Deseret Peak Wilderness
IUCN Category Ib (Wilderness Area)
Location:	Utah, USA
Nearest city:	Tooele, UT
Coordinates:	40°28′″N, 112°44′″W
Area:	25,212 acres (102 km²)
Established:	September 18, 1984
Visitation:	(in )
Governing body:	U.S. Forest Service

The Deseret Peak Wilderness is located in the Stansbury Mountains of Tooele County, Utah, near the towns of Tooele and Grantsville, not far from the Great Salt Lake. It is part of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest. This semi-arid wilderness is part of the Great Basin ecosystem. Elevations range from about 6,000 feet (1,829 meters) to the top of Deseret Peak's limestone escarpment at 11,031 feet (3,362 meters). In this high country, with barren Skull Valley to the west, you'll find some springs and intermittent creeks, despite the general dryness of the area. The World Conservation Union or International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ... Broadly, a wilderness area is a region where the land is left in a state where human modifications are minimal; that is, as a wilderness. ... Image File history File links Locator_Dot. ... Image File history File links US_Locator_Blank. ... Official language(s) English Capital Salt Lake City Largest city Salt Lake City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 13th 219,887 km² 435 km 565 km 3. ... Tooele is a city located in Tooele County in the U.S. state of Utah. ... September 18 is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years). ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The USDA Forest Service, a United States government agency within the United States Department of Agriculture, is under the leadership of the United States Secretary of Agriculture. ... Tooele County is a county located in the state of Utah. ... Official language(s) English Capital Salt Lake City Largest city Salt Lake City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 13th 219,887 km² 435 km 565 km 3. ... Tooele is a city located in Tooele County in the U.S. state of Utah. ... Satellite Photo of the Great Salt Lake as it looked in the summer of 2003 The Great Salt Lake as seen looking north towards Antelope Island from Sunset Beach Great Salt Lake is an endorheic saline lake in northern Utah, much saltier than the ocean. ... Wasatch-Cache National Forest is a national forest located in Utah. ... Map showing the Great Basin in orange The Great Basin is a large, arid region of the western United States, commonly defined as the contiguous watershed region, roughly between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada, that has no natural outlet to the sea. ... Limey shale overlaid by limestone. ... Skull Valley is the Goshute Indian Reservation located approximately 45 miles southeast of Salt Lake City, Utah. ...

The Stansbury Mountains occupy a biological transition zone from the Great Basin to the Rocky Mountains. Much of the wilderness is alpine, with open basins and barren rocky ridges. From December through May, you can expect the upper elevations to be covered in snow. Douglas fir, alpine fir and aspen are commonly found growing on high north-facing slopes. Juniper, mountain brush, sagebrush, and grass cover much of the lower terrain. Cattle are still allowed to graze on range allotments in portions of the area. Map showing the Great Basin in orange The Great Basin is a large, arid region of the western United States, commonly defined as the contiguous watershed region, roughly between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada, that has no natural outlet to the sea. ... White Goat Wilderness Area, Alberta, Canada The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a broad mountain range in western North America. ... For the climate of the mountains named the Alps, see climate) for a region above the tree-line. ... Species See text. ... Species Populus adenopoda Populus alba Populus grandidentata Populus sieboldii Populus tremula Populus tremuloides Aspens are trees of the willow family and comprise a section of the poplar genus, Populus sect. ... Species See text. ... Binomial name Artemisia tridentata Nutt. ...

The summit of Deseret Peak offers a splendid 360-degree view. Backpackers and horse packers enjoy this area. Hunters come in search of mule deer. Some very steep terrain is traversed by the trails. Deseret Peak Wilderness has about five system trails totaling approximately 19 miles. South Willow Canyon is the most popular trailhead. Access is limited on the west, where the Skull Valley Goshute Reservation is adjacent to the wilderness. Binomial name Odocoileus hemionus (Rafinesque, 1817) The Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) is a deer whose habitat is in the western half of North America. ... The Goshutes are a Native American tribe that once numbered 20,000. ...

The Deseret Peak Wilderness was a late addition to the Utah Wilderness Act of 1984. The original Stansbury Mountains RARE II roadless area was contiguous to Bureau of Land Management (BLM) wildlands on both north and south. Adjacent Forest Service roadless areas and BLM wilderness study areas remain eligible for designation as wilderness. US BLM logo The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers Americas public lands, totaling approximately 261 million surface acres (1,056,229. ... The USDA Forest Service, a United States government agency within the United States Department of Agriculture, is under the leadership of the United States Secretary of Agriculture. ... Bob Marshall Wilderness, Montana, United States Wilderness is land that has not been significantly modified by direct or indirect human activity. ...

See also

• Wasatch-Cache National Forest
• Wilderness
• National Wilderness Preservation System
• List of U.S. Wilderness Areas

Wasatch-Cache National Forest is a national forest located in Utah. ... Bob Marshall Wilderness, Montana, United States Wilderness is land that has not been significantly modified by direct or indirect human activity. ... The National Wilderness Preservation System protects federally managed land areas that are of a pristine condition. ... Four federal agencies of the United States government administer the U.S. Wilderness Areas, which includes 680 wilderness areas and 105,695,176 acres (427,733 km²). These agencies are: United States Forest Service United States National Park Service United States Bureau of Land Management United States Fish and Wildlife...

References

• Lynna P. Howard, Utah's Wilderness Areas: The Complete Guide (Westcliffe Publishers, 2005) ISBN 1565793889
• Bill Cunningham & Polly Burke, Wild Utah: A Guide to 45 Roadless Recreation Areas (Falcon Publishing, 1998) ISBN 1560446161

External links

• Wilderness.net: Deseret Peak Wilderness
• Google Local satellite view
• Maps and aerial photos
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image from TerraServer-USA
  • Surrounding area map from Google Maps
  • Location in the United States from the Census Bureau