The protected areas of the Sierra Nevada, a major mountain range located in the U.S. states of California and Nevada, are numerous and highly diverse. Like the mountain range itself, these areas span hundreds of miles along the length of the range, and over 14,000 feet of elevation from the lowest foothills to the summit of Mount Whitney.
The Sierra Nevada, as a natural region, does not have exactly defined borders. In particular, to the north, there is a wide transition zone where the Cascade Range and the Sierra Nevada meet. As a result, it is difficult to delineate a border between these two mountain ranges. This list uses the common definition of the Sierra Nevada as the mountain range extending from Fredonyer Pass in the north to Tehachapi Pass in the south. It is also difficult to delineate between the Sierra Nevada mountains, the range's foothills, and the Central Valley; this article also considers any elevated and hilly terrain east of the flat Central Valley to be part of the range. Areas outside those bounds may also be included if they are widely associated with the Sierra Nevada.
National parks and monuments Name Image Location Established Area Elevation Description Kings Canyon National Park 33 miles east of Sanger. Includes parts of Fresno and Tulare counties. October 1, 1890 The park encompasses North Palisade mountain; the Palisade Glacier, the largest glacier in the Sierra Nevada; the North and Middle Forks of the Kings River; the Roaring River, a fast-flowing tributary; and the Grant Grove of giant sequoias including the General Grant, the second largest sequoia in the world. Kings Canyon has the greatest riverbed-to-summit height differential of any canyon in North America. Sequoia National Park Tulare County, 27 miles east of Visalia. September 25, 1890 The Giant Forest, inhabited by the giant sequoias that give the park its name, is home to five of the ten largest trees on Earth, including General Sherman, the world's largest tree. The Giant Forest is only one of dozens of sequoia groves in the park, including Muir Grove and Garfield Grove. Crystal Cave, a marble karst cave, is one of more than 240 known caves in the area. In the backcountry, the Great Dividing Range and Kern Canyon are among many remote alpine peaks and valleys. The park spans of vertical relief, from the deep canyons of the lower foothills to Mount Whitney, whose summit is the highest point in the contiguous United States. Yosemite National Park 18 miles northeast of Mariposa. Includes parts of Madera, Mariposa, Mono, and Tuolumne counties. June 30, 1864 Yosemite Valley, the centerpiece of the park, is a densely forested deep glacial valley flanked for its whole length by soaring granite masses such as Half Dome and El Capitan. The valley is also known for its many waterfalls, including Bridalveil Fall and Yosemite Falls, the highest waterfall in North America. Tuolumne Meadows, a broad subalpine meadow astride the Tuolumne River studded with numerous granite domes and outcroppings, is the centerpiece of the Yosemite high country, which also includes Glen Aulin valley and a number of high alpine peaks such as Mount Dana and Mount Lyell. Near Wawona to the south, the Mariposa Grove is home to hundreds of giant sequoias, including the Grizzly Giant. Tioga Pass, the highest highway pass in the Sierra Nevada, is a popular scenic route as well as an important link between the Eastern Sierra and the major population centers to the west. Devils Postpile National Monument Madera County, 7 miles west of Mammoth Lakes. July 6, 1911 Devil's Postpile, a large and striking formation of columnar basalt formed by an ancient lava flow, is the focal point of this national monument. The formation sits alongside the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River as it courses through the monument. Further downstream, Rainbow Falls is another notable attraction. Devil's Postpile is located near Minaret Summit, the lowest gap along the Sierra Crest for an over stretch of contiguous roadless wilderness. As such, the area is also an important resupply point for the John Muir Trail and Pacific Crest Trail, which merge into one trail for a short distance as they pass through the monument. Giant Sequoia National Monument Two discontiguous units covering parts of Fresno and Tulare counties. April 15, 2000 The monument includes 38 of the 39 giant sequoia groves in the Sequoia National Forest, amounting to about half of the sequoia groves currently in existence. This includes one of the ten largest giant sequoias, the Boole Tree. Its two parts are around Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks.
