The White Mountains Wilderness is a wilderness area in the White Mountains of California, United States. It was established by the U.S. Congress under the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009. Most of the wilderness ( ) is in Inyo National Forest and managed by the U.S. Forest Service, and the remaining area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The wilderness' northern boundary ends on the southern slopes of Boundary Peak, itself part of Boundary Wilderness in Esmeralda County, Nevada.
Signs placed at the entrance of the wilderness near the trail to White Mountain Peak were initially misspelled "White Mountain Wilderness", the name of another wilderness area in New Mexico.
Geology and hydrology White Mountain, roughly centered in the wilderness, is the highest mountain peak in the Great Basin, rising to . Cottonwood Creek, which flows through the southeastern portion of the wilderness, was also designated a Wild and Scenic under the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009.
Flora and fauna The area is prime habitat for ungulates like desert bighorn sheep, pronghorn, and mule deer, and for over 1,000 plant species and varieties, including the northern terminus of the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, trianglelobe moonwort, and Poison Canyon stickseed. Paiute cutthroat trout also call Cottonwood Creek their home.
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