Mokelumne Wilderness
| Mokelumne Wilderness | |
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IUCN category Ib (wilderness area)
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Round Top Peak in the Mokelumne Wilderness
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 Map of the United States
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| Location | Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, Alpine / Amador / Calaveras counties, California, United States |
| Nearest city | South Lake Tahoe, California (north), Markleeville, California (east) |
| Coordinates | 38°35′00″N 119°58′43″W / 38.58333°N 119.97861°WCoordinates: 38°35′00″N 119°58′43″W / 38.58333°N 119.97861°W |
| Area | 105,165 acres (425.59 km2) |
| Established | 1964 |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
The Mokelumne Wilderness is a 105,165-acre (425.59 km2) federally designated wilderness area located 70 miles (110 km) east of Sacramento, California. It is within the boundaries of three national forests: Stanislaus, Eldorado and Toiyabe. First protected under the Wilderness Act of 1964, the Mokelumne’s borders were expanded under the California Wilderness Act of 1984 with the addition of 55,000 acres. The wilderness takes its name from the Mokelumne River, which was named after a Mi-wok Indian village located on the riverbank in California's Central Valley.
The wilderness encompasses an area of the Sierra Nevada mountain range between Ebbetts Pass to Carson Pass. There are two sections separated by the Blue Lakes Road and an Off-Road Vehicle corridor.
Elevations range from 4,000 feet (1,200 m) to 10,381 feet (3,164 m). The highest point is Round Top (10,364 feet), a remnant volcano from which the wilderness area's volcanic soils are derived from and is located on the east side of the Sierra crest.
The west slopes have been eroded by glaciation and water down to the granite bedrock which has created a dramatic contrast between the volcanic and the granitic landscapes.
The wilderness protects habitat for a great variety of plants and animals especially on the slopes of Round Top, which is designated a special interest area. Plants include Ponderosa pine, canyon live oak as well as alpine vegetation of Whitebark pine, subalpine fir, and western juniper, with western white pine, mountain hemlock, and lodgepole pine found in sheltered areas. Waterways such as the North Fork of the Mokelumne River have riparian zones of white and mountain alder, creek dogwood, western azalea and bitter cherry. Wildlife include the black bear and mule deer, as well as martin, bald eagle and the California spotted owl.
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