Emigrant Wilderness

The 113,000 acre Emigrant Wilderness is bordered by Yosemite National Park on the south, the Toiyabe National Forest on the east, and State Highway 108 on the north. It is an elongated area that trends northeast about 25 miles in length and up to 15 miles in width. Watersheds drain to the Stanislaus and Tuolumne Rivers. This area is entirely within Tuolumne County and is approximately 140 air miles east of San Francisco and 50 air miles south of Lake Tahoe.

The Emigrant Wilderness is a glaciated landscape of great scenic beauty. The northeastern third of the Wilderness is dominated by volcanic ridges and peaks; the remaining areas consist of many sparsely vegetated, granitic ridges interspersed with numerous lakes and meadows. Elevations range from below 5000 feet near Cherry Reservoir to 11,570 feet at Leavitt Peak, but the elevation range of most of the popular high use areas is 7500 to 9000 feet. Precipitation averages 50 inches annually, 80 percent of it in the form of snow. Snowpacks typically linger into June, sometimes later following very wet winters. Summers are generally dry and mild.