Wilderness area

Bristlecone Wilderness

Bristlecone Wilderness is a 14,095-acre wilderness area in White Pine County, Nevada. It rises from about 6,466 to 9,521 ft. The nearest town is McGill, 4.4 miles away in a straight line.

Bristlecone Wilderness map

Bristlecone Wilderness boundary from USGS PAD-US or the managing agency, simplified for display. Not for navigation or legal boundaries.

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Fire restrictions

One fire restriction order is recorded for this unit as of Sept. 30, 2026. Each links the signed order.

  • 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

Camping in Bristlecone Wilderness is limited to 14 days.
McGill, NV is the nearest town, 4.4 miles in a straight line from the boundary (not a driving distance). The wilderness.net page for this area places it about 5 miles west of McGill.
The highest ground in Bristlecone Wilderness is about 9,521 ft, and its lowest about 6,466 ft (USGS 3DEP elevation model). Its highest named summit is Heusser Mountain, about 9,391 ft.

Who manages Bristlecone Wilderness

Agency Acres Permit Group size Stay limit Office
BLM 14,095 Not on record Not on record 14 days BLM Ely District Office, 775-289-1800

Getting to Bristlecone Wilderness

  • McGill, NV is the nearest town, 4.4 miles in a straight line from the boundary (not a driving distance). (US Census places, accessed 2026-09-25)
  • The wilderness.net page for this area places it about 5 miles west of McGill.
  • Access roads named on the area's wilderness.net page: US Highway 93, State Route 490, Lackawana Road.

Position, roads and vehicle notes: wilderness.net page for Bristlecone Wilderness, accessed 2026-09-25. Roads and conditions change; check with the managing office before driving in.

Named summits, canyons, and springs in Bristlecone Wilderness

  • Heusser Mountain summit about 9,391 ft
  • Lusetti Canyon canyon
  • Lusetti Spring spring
  • Rattlesnake 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.

Other wilderness areas in Nevada

Nevada wilderness areas