The Mount Rose Wilderness was designed by the Nevada Wilderness Protection Act of 1989. Friends of Nevada Wilderness played an integral role in protecting Mount Rose by helping coalesce and focus the campaign for the Nevada’s first wilderness bill. The Mount Rose Wilderness was created to provide outstanding opportunities for wilderness recreation within walking distance or a short drive of Northern Nevada’s urban centers. For more on the conservation history of Mount Rose, see the Additional Resources Tab on the left side of this page. Mount Rose is the traditional home of the Washoe Tribe who have been living on and with these lands for over 400 generations.

The Mount Rose Wilderness is divided into two units by the Hunter Lake OHV route. The northern portion is comprised of 5,860 acres consisting of the beautiful Hunter Creek Canyon complex. The southern portion, at 25,450 acres, features the towering Mount Rose as well as the tallest ridgelines and deepest canyons of the Nevada portion of Carson Range. Friends of Nevada Wilderness works closely with the Forest Service to take care of this beautiful Wilderness. Our on-going stewardship projects include: monitoring the Wilderness and its trail system for use and impacts, invasive weed removal projects in the northern end of the Wilderness adjacent to urban Reno, and the Doggy Ambassador and Leave No Trace outreach at the Mount Rose Trailhead to ensure the Wilderness remains wild for others to enjoy.