas within their boundaries but are never adjacent to highways and roads thus always require hiking. Maybe you visited a park and went hiking but are uncertain if you hiked into an actual wilderness?  On trails such boundaries are always obvious because of entry signs. If you actually spent a night out in the backcountry, you are likely to have obtained a Wilderness Permit. In any case one might look at this map and zoom in where you hiked to see if true:
> 
> https://umontana.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=a415bca07f0a4bee9f0e894b0db5c3b6
> 
> ...


I went over the list in your Wiki link, and a lot of those places are familiar to me, but I don't remember exactly when we were there.  Since the late 70s, we have done a lot of cross country driving and camping throughout the US and Canada.  We have been to many wilderness areas in Alaska, Wyoming, Oregon, Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Yukon, Northwest Territories,  etc.  We love nature and getting away in remote places.


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## David777 (Jan 9, 2022)

Sequoia National Park Wilderness. August 2019, upper Kern Basin at 11k+ with Forester Pass, Diamond mesa.   About 16 miles and a 6600 foot 3 day climb from road.  John Muir Trail and Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail routes from frame edge mid right.


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