Ansel Adams Wilderness

Ansel Adams Wilderness is a protected wilderness area in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, in the United States. It covers 231,533 acres across Madera, Fresno and Mono counties, with most of its land lying within the Inyo National Forest and the Sierra National Forest and a small portion inside Devils Postpile National Monument. First designated in 1964 as the Minarets Wilderness, it was renamed and expanded in 1984. It contains the Ritter Range, including the glaciated, dark metavolcanic peaks of Mount Ritter, Banner Peak and the Minarets, along with Thousand Island Lake, one of the largest backcountry lakes in the Sierra Nevada. Elevations range from 3,500 to 13,157 feet, and the wilderness carries 349 miles of hiking trails, including sections of the John Muir and Pacific Crest Trails. It is managed by the United States Forest Service.