The United States Congress designated the Argus Range Wilderness in 1994 and it now has a total of 74,890 acres. All of the wilderness is in California and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The Argus Range Wilderness is bordered by and the Death Valley Wilderness to the east.
Nestling against the Argus Range, a thin and narrow north-south mountain chain, this Wilderness stretches for 28 miles along the west side of the Panamint Valley, just south and west of Death Valley National Park and just east of the China Lake Naval Weapons Center. (If the Navy decides to install a space-energy laser facility within 15 years after Wilderness designation, a road may be built across the area.) Elevations here vary from about 2,800 feet on the east side to more than 7,500 feet on the west. The Argus Range is comprised of dry desert mountains with steep slopes and highly dissected canyons. Remains of old mining activity and a few prehistoric sites are scattered throughout the Wilderness. You may find several springs supporting a small population of desert bighorn sheep. Vegetation includes creosote scrub communities on the lower slopes, occasional pi?on-juniper communities at higher elevations, and virtually nothing on the steep slopes and canyon walls.
Trails are not maintained here, but you should find some relatively easy hiking up several canyons that open on the east side.
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