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Services, Getting There Supplies: Reno is about a two-hour drive to the south. Hikes & Trails Related Areas Map Information Benchmark Gazetteer, page 38. |
Wilderness Study Area Management Managing Agency: Bureau of Land Management Breaking News- April 7, 2023 On April 7, 2023, Senator Rosen released a working draft of the Truckee Meadows Public Lands Management Act. A portion of this act includes permanent protection for 268,658 acres of the Dry Valley Rim, Twin Peaks, Buffalo Hills, and Poodle Mountain Wilderness Study Areas re-branded as the Smoke Creek National Conservation Area (NCA). Included within the proposed NCA are the Burro Wilderness (6,343 acres) and Wrangler Wilderness (49,540 acres). Area Description The Twin Peaks Wilderness Study Area is a land of steep canyons, peaks and ridges, small springs and two perennial springs. The sinuous canyons and riparian zones along the streams add scenic, ecological and wildlife interest to the area. Elevations range from 3,900 to 6,572 feet atop Twin Peaks. Sage, grasses and scattered junipers blanket the land, providing forage for grazing animals. Year-round water provides habitat for desert and aquatic species. The WSA supports deer, antelope, chukar and golden eagle. The Twin Peaks WSA is part of a larger complex of wilderness study areas, with the Buffalo Hills, Poodle Mountain, Skedaddle and Dry Valley Rim WSAs. Burro Mountain, Tule Peak and the Granite Range together ensure the connectivity from Hart Mountain through the Sheldon, Wall Canyon, and Black Rock regions through to the Sierra Nevada. Throughout this sweeping complex, benches, canyons, groves, ephemeral lakes and rock outcrops provide varied topography and habitats for sage-grouse and other wildlife. In the last decade, thousands of acres of private lands were made public through funding from the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act. The now-public springs and riparian areas in this complex provide essential brood habitat for sage-grouse. Managing these areas to enhance ecological health will benefit not only sage-grouse population growth, but also other wildlife and human visitors as well. Hiking and horseback riding are good in this vast landscape. Hunting is popular. The Smoke Creek Archaeological District stretches along the southwest side of the WSA on both sides of Smoke Creek. Petroglyph panels, habitation caves and hunting blinds are present. This WSA is part of the Bureau of Land Management's system of National Conservation Lands. Wildlife: Sage-grouse, pronghorn, raptors, songbirds, mule deer. |
Wilderness Area Status
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