"A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain." - 78 Stat. 890 - Wilderness Act On September 3, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Wilderness Act and the Land and Water Conservation Bill, permanently preserving nine million acres of North America and establishing the National Wilderness Preservation System. Because wilderness contains the most pristine landscapes in the US, it has the highest protection of any federal wildland. The California deserts are rife with wilderness areas that provide solitude and natural, undeveloped beauty for intrepid visitors. The natural processes that occur in untamed earth provide us all with clean air, soil, and water. The health of the ecosystems around us directly benefit our health and bring vitality to our surrounding communities. Photo: Donna Fullerton; Death Valley National Park (which contains over 3,190,400 acres of wilderness - roughly 93% of the entire park!). Know before you go by checking up-to-date park conditions at NPS.gov/deva