Golden Trout Wilderness
Map SatelliteGolden Trout Wilderness borders Sequoia National Park on the west and the John Muir Wilderness on the north and includes most of the northern portion of the Kern Plateau.
A number of plant communities are found here, including a pinyon-sagebrush association on the eastern slopes, chaparral in the west, and several coniferous forests, one dominated by Jeffrey pine, Pinus jeffreyi, another by red fir, Abies magnifica; however, the more noteworthy are the subalpine forests and meadows that occur in the area. The subalpine is dominated by the foxtail pine, Pinus balfouriana, which occurs in the Sierra only within this general region and in several disjunct populations in the Klamath Mountains. Lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta ssp. murrayana, also occurs in this forest.
Numerous meadows are found in the area, with several bordered by white arkosic gravel. At Ramshaw Meadows Hulsea vestita and Lupinus spp. grow in these sterile gravels, as does the Abronia alpina, which is known from only this meadow. In the higher areas there are alpine fell fields and barren or very sparsely vegetated rocks.
Several rare or uncommon plants occur in the wilderness: Aster peirsonii, Crepis nana ssp. ramosa, Hackelia sharsmithii and Brodiaea dudleyi grow in the alpine fell fields or subalpine areas, and Erigeron aequifolius inhabits the red fir forest.
One grove of sequoias, Sequoiadendron giganteum, occurs near the southwestern boundary of the wilderness (see Maggie Mountain Grove).
Along the streams there are riparian associations which include water birch, Betula occidentalis, in one of its few occurrences on the west side of the Sierra, black cottonwood, Populus trichocarpa, and willows, Salix spp.
Animal life is reasonably abundant and typical of the high southern Sierra. Black bear, Ursus americanus, and marten, Martes americana, occur here, as may the rare wolverine, Gulo luscus. Bighorn sheep, Ovis canadensis have been sighted in the area. Wild turkeys, Meleagris gallopavo, have been planted in the area. There is a pure strain of Little Kern golden trout, Salmo aquabonita whitei, in the wilderness (see Soda Springs Creek).
Most of the area lies in Mesozoic granitics of the Sierra batholith; however, there are some pre-Cretaceous metamorphics and Mesozoic basic intrusives. Along Golden Trout Creek there are Pleistocene volcanics with cinder cones. Glaciation in the Sierra reached its southern limit in the Kern Canyon here.
Integrity: Established as a Wilderness in 1979, portions have been grazed and there are roads and trails in the area.
Use: Research, educational, observational, present.
March 1980
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman
