Golden Valley Wilderness is a protected high-desert area in California's Mojave Desert near Ridgecrest, encompassing 37,786 acres between the Almond and Lava mountains. Its rugged landscape includes steep canyons carved into sedimentary rock and elevations reaching about 5,000 feet on