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The South Warner Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area 12 miles (19 km) east of Alturas, California, USA. It encompasses more than 70,000 acres (283 km²) of the Warner Mountains. It is managed by the Modoc National Forest. Elevations range from 5,000 feet (1,500 m) to 9,892 ft (3,015 m) at Eagle Peak.
The highest parts of the Warner Mountains were set aside in 1931 as a primitive area. In 1964, the Wilderness Act created the South Warner Wilderness. In 1984, 1,940 acres were added to the wilderness with the passage of the California Wilderness Act.[1]
The Warner crest divides waters that flow west into the Sacramento/Pit River drainage, and east into the Great Basin Alkali lakes of Surprise Valley. Much of the crest is a narrow ridgeline with notable peaks such as Emerson Peak and Squaw Peak. The eastern side of the wilderness is a steep, abrupt escarpment of volcanic terrain of cliff bands and terraces. Very different from the east side are the western slopes. Heavily forested, steadily rising slopes furrowed by several drainages such as Mill Creek.
The west side also includes a portion of a 6,016-acre (2,435 ha) state game refuge.
[edit] Landscape
On either side of the Warner Mountain Range are fault lines going north - south. The faultline on the east is the Surprise Valley Fault and on the west the Likely Fault. The Warner range is a block fault range, meaning that a block of earth's crust was pushed upward by the movement of the faults. The steep escarpment on the east side of the range is the exposed side of that fault.[2] Geologists estimate that basalt lava flows occurred 15 to 30 million years ago, creating the Modoc Plateau which is a part of the larger Columbia Plateau. The breaking up of the crust occurred about 10 million years ago with large blocks moving and more volcanic lava flows, which created the mountains and block fault valleys of recent time.[3] The landscape of today is not from mountain building but from the forces of erosion such as wind, water, and glaciation that are continually altering the surface contours.
[edit] Lakes/waterways
There are several lakes in the wilderness: Patterson, Mosquito, South Emerson, North Emerson, Clear Lake, Cottonwood, Cougar, Linderman, and Irons. Patterson Lake is the largest, highest in elevation and most visited. It also has a self-sustaining population of trout.
[edit] Flora and fauna
The rich volcanic soils support dense stands of western juniper, Ponderosa pine, Jeffrey pine, and white fir trees. At the highest elevations are lodgepole pine, whitebark pine, fields of sagebrush and bitterbrush.
The Rocky Mountain mule deer forage here, also mountain lions, beaver, bobcat, coyote and martins.
The wilderness is on the path of the Pacific Flyway so birdwatching can be very rewarding.
[edit] Recreation
Hiking is the most popular activity, with horseback riding and backpacking second, and fishing, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing making up the remainder. Dramatic views from the crest include Mount Shasta in the west, Modoc Plateau to the north, Surprise Valley in the Great Basin in the east and in the south, the Sierra Nevada range. Visitors to the South Warner Wilderness should employ the Leave No Trace principles of wilderness travel.
There are 79.2 miles (127 km) of trails within the wilderness area, plus unmaintained pathways adding another 20 miles (32 km). There are eight trailheads surrounding the wilderness and five campgrounds.
Pepperdine Trailhead offers corrals for horses and stock parties.
Visitors to the wilderness need to use Leave No Trace ethics to minimize any disturbance of habitat.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ California Wilderness Act 0f 1984 text, National Park Service website retrieved 3/5/2008
- ^ Hinds, Norman E. A. Evolution of the California Landscape Division of Mines Bulletin 158, 1960, p. 80
- ^ Alt, David D. and Hyndman,Donald W., Roadside Geology of Northern California, Mountain Press Publishing, 1975, pp. 210-213
[edit] References
Adkison, Ron, Wild Northern California The Globe Pequot Press, 2001
[edit] External links
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