South Warner Wilderness
Encyclopedia
The South Warner Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area 12 miles (19 km) east of Alturas, California
, USA. It encompasses more than 70000 acres (283 km²) of the Warner Mountains
.
It is within the Modoc National Forest
and managed by the US Forest Service. Elevations range from 5000 feet (1,524 m) to 9,895 feet 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, 1940 acres (7.9 km²) were added to the wilderness with the passage of the California Wilderness Act
.
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 6016 acres (2,435 ha) state game refuge.
range, with the Surprise Valley Fault on the east and the Likely Fault to the west. The steep escarpment on the east side of the range is the exposed side of the Surprise Valley fault.
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.
The landscape of today is not from mountain building but from the forces of erosion
such as wind, water, and past glaciation.
Patterson Lake is the largest, highest in elevation and most visited. It also has a self-sustaining population of trout
.
Major streams draining the range are Poison Creek, Mill Creek, Parker Creek, and on the east side, Eagle Creek.
, Jeffrey pine
, and white fir
trees. At the highest elevations are lodgepole pine
, whitebark pine
, fields of sagebrush
and bitterbrush. Many species of rare plants are protected in the South Warner Wilderness, a few of which are perennial wildflowers such as tufted saxifrage (Saxifraga cespitosa) and High Sierra phlox (Phlox dispersa). Annuals include Cusick's monkeyflower
(Mimulus cusickii). A notable rare shrub is the native western black currant
(Ribes hudsonianum var. petiolare), which grows in wetland/riparian habitat, blooms from May through July, and has less than five documented occurrences in the state.
Wildlife include Rocky Mountain mule deer
, also mountain lions, beaver
, bobcat
, coyote
and martens
. Black bear
s are very rare but present. There have also been many wolf
sightings. The wilderness is on the path of the Pacific Flyway
.
is the most popular activity, both day hikes and backpacking
, with fishing
, horseback riding, 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.
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.
The Forest Service and many organizations encourage the practice of Leave No Trace
principles of outdoor travel to minimize human impact on the environment.
Alturas, California
Alturas is the county seat of Modoc County, California, United States. Alturas is located on the Pit River, east of the center of Modoc County, at an elevation of 4370 feet...
, USA. It encompasses more than 70000 acres (283 km²) of the Warner Mountains
Warner Mountains
The Warner Mountains are an 85-mile-long mountain range running north-south through northeastern California and extending into southern Oregon in the United States...
.
It is within the Modoc National Forest
Modoc National Forest
Modoc National Forest is a national forest in northeastern California, covering parts of Modoc , Lassen , and Siskiyou counties. Most of the forest was covered by an immense lava flow millions of years ago. The eastern part of the forest east of Alturas contains a spur of the Cascade Range to...
and managed by the US Forest Service. Elevations range from 5000 feet (1,524 m) to 9,895 feet at Eagle Peak
Eagle Peak (California)
Eagle Peak is located in the Warner Mountains in Modoc County, California. The area is protected in the South Warner Wilderness on the Modoc National Forest. The summit is the highest point in the Warner Mountains and Modoc County...
.
The highest parts of the Warner Mountains were set aside in 1931 as a primitive area. In 1964, the Wilderness Act
Wilderness Act
The Wilderness Act of 1964 was written by Howard Zahniser of The Wilderness Society. It created the legal definition of wilderness in the United States, and protected some 9 million acres of federal land. The result of a long effort to protect federal wilderness, the Wilderness Act was signed...
created the South Warner Wilderness. In 1984, 1940 acres (7.9 km²) were added to the wilderness with the passage of the California Wilderness Act
California Wilderness Act of 1984
The California Wilderness Act of 1984 is a federal law , passed by the United States Congress on September 28, 1984, that authorized the addition of over within the state of California to the National Wilderness Preservation System....
.
The Warner crest divides waters that flow west into the Sacramento/Pit River
Pit River
The Pit River is a major river draining from northeastern California into the state's Central Valley. The Pit, the Klamath and the Columbia are the only three rivers in the U.S...
drainage, and east into the Great Basin
Great Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds in North America and is noted for its arid conditions and Basin and Range topography that varies from the North American low point at Badwater Basin to the highest point of the contiguous United States, less than away at the...
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 6016 acres (2,435 ha) state game refuge.
Landscape
The Warner Mountain Range is a fault blockFault-block mountain
Fault-block landforms are formed when large areas of bedrock are widely broken up by faults creating large vertical displacements of continental crust....
range, with the Surprise Valley Fault on the east and the Likely Fault to the west. The steep escarpment on the east side of the range is the exposed side of the Surprise Valley fault.
Geologists estimate that basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
lava flows occurred 15 to 30 million years ago, creating the Modoc Plateau which is a part of the larger Columbia Plateau
Columbia Plateau
The Columbia Plateau is a geologic and geographic region that lies across parts of the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. It is a wide flood basalt plateau between the Cascade Range and the Rocky Mountains, cut through by the Columbia River...
. 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.
The landscape of today is not from mountain building but from the forces of erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
such as wind, water, and past glaciation.
Lakes and 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
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
.
