Ishi Wilderness
The Yahi Yana Indians lived in this region for over 3,000 years before white settlers arrived around 1850 and promptly exterminated all but the handful who escaped into the harsh and remote canyons of...
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 | 42,079 acres (Wilderness Connect) |
| Designated | 1984, by Congress |
| Center point | 40.1105, -121.7349 |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 18) |
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. 2 are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Trails
11 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 49 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Mill Creek ↗ | 19.5 | |
| Deer Creek Ishi ↗ | 5.5 | |
| Grahams Pinery/Devils Den Ishi | 4 | |
| Moak | 3.7 | |
| Lassen Trail Ishi | 3.4 | |
| Buena Vista Trail Ishi | 3 | |
| Boat Gunwale Tie Ishi | 2.4 | |
| Rancheria Trail Ishi | 2.4 | |
| Table Mountain Ishi | 2.1 | |
| Deep Hole Tie Ishi | 1.9 |
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
- 10.4 miInskip Hotel ↗Stirling City, CA
- 12.5 mi
- 13.4 miMolino Lodge Building ↗Tehama, CA
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Ishi Wilderness?
42,079 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Ishi 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 Ishi Wilderness in?
California.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Ishi Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1984.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Ishi Wilderness?
No federal campground sits inside the boundary. The nearest is Mill Creek Campground, 7.7 miles out. 2 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 Ishi Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 40.111, -121.735. Lassen Volcanic National Park is 26 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
How dark is the night sky at Ishi Wilderness?
NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 18 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.
Source: NASA Black Marble
Which national parks are near Ishi Wilderness?
Lassen Volcanic National Park (26 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.
Source: Nearby on the other atlases
Are there historic places near Ishi Wilderness?
3 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Inskip Hotel and Park Headquarters, Lassen Volcanic National Park.
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.