South Warner Wilderness

South Warner Wilderness
IUCN category Ib (wilderness area)
Location	Modoc County, California, United States
Nearest city	Alturas, California
Coordinates	41°19′00″N 120°10′34″W / 41.3165622°N 120.176054°W / 41.3165622; -120.176054[1]
Area	70,385 acres (284.84 km2)
Established	1964
Governing body	U.S. Forest Service

The South Warner Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area 12 miles (19 km) east of Alturas, California, United States. It encompasses more than 70,000 acres (283 km²) of the Warner Mountains. It is within the Modoc National Forest and managed by the US Forest Service. Elevations range from 5,000 feet (1,500 m) to 9,895 feet^[1] at Eagle Peak.

The highest parts of the Warner Mountains were set aside in 1931 as a primitive area. In 1964, the Wilderness Act created the South Warner Wilderness. In 1984, 1,940 acres (7.9 km²) were added to the wilderness with the passage of the California Wilderness Act.^[2]

The Warner crest divides waters that flow west into the Sacramento/Pit River drainage, and east into the Great Basin alkali lakes of Surprise Valley. Much of the crest is a narrow ridgeline with notable peaks such as Emerson Peak and Warren Peak. The eastern side of the wilderness is a steep, abrupt escarpment of volcanic terrain of cliff bands and terraces. Very different from the east side are the western slopes. Heavily forested, steadily rising slopes furrowed by several drainages such as Mill Creek.

The west side also includes a portion of a 6,016-acre (2,435 ha) state game refuge.