National forests Name Image Location Established Area Elevation DescriptionEldorado National ForestEl Dorado, Amador, Alpine, and Placer counties, California; Douglas County, Nevada1910 At the lower and middle elevations, steep and deep river canyons cut through densely forested, gently rolling plateaus that are home to numerous lakes and reservoirs. Closer to the Sierra crest, the terrain is much more rugged, with peaks soaring above treeline. The forest is home to two wilderness areas. Round Top, its highest peak, is at the center of a popular backcountry skiing area near Carson Pass.Humboldt–Toiyabe National ForestMono, Alpine, Sierra, Nevada, Lassen, and El Dorado counties, California; Mineral, Lyon, Washoe, and Douglas counties and Carson City, Nevada1995 Two districts of this highly dispersed national forest protect a long stretch of the steep, rugged eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada. The terrain ranges from the stark granite peaks and basins along the crest, to lush green valleys and forested mountains further down the eastern slope, to scrubby arid ranges located to the east of the Sierras. The forest also protects Nevada's Carson Range, a spur of the Sierra Nevada along the east shore of Lake Tahoe.Inyo National ForestInyo, Mono, Tulare, Fresno, and Madera counties, California; Esmeralda and Mineral counties, Nevada1907Inyo National Forest protects the eastern slope of the southern Sierra. The southern part of the forest, along the western edge of Owens Valley, is characterized by a precipitous drop from the Sierra crest, reaching up to at its highest point at Mount Whitney, down to the valley floor at to , in the span of just a few miles. This national forest is also home to much of the volcanic Long Valley Caldera and other scenic landscape along U.S. Highway 395.Lake Tahoe Basin Management UnitEl Dorado, Placer, and Alpine counties, California; Douglas and Washoe counties and Carson City, Nevada1973A special unit of the USFS, covering the entirety of the Lake Tahoe basin. This unit is unique among national forests of the area in that it contains heavily populated lakeside communities of tens of thousands of people. The basin includes a wide variety of environments, including the famous shoreline of Lake Tahoe, glacial lakes such as Fallen Leaf Lake, prominent peaks such as Freel Peak and Mount Tallac, and high-alpine meadows that form the upper headwaters of the Truckee River.Lassen National ForestLassen, Shasta, Tehama, Plumas, and Butte counties, California1905The Lassen National Forest protects a unique area at the crossroads of three major ecological regions: the Sierra Nevada, the Cascade Range, and the Great Basin. The forest contains soaring volcanic peaks such as Lassen Peak and Brokeoff Mountain, wide plateaus of transitional forest and sagebrush, and the homelands of Ishi, the last Native American to live most of his life free interactions with the dominant Anglo-Americans.Plumas National ForestPlumas, Butte, Sierra, Lassen, and Yuba counties, California1907Spanning over a million acres in the northern reaches of the Sierra Nevada, this national forest protects the section of the mountain range with the densest forests and the most prodigious precipitation. While lacking the sheer vertical relief of other parts of the Sierra, the forest contains remote unspoiled backcountry lakes, sheer river canyons cutting through rugged plateaus, and wide meadows tucked into the folds of the mountain range. Notable features include the Feather River Canyon and Bucks Lake Wilderness.Sequoia National ForestTulare, Kern, and Fresno counties, California1908Named for the giant tree of the same name, this forest protects the largest concentration of giant sequoias on the planet. Additionally, it protects diverse environments over a massive elevation range, from the steep semi-arid canyons and foothills at the base to the soaring granite peaks, high above treeline, in its eastern reaches. The park contains a national monument and surrounds two large national parks.Sierra National ForestFresno, Madera, and Mariposa counties, California1893Occupying the area between Yosemite and Kings Canyon, the Sierra National Forest contains numerous lakes, high peaks, and occasional groves of giant sequoias. It has some of the biggest high-elevation lakes and reservoirs in the entire mountain range, including Florence Lake, Edison Lake, Huntington Lake, Shaver Lake, Courtright Reservoir, Wishon Reservoir, and others.Stanislaus National ForestTuolumne, Alpine, Mariposa, and Calaveras counties, California1897Stanislaus National Forest protects the rugged, deeply dissected granite terrain north of Yosemite, and the rivers and canyons to its west. The Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, still visibly impacted by the Rim Fire of 2013, presents sweeping vistas of its sheer cliffs and the river far below. The Emigrant Wilderness protects a high-elevation landscape of broken granite hills and peaks studded by green oases, small lakes, and scattered meadows.Tahoe National ForestSierra, Placer, Nevada, Yuba, Plumas, and El Dorado counties, California1905Protecting the land north and west of the lake of the same name, Tahoe National Forest protects environments ranging from ponderosa-oak mixed forests in the foothill elevations to rocky buttes and granite peaks along the crest. Water is everywhere in this forest, with half a dozen parallel rivers running down the western slope to the Sacramento Valley. The Granite Chief Wilderness protects the area to the south and east of Donner Pass, not far from the travails of the infamous pioneers who gave the pass its name. Independence Lake, a pristine glacial lake in a remote corner of the forest, is one of the last refuges of a native species of trout, and has survived numerous attempts at development.
Wilderness areas