Pine Valley Mountain Wilderness
| Pine Valley Mountain Wilderness | |
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IUCN category Ib (wilderness area)
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| Location | Washington County, Utah, U.S. |
| Nearest city | Leeds, UT |
| Coordinates | 37°21′59″N 113°24′53″W / 37.36639°N 113.41472°WCoordinates: 37°21′59″N 113°24′53″W / 37.36639°N 113.41472°W |
| Area | 50,232 acres (203.28 km2) |
| Established | 1984 |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
Pine Valley Mountain Wilderness is a 50,232-acre (203.28 km2) wilderness area located in the Dixie National Forest in the U.S. state of Utah. It is the fourth-largest wilderness area located entirely within the state (following the High Uintas Wilderness, Zion Wilderness, and Cedar Mountain Wilderness). The wilderness designation protects the Pine Valley Mountain range, a large rock outcrop surrounded by desert. The Pine Valley Mountains form the Pine Valley Laccolith, one of the largest laccoliths in the United States. Elevations in the wilderness range from 6,000 feet (1,800 m) to 10,365 feet (3,159 m) at the summit of Signal Peak.
The southern half of the Pine Valley Mountain Wilderness area supports a large stand of virgin Engelmann spruce. On the south edge of this unit, young stands of bristlecone pine are also found. The north half of the area is composed of stands of mixed spruce, subalpine fir, Douglas fir, and limber pine. Stands of large aspen are also found throughout the area.
There are numerous meadows up to 50 acres (0.20 km2) in size within the boundaries of the Wilderness. The predominant vegetation is mat muhly, subalpine needlegrass, alpine timothy, dandelion, Perry clover, shrubby cinquifoil, yarrow, fleabane, snowberry, and serviceberry.
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