Major streams draining the range are Poison Creek, Mill Creek, Parker Creek, and on the east side, Eagle Creek.
Flora and fauna
The rich volcanic soils support dense stands of western juniper, Ponderosa pinePonderosa Pine
Pinus ponderosa, commonly known as the Ponderosa Pine, Bull Pine, Blackjack Pine, or Western Yellow Pine, is a widespread and variable pine native to western North America. It was first described by David Douglas in 1826, from eastern Washington near present-day Spokane...
, Jeffrey pine
Jeffrey Pine
The Jeffrey Pine, Pinus jeffreyi, named in honor of its botanist documenter John Jeffrey, is a North American pine related to Ponderosa Pine.-Distribution and habitat:...
, and white fir
White Fir
White Fir is a fir native to the mountains of western North America, occurring at altitudes of 900-3,400 m. It is a medium to large evergreen coniferous tree growing to 25–60 m tall and with a trunk diameter of up to 2 m . It is popular as an ornamental landscaping tree and as a Christmas Tree...
trees. At the highest elevations are lodgepole pine
Lodgepole Pine
Lodgepole Pine, Pinus contorta, also known as Shore Pine, is a common tree in western North America. Like all pines, it is evergreen.-Subspecies:...
, whitebark pine
Whitebark Pine
Pinus albicaulis, known commonly as Whitebark Pine, Pitch Pine, Scrub Pine, and Creeping Pine occurs in the mountains of the Western United States and Canada, specifically the subalpine areas of the Sierra Nevada, the Cascade Range, the Pacific Coast Ranges, and the northern Rocky Mountains –...
, fields of sagebrush
Sagebrush
Sagebrush is a common name of a number of shrubby plant species in the genus Artemisia native to western North America;Or, the sagebrush steppe ecoregion, having one or more kinds of sagebrush, bunchgrasses and others;...
and bitterbrush. Many species of rare plants are protected in the South Warner Wilderness, a few of which are perennial wildflowers such as tufted saxifrage (Saxifraga cespitosa) and High Sierra phlox (Phlox dispersa). Annuals include Cusick's monkeyflower
Mimulus cusickii
Mimulus cusickii is a species of monkeyflower known by the common name Cusick's monkeyflower. It is native to the western United States, where it can be found in parts of the Pacific Northwest and Great Basin...
(Mimulus cusickii). A notable rare shrub is the native western black currant
Ribes hudsonianum
Ribes hudsonianum is a species of currant, known by the common name northern black currant. The species is divided into two varieties, each known simultaneously as northern black currants, and by their own individual common, and scientific names; the type variety,...
(Ribes hudsonianum var. petiolare), which grows in wetland/riparian habitat, blooms from May through July, and has less than five documented occurrences in the state.
Wildlife include Rocky Mountain mule deer
Mule Deer
The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer...
, also mountain lions, beaver
Beaver
The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
, bobcat
Bobcat
The bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...
, coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
and martens
American Marten
The American marten is a North American member of the family Mustelidae, sometimes referred to as the pine marten. The name "pine marten" is derived from the common but distinct Eurasian species of Martes...
. Black bear
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
s are very rare but present. There have also been many wolf
Mackenzie Valley Wolf
The Mackenzie Valley Wolf also known as the Canadian Timber Wolf is perhaps the largest subspecies of Gray Wolf in North America. Its range includes parts of the western United States, much of western Canada, and Alaska, including Unimak Island in the Aleutians, and was introduced into Yellowstone...
sightings. The wilderness is on the path of the Pacific Flyway
Pacific Flyway
The Pacific Flyway is a major north-south route of travel for migratory birds in America, extending from Alaska to Patagonia. Every year, migratory birds travel some or all of this distance both in spring and in fall, following food sources, heading to breeding grounds, or travelling to...
.
Recreation
HikingHiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
is the most popular activity, both day hikes and backpacking
Backpacking (wilderness)
Backpacking combines the activities of hiking and camping for an overnight stay in backcountry wilderness...
, with fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, horseback riding, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
making up the remainder.
Dramatic views from the crest include Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta is located at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California and at is the second highest peak in the Cascades and the fifth highest in California...
in the west, Modoc Plateau
Modoc Plateau
The Modoc Plateau lies in the northeast corner of California as well as parts of Oregon and Nevada. It is a mile-high expanse of lava flows with cinder cones, juniper flats, pine forests, and seasonal lakes. The plateau is thought to have been formed approximately 25 million years ago...
to the north, Surprise Valley in the Great Basin in the east and in the south, the Sierra Nevada
Sierra Nevada (US)
The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range in the U.S. states of California and Nevada, between the California Central Valley and the Basin and Range Province. The Sierra runs north-to-south, and is approximately across east-to-west...
range.
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.
The Forest Service and many organizations encourage the practice of Leave No Trace
Leave No Trace
Leave No Trace is both a set of principles, and an organization that promotes those principles. The principles are designed to assist outdoor enthusiasts with their decisions about how to reduce their impacts when they hike, camp, picnic, snowshoe, run, bike, hunt, paddle, ride horses, fish, ski or...
principles of outdoor travel to minimize human impact on the environment.