Black Rock Desert Wilderness
Black Rock Desert Wilderness is a 314,835-acre wilderness area in Humboldt County, Nevada. It rises from about 3,917 to 5,928 ft. The nearest town is Gerlach, 32.1 miles away in a straight line.
Black Rock Desert Wilderness map
Black Rock Desert Wilderness boundary from USGS PAD-US or the managing agency, simplified for display. Not for navigation or legal boundaries.
Fire restrictions
2 fire restriction orders are recorded for this unit as of Sept. 30, 2026. Each links the signed order.
- BLM Winnemucca District Stage 1 Fire Restrictions Order Applies to this wilderness, managed by the Black Rock Field Office, Winnemucca District. Stage 1. Listed under Central Nevada on Nevada Fire Info. The signed order states the exact area, what it prohibits, and exemptions.
- BLM Nevada Prevention Order: BLM statewide restrictions Effective May 1, 2026. Applies to all BLM and Forest Service land in Nevada. Prohibited: Possessing, discharging, using or allowing the use of fireworks, pyrotechnic or incendiary devices; possessing, discharging, igniting or causing to burn; explosives or explosive material, including binary explosive targets; discharging a firearm using tracer, incendiary, or steel-component ammunition. [Use of tracer or incendiary ammunition is always prohibited on public lands]; operating or using any internal or external combustion engine without a spark arresting device properly installed, maintained and in effective working order.
Nevada Fire Info, BLM Nevada's interagency fire site, keeps the Nevada fire restrictions map and signed orders for every fire zone, and a Nevada fire map of active fires.
Common questions
- Gerlach, NV is the nearest town, 32.1 miles in a straight line from the boundary (not a driving distance).
- The highest ground in Black Rock Desert Wilderness is about 5,928 ft, and its lowest about 3,917 ft (USGS 3DEP elevation model). Its highest named summit is Elephant Mountain, about 5,928 ft.
Who manages Black Rock Desert Wilderness
| Agency | Acres | Permit | Group size | Stay limit | Office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLM | 314,835 | Not on record | Not on record | Not on record | Black Rock Field Office, Winnemucca District, 775-623-1500 |
Getting to Black Rock Desert Wilderness
- Gerlach, NV is the nearest town, 32.1 miles in a straight line from the boundary (not a driving distance). (US Census places, accessed 2026-09-25)
Named summits, canyons, and springs in Black Rock Desert Wilderness
- Elephant Mountain summit
- Pinto Mountain summit
- Crowbar Spring spring
- Pidgeon Spring spring
Features whose official location is inside the boundary, from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, accessed 2026-09-25. Summit elevations measured on the USGS 3DEP elevation model, which can read a few feet under a surveyed summit height.
Public lands next to Black Rock Desert Wilderness
- BLM unitBlack Rock Desert Wilderness borders Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area.
- Wilderness areaBlack Rock Desert Wilderness borders Pahute Peak Wilderness.
- Wilderness areaBlack Rock Desert Wilderness borders South Jackson Mountains Wilderness.
- Wilderness areaNorth Jackson Mountains Wilderness is 0.8 miles away, straight line between the two boundaries.
Measured between the units' boundaries as mapped in USGS PAD-US. Distances are straight line, not driving.
Other wilderness areas in Nevada
- https://wilderness.net/visit-wilderness/?ID=59 (accessed 2026-09-25)
- https://prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com/StagedProducts/Elevation/1/TIFF/current/n41w119/USGS_1_n41w119.tif (accessed 2026-09-25)
- https://prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com/StagedProducts/Elevation/1/TIFF/current/n42w119/USGS_1_n42w119.tif (accessed 2026-09-25)
- https://prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com/StagedProducts/GeographicNames/DomesticNames/DomesticNames_NV_Text.zip (accessed 2026-09-25)
- https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2025_Gazetteer/2025_gaz_place_32.txt (accessed 2026-09-25)