Emigrant Wilderness
Map SatelliteApproximately a quarter of this wilderness is timbered. In the lower portions there is a small amount of ponderosa forest, with Pinus ponderosa dominant. Above this, and accounting for slightly less than half of the forested area, is a mixed conifer forest with white fir, Abies concolor, and Jeffrey pine, Pinus jeffreyi, the dominants.
The highest forest includes mountain hemlock, Tsuga mertensiana, red fir, Abies magnifica, whitebark pine, Pinus albicaulis, lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta ssp. murrayana, and foxtail pine, Pinus balfouriana.
There are numerous alpine meadows, alpine fell fields, and stands of mountain chaparral. Much of the area is barren or sparsely vegetated Mesozoic granitic rock, with some Pliocene volcanics. There are numerous traces of glacial action, such as many of the 100-plus lakes in the area.
Animal life is quite abundant and includes a full range of mid-to-high-altitude Sierran fauna. The uncommon spotted owl, Strix occidantalis, and the rare peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus, occur in the area.
Integrity: Much of the wilderness has been a Primitive Area since 1931, but there has been grazing for over 100 years; however, the vegetation is in good condition.
Use: Research, educational, observational, present.
January 1980
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman