Golden Trout Wilderness

Golden Trout Wilderness
IUCN category Ib (wilderness area)
Lookout from the Jordan Trail
Map of the United States Show map of California Golden Trout Wilderness (the United States) Show map of the United States
Location	Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains, Tulare County / Inyo County, California, United States
Nearest city	Porterville, California
Coordinates	36°18′0″N 118°19′19″W / 36.30000°N 118.32194°W / 36.30000; -118.32194
Area	303,511 acres (1,228.3 km2)
Established	1978
Governing body	USDA / U.S. Forest Service

The Golden Trout Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area in the Sierra Nevada, in Tulare County and Inyo County, California. It is located 40 miles (64 km) east of Porterville within Inyo National Forest and Sequoia National Forest.

It is 303,511 acres (1,228.3 km²)^[1] in size and was created by the US Congress in 1978 as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. The wilderness is managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

The wilderness is named for and protects the habitat of California's state freshwater fish, the golden trout.

Elevations range from about 680 feet (210 m) to 12,900 feet (3,900 m).^{[citation needed]}

Within the wilderness are portions of the Kern Plateau, the Great Western Divide's southern extension, and the main stem of the Kern River, the South Fork of the Kern and the Little Kern River.

The wilderness area is bordered on the northeast and northwest by the high peaks of the southern Sierra Nevada. Cirque Peak is the high point at 12,894 feet (3,930 m).^[2]