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Services, Getting There: Faulkner is located immediately south of US Hwy 50. Eureka is about 30 miles east and Austin is about 30 miles west.
Hikes & Trails:
Related Areas: Bald Mountain Roadless Area is immediately south
Atlas Information: Benchmark pg 58: DeLorme pg 46 |
USFS Roadless Area Management Managing Agency: Forest Service Area Description Rising above the Monitor Valley in the west and the Antelope Valley in the east, the two high points of the impressive north Monitor Range dominate the skyline. At 10220 ft, Antelope Peak’s conical summit appears a dramatic sentinel to the north, but Summit Mountain’s slower rising slopes climax at the highpoint of this wilderness area at 10461 ft. The terrain is generally more cliffy and dramatic in the north, and more rolling and open in the south. This area features a distinct set of high desert ecosystems that are not only natural and healthy, but also breathtakingly beautiful. Sagebrush communities dominate the alluvial valleys on both sides of the range (varieties of sagebrush, native grasses, ephedra). Piñon pine and Utah juniper dominate the mid elevation foothills surrounding the high mountains. The north is more densely forested, with the piñon zone more widespread, reaching nearly to the summit of Antelope peak on its north slope. In the desert montane zone above the piñon-juniper woodland zone is a high, rolling, and open landscape; fragrant sagebrush is the dominant flora, along with bunchgrasses, rabbitbrush, prickly pear cacti, and in some scattered locations, serviceberry, aspen, and currant. Gnarled mountain mahogany groves along the ridges define the beautiful windswept character of this high elevation landscape. Meadows surrounding springs in the montane zone feature beautiful great basin rye and other native grasses. In riparian zones, willow, wild rose, native grasses, aspen, serviceberry and big sagebrush thrive, growing extremely dense where water is present. All ecosystems function naturally and are pristine. The presence of water throughout the area brings healthy wildlife populations and lush aspen groves to many canyons and hillsides. Springs are abundant and many may still be flowing in the dryness of autumn. Rhyolite and ash flow formations can be found throughout the wilderness, especially near Faulkner creek, where hundreds of small spires peek through the piñons high above the canyon floor.
Wildlife: Wildlife of the area includes: elk; mule deer; pronghorn antelope; feral horses and burros; cougar; cottontail rabbit; jackrabbit; golden eagle; harrier, swainson, and red tail hawk; northern kite; long eared owl; kestrel and prairie falcon; sparrows; horned lark; sage thrasher; sagebrush lizard. Historically, the Faulkner was identified as important sage grouse habitat producing some of the highest hunting returns in the state.
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Wilderness Area Status