Chimney Peak Wilderness

Chimney Peak Wilderness
LocationTulare County, California, United States
Nearest cityRidgecrest, California
Coordinates35°50′56″N 118°05′09″W / 35.84889°N 118.08583°W / 35.84889; -118.08583
Area13,134 acres (53.15 km2)
EstablishedOct. 31, 1994
Governing bodyBureau of Land Management

The Chimney Peak Wilderness is a 13,134-acre (53.15 km2) wilderness area located 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Ridgecrest, in southeastern Tulare County, California.

The 1994 California Desert Protection Act (Public Law 103–433) created the wilderness and it is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Department of the Interior.

The Chimney Peak Wilderness is a rugged and mountainous Mojave Desert environment on the eastern side of the Southern Sierra Nevada Range. The wilderness is named for Chimney Peak, elevation 7,871 feet (2,399 m), located in the northeast corner of the wilderness.

The area has Mojave Desert plants such as Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) and creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) on the valley floors and alluvial fans and in the Sierra foothills. Higher Sierra elevations have single-leaf pinyon pine (Pinus monophylla).