Manly Peak Wilderness

Manly Peak Wilderness is a 12,897-acre property in the Panamint Mountains. Manly Peak (7,196 feet) is the high point and sits on the boundary of Death Valley National Park. The terrain is very demanding with sharp ridges and spires above deep, steep canyons.

In the lower elevations, the vegetation is mostly creosote bush and sagebrush while the upper elevations offer some pinyon-juniper woodlands. Springs in some of the larger canyons feed riparian zones with cottonwoods, desert willows and desert wildlife. There's even a herd of desert bighorn sheep in the area.

There was a time when this area had several operating mines. Today it's pretty quiet. Most folks visit via State Highway 178 north of Trona. Go to Ballarat Road, then south on Wingate Wash Road to Goler Wash Road or to South Park Canyon Road. Long before you get to the wilderness boundary you'll wish you had high-clearance 4WD under you.