Agua Tibia Wilderness
The steep, chaparral-covered mountains of Agua Tibia Wilderness give way to stands of fir, pine, and oak at higher elevations that rise above 4,400 feet on Agua Tibia Mountain. Elevation ranges from 1,700...
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net), where the full text continues.
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service |
| State | California |
| Size | 18,002 acres (Wilderness Connect) |
| Designated | 1975, by Congress |
| Center point | 33.4225, -116.9808 |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 19) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground
The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
Where to camp
No federal campground sits inside the boundary. 5 are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Trails
4 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 30 miles in all.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Cutca ↗ | 10.4 | |
| Wildhorse Peak ↗ | 10.1 | |
| Dripping Springs ↗ | 6.8 | |
| Palomar Magee | 2.8 |
Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas, refreshed September 18, 2026. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 5.8 miOak Grove Butterfield Stage Station ↗National Historic Landmark
- 4.2 miWolf Store and Vail Ranch Headquarters ↗Temecula, CA
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Agua Tibia Wilderness?
18,002 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Agua Tibia Wilderness?
Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service share management. The Bureau of Land Management portion is the largest in the wilderness record.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Agua Tibia Wilderness in?
California.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Agua Tibia Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1975.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Agua Tibia Wilderness?
No federal campground sits inside the boundary. The nearest is Dripping Springs Campground, 0.6 miles out. 5 in all are within ten miles. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit rules.
Source: Where to camp
How do I get to Agua Tibia Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 33.422, -116.981. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
How dark is the night sky at Agua Tibia Wilderness?
NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 19 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.
Source: NASA Black Marble
Are there historic places near Agua Tibia Wilderness?
2 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Oak Grove Butterfield Stage Station and Wolf Store and Vail Ranch Headquarters.
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
- Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
- Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.