Sawtooth Wilderness

For the wilderness area in Washington, see Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness.

Sawtooth Wilderness
IUCN Category Ib (Wilderness Area)
Location	Elmore / Boise / Custer / Blaine counties, Idaho, USA
Nearest city	Stanley, Idaho
Coordinates	43°59′59″N 115°03′54″W
Area	217,088 acres (878 km²)
Established	1972
Governing body	U.S. Forest Service

Smoke from a wildfire over the Sawtooth Wilderness

The Sawtooth Wilderness is located in the U.S. state of Idaho. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The Wilderness was upgraded in 1972 from "primitive area" status, affording greater protections of the habitat. The Sawtooth Wilderness is considered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to have the best air quality in the lower 48 states.

Wilderness areas do not allow motorized or mechanical equipment including bicycles. Although camping and fishing are allowed with proper permit, no roads or buildings are constructed and there is also no logging or mining, in compliance with the 1964 Wilderness Act. Wilderness areas within National Forests and Bureau of Land Management areas also allow hunting in season.

The Sawtooth Wilderness contains most of Idaho's most famous mountains the Sawtooth Range, the highest two of which are Thompson Peak and Mount Cramer.

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  Sawtooth Wilderness Sign

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  South Fork of the Payette River section of the Sawtooth Wilderness

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  Sawtooth Mountains and Toxaway Lake in the Sawtooth Wilderness

See also

• List of U.S. Wilderness Areas
• Wilderness Act
• Sawtooth National Recreation Area
• List of lakes of the Sawtooth Mountains (Idaho)

External links

• "Sawtooth Wilderness". The National Wilderness Preservation System. Wilderness.net. http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&sec=wildView&wid=536&tab=General&CFID=288064&CFTOKEN=80735975. Retrieved 2006-08-15. 
• "USGS Warbonnet Peak (ID) Topo Map Quad". TopoQuest. http://www.topoquest.com/map.asp?z=11&n=4878922&e=655659&s=100&size=l&u=7&datum=nad83&layer=DRG25. Retrieved 2008-07-04. 
• "Wilderness Legislation: The Wilderness Act of 1964". The National Wilderness Preservation System. Wilderness.net. http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&sec=legisAct. Retrieved 2006-08-15. 
• Idaho Summits.com - Thompson Peak - 10,751' - photos
• Idaho Summits.com - Mount Cramer - 10,716' - photos
• Idaho Summits.com - Snowyside Peak - 10,651' - photos