Visit Wilderness

Search for a wilderness as the destination for your next outdoor adventure.

Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, Minnesota

Why Visit Wilderness?

While wilderness can be appreciated from afar—through online content, television, or books—nothing compares to experiencing it firsthand. Activities like camping, hiking, or hunting allow you to fully enjoy the recreational, ecological, spiritual, and health benefits that wilderness areas offer. These areas provide “outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation,” chances to observe wildlife, moments to renew and refresh, and the physical benefits of outdoor exercise. In many wilderness areas, you can even bring your well-behaved dog.

Learn more about the diverse ways in which we benefit from wilderness and threats wilderness areas face today.

Forested with pinyon pine and juniper, the hardy hiker can explore the Mt. Irish Wilderness by wandering through canyons and scrambling over limestone cliffs, ranging from 4,800 to 7,504 feet. The white undulating cliffs provide contrast against the darkness of the pines. Numerous rock formations leave open the possibility for undiscovered caves and alcoves. This relatively remote area provides excellent opportunities to escape to a landscape filled with cultural resources.

The mountain range and canyons of the Mt. Irish Wilderness project out into the long sloping bajadas providing important habitat for desert bighorn sheep, pronghorn, and a variety of bird species.

Leave No Trace

How to follow the seven standard Leave No Trace principles differs in different parts of the country (desert vs. Rocky Mountains). Click on any of the principles listed below to learn more about how they apply in the Mt. Irish Wilderness.

Plan Ahead and Prepare
Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Dispose of Waste Properly
Leave What You Find
Minimize Campfire Impacts
Respect Wildlife
Be Considerate of Other Visitors

For more information on Leave No Trace, Visit the Leave No Trace, Inc. website.

Location

The Mount Irish Wilderness is located in central Lincoln County approximately 10 miles southwest of Hiko, Nevada. The wilderness lies at the center of the Mount Irish Range in central Lincoln County.

Access to this Wilderness is northwest via county road 426 from Hiko, Nevada. Access to the center of the wilderness can be reached by taking state highways 318 to 375 south approximately 7 miles to an unnamed county road heading northwest into the Mount Irish Wilderness.

Maps

Digital and paper maps are critical tools for wilderness visitors. Online maps can help you plan and prepare for your visit ahead of time. You can also carry digital maps with you on your GPS unit or other handheld GPS device. Having a paper map with you in the backcountry, as well as solid orienteering skills, however, ensures that you can still route-find in the event that your electronic device fails.

Online Maps

Interactive Map of the Mt. Irish Wilderness
Google Earth

Nevada Wildernesses

Printed Maps

Fetching MyTopo from Database

USGS Store

Rules & Regulations

Motorized equipment and equipment used for mechanical transport is generally prohibited in all wilderness areas. This includes the use of motor vehicles, motorboats, motorized equipment, bicycles, hang gliders, wagons, carts, portage wheels, and the landing of aircraft including helicopters.

Wilderness-Specific Regulations

Learn more about why regulations may be necessary in wilderness.

Contacts

Applicable Wilderness Law(s)

Public Law 108-424

Date: November 30, 2004
Acreage: 28,334 acres

Lincoln County Conservation, Recreation, and Development Act of 2004 - Public law 108-424 (11/30/2004) To establish wilderness areas, promote conservation, improve public land, and provide for the high quality development in Lincoln County, Nevada, and for other purposes.

For more information (To download or see all affected Wilderness areas) visit our law library for 108-424 or special provisions for 108-424 or legislative history for 108-424.

Recreational Opportunities

Opportunities for recreation in this area include hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, photography, nature study, and hunting. The Mount Irish Archaeological Site is on the northern boundary of the wilderness area and the region itself is filled with significant cultural resources.

Safety and Current Conditions

Contact Caliente Field Office for current weather, road conditions, and hazards.

Want to Volunteer for Wilderness?

People who volunteer their time to steward our wilderness areas are an essential part of wilderness management. Contact the following groups to inquire about volunteer opportunities. Groups are listed alphabetically by the state(s) in which the wilderness is located.