The Bucks Lake Wilderness is a wilderness area located in the Plumas National Forest section of the Sierra Nevada, in northeastern California, United States.
Geography
The wilderness lies in Plumas County south of Lake Almanor. It protects the northernmost end of the Sierra Crest, which beyond the canyon of the North Fork Feather River, is no longer distinct. The California Wilderness Act of 1984 set aside the wilderness. The reservoir for which it is named is considered a "boater's Mecca" and is just outside the wilderness boundary.
Natural history
The topography is classic Sierra Nevada with gentle slopes on the western side, glacial cirques, and areas of bare granitic rock. The highest point is Mount Pleasant (7,054 ft). Of the 13 cirques in the area, the one-mile (1.6 km)-wide Silver Lake is the largest, located below Spanish Peak of the Sierra crest, just outside the wilderness boundary. The North Fork Feather River canyon forms the north boundary and the wilderness includes its -long canyon wall.
The wilderness provides habitat for the black bear, coyote, mountain lion, mule deer and black-tailed deer as well as eagle, peregrine falcon, owls and the willow flycatcher.
Vegetation includes conifers such as sugar, lodgepole and Jeffrey pine with almost pure stands of red fir on the highest elevations. Streams and wet meadows have alder and aspen trees, corn lilies and montane chaparral.
There are three adjacent units of roadless areas, the largest of which has Bucks Mountain, Bald Eagle Mountain and Bucks Creek.
Bucks Lake
See Bucks Lake for full article.
The dam was begun by the Feather River Power Company, which was owned by R.C. Storrie and Robert Muir. The company bought , including the Bucks Ranch and began construction in early 1926. Three years and eight million dollars later, the company had financial problems and ended up selling the project to Great Western Power Company who completed the project in 1928.
The -capacity reservoir is created by the high rock-fill dam on Bucks Creek, covers and is operated by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company.
See also
Feather Headwaters
Ecology of the Sierra Nevada
Protected areas of the Sierra Nevada
Notes
References
Adkinson, Ron. Wild Northern California. The Globe Pequot Press, 2001
Bucks Lake Wilderness, Plumas National Forest, US Forest Service
External links
Wilderness.net Bucks Lake Wilderness - main website
National Forest Service: Plumas National Forest wilderness areas website
Bucks Lake Hiking Association website
Plumas National Forest
Protected areas of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Protected areas of Plumas County, California Wilderness areas of California Feather Headwaters Feather River IUCN Category Ib 1984 establishments in California Protected areas established in 1984