The Sawtooth Mountains Wilderness is a federal

wilderness area Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

of located in the Sawtooth Mountains in eastern

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the f ...

, California. It is located in the Colorado Desert, south of

Borrego Springs Borrego Springs (''Borrego'', Spanish for "Sheep") is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California. The population was 3,429 at the 2010 census, up from 2,535 at the 2000 census, made up of both seasonal and year-round resid ...

, near Anza Borrego Desert State Park.Wilderness.net data page, Sawtooth Mountains Wilderness.
/ref> This land was added to the National Wilderness Preservation System when the

US Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...

passed the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-433). The Bureau of Land Management is the agency in charge of the Sawtooth Mountains Wilderness.

Description

Wilderness topography includes ridges, valleys, and canyons that support a wide array of plant and animal life. Wildlife include raptors, such as the

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds of ...

and

prairie falcon The prairie falcon (''Falco mexicanus'') is a medium-large sized falcon of western North America. It is about the size of a peregrine falcon or a crow, with an average length of 40 cm (16 in), wingspan of approximately 1 meter (40&n ...

. The spotted bat, San Diego

horned lizard Horned lizards (''Phrynosoma''), also known as horny toads or horntoads, are a genus of North American lizards and the type genus of the family Phrynosomatidae. The common names refer directly to their horns or to their flattened, rounded bodies, ...

, and the

willow flycatcher The willow flycatcher (''Empidonax traillii'') is a small insect-eating, neotropical migrant bird of the tyrant flycatcher family. There are four subspecies of the willow flycatcher currently recognized, all of which breed in North America (inc ...

are also found here. Vegetation consists of

Sonoran Desert The Sonoran Desert ( es, Desierto de Sonora) is a desert in North America and ecoregion that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the southwestern United States (in Ariz ...

plants, including

ocotillo ''Fouquieria splendens'' (commonly known as ocotillo (), but also referred to as buggywhip, coachwhip, candlewood, slimwood, desert coral, Jacob's staff, Jacob cactus, and vine cactus) is a plant indigenous to the Sonoran Desert and Chihuahuan ...

, cholla cactus, and

creosote bush ''Larrea tridentata'', called creosote bush and greasewood as a plant, chaparral as a medicinal herb, and ''gobernadora'' (Spanish for "governess") in Mexico, due to its ability to secure more water by inhibiting the growth of nearby plants. In S ...

. Although State Route 2 winds along the northern side of the wilderness, there is no legal access due to private lands along the boundary. The only public access is from the Pepperwood Height Trail, at the end of the McCain Valley.

References

Bureau of Land Management, Sawtooth Mountains Wilderness page.
{{authority control Wilderness areas of California Protected areas of the Colorado Desert Protected areas of San Diego County, California IUCN Category Ib Bureau of Land Management areas in California Protected areas established in 1994 1994 establishments in California

Description

See also

References