Named for the naturalist who devoted much of his life to protecting the Sierra Nevada and Yosemite regions, this wilderness area (around 600,000 acres) abuts Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks and several other wilderness areas subsumed under the Inyo National Forest.
From various spots along the Reds Meadow area, long-distance backpackers with wilderness permits and bear canisters can easily jump onto the John Muir Trail (to Yosemite to the north and Mt Whitney to the south) and the Pacific Crest Trail (fancy walking to Mexico or Canada?).
