Sawtooth Wilderness is a federally protected expanse in central Idaho spanning 217,088 acres in the Sawtooth Mountains, prized for jagged peaks, glacial lakes, and some of the clearest air in the lower 48 states. Protection began in 1937 with the Sawtooth Primitive Area and was strengthened on August 22, 1972, when the land was redesignated as wilderness within the new Sawtooth National Recreation Area after disputes over development and mining; Senator Frank Church played a leading role in those efforts. Much of the range remains undeveloped under strict wilderness rules, while trails and trailheads provide access to a major backcountry landscape rich in wildlife and shaped by alpine glaciation.