Ansel Adams Wilderness - Definition and Overview

The Ansel Adams Wilderness is a wilderness area in the Sierra Nevada of California,USA. The wilderness is part of the Inyo and Sierra National Forests. The wilderness was established as part of the original Wilderness Act in 1964 (originally named the Minarets Wilderness). In 1984, the area was expanded and renamed in honor of Ansel Adams, well-known nature photographer.

The wilderness spans 230,258 acres (932 km²). Yosemite National Park lies to the north and northwest, while the John Muir Wilderness lies to the south.

Banner Peak and Mount Davis above Thousand Island Lake

Points of interest in the Ansel Adams Wilderness include

• The Sierra Crest
• The Ritter Range:
  • Mount Ritter
  • Banner Peak
  • The Minarets
• The San Joaquin River Valley
• Devil's Postpile National Monument
• 350 miles (560 km) of hiking trails, including portions of:
  • The John Muir Trail
  • The Pacific Crest Trail

External links and references

• QTVR photos of locations in the Ansel Adams Wilderness (http://www.virtualparks.org/parks/ansel-text-list.html)
• USGS National Mapping Information for the Ansel Adams Wilderness (http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnis/web_query.GetDetail?tab=Y&id=1945838)

See also: List of guidebooks about the Sierra Nevada