Wheeler Peak Wilderness - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The 19661 acres Wheeler Peak Wilderness lies in the Carson National Forest

Carson National Forest

Carson National Forest is a national forest in northern New Mexico, United States. It encompasses 6,070 square kilometers and is administered by the United States Forest Service...

of New Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...

. It contains the highest point in the state, 13161 feet (4,011.5 m) Wheeler Peak

Wheeler Peak (New Mexico)

Wheeler Peak is, at 13,161 ft, the highest peak in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is located northeast of Taos in the northern part of the state, and just 2 miles southeast of the ski slopes of Taos Ski Valley...

.
Already designated the Wheeler Peak Wild Area in 1960, 6051 acres (2,448.8 ha) became the Wheeler Peak Wilderness in 1964 with the passage of 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...

. The wilderness was expanded by 14700 acres (5,948.9 ha) with the passage of the New Mexico Wilderness Act in 1980.