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The Granite Chief Wilderness is a 25,680 acre (104 km²)federally designated wilderness area of the Tahoe National Forest. Created by the California Wilderness Act of 1984,[1] it is located in the Sierra Nevada mountains west of Lake Tahoe in California, USA. Adjacent to the wilderness are two roadless areas adding 1,170 acres.[2] In 2006, the passage of the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act increased the wilderness area by 4,480 acres.[3] It is managed by the Tahoe National Forest and the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. Elevations range from 4,800 feet to 9,006 feet at the summit of Granite Chief.
Events such as the Western States Endurance Run and the equestrian Western States Trail Ride, popularly called The Tevis Cup cross portions of the wilderness. The Pacific Crest Trail also enters the wilderness in the northeastern area.
This region is extensively glaciated and has features such as hanging valleys, cirques and U-shaped valleys, but few lakes. Just outside the wilderness boundary there are two large recreation lakes, Hell Hole Reservoir to the south and French Meadows Reservoir to the west.
The Sierra Club had maintained the Bradley Hut, which was a ski hut located at the Five Lakes Basin, but in 1994 the Sierra Club was asked to remove the hut by the U. S. Forest Service as it was now inside the newly created wilderness. The hut was dismantled and relocated four miles away. Because no mechanical equipment can be used in a wilderness, the dismantling of the Bradley Hut took until the fall of 1996 to finish.[4]
[edit] Lakes and waterways
Picayune Valley, Granite Chief Wilderness California USA
The principal drainages are the Middle Fork of the American River and Five Lakes Creek. The small lakes within the wilderness boundary are the Five Lakes, Mildred Lake and Little Needle Lake.
Fish such as rainbow, brook and brown trout can be seen in Whiskey, Picayune, and Bear Pen creeks as well as the largest lake of the Five Lakes group.
[edit] Flora and fauna
Rich, volcanic soils support a range of plant life, from fields of mule ears to conifer forests including whitebark pine at the highest elevations. Along the creeks grow black cottonwood, alder and aspen. Typical high sierra wildlife include mountain lion, black bear, and mule deer.
Granite Chief wilderness provides important fawning areas for mule deer, so visitors are prohibited from bringing dogs into certain areas of the wilderness from May 15th to July 15th.
Map showing restricted deer fawning areas in gray
[edit] Recreation
Activities include day-hiking, backpacking, fishing, cross-country skiing, mountain climbing and horsepacking. The Five Lakes basin is the most heavily used area in the wilderness due to the close proximity to both Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows ski areas. Two commercial outfitters offer horsepacking trips into the wilderness. Visitors should use Leave No Trace principles while in the wilderness.
[edit] Trails
There are 37 miles of trails with eight trailheads. The most used is the Granite Chief trailhead located at Squaw Valley Ski Area parking lot. Talbot campground is located near the Talbot trailhead, four miles north of French Meadows Reservoir and is the only trailhead with a no-fee campground.
[edit] Notable peaks
Five Lakes Creek area near confluence with Rubicon River, looking northward.
Peaks in Granite Chief Wilderness
| Name |
Elevation |
Latitude |
Longitude |
| Granite Chief |
9,006 feet (2,745 m) |
39.198º N |
120.285º W |
| Needle Peak |
8,971 feet (2,734 m) |
39.200º N |
120.299º W |
| Lyon Peak |
8,899 feet (2,712 m) |
39.207º N |
120.315º W |
| Squaw Peak |
8,876 feet (2,705 m) |
39.181º N |
120.270º W |
| Twin Peaks |
8,859 feet (2,700 m) |
39.112º N |
120.232º W |
| Ellis Peak |
8,685 feet (2,647 m) |
39.068º N |
120.197º W |
| Ward Peak |
8,600 feet (2,600 m) |
39.148º N |
120.245º W |
| Mount Mildred |
8,367 feet (2,550 m) |
39.146º N |
120.330º W |
| Barker Peak |
8,164 feet (2,488 m) |
39.079º N |
120.239º W |
[edit] Footnotes
[edit] External links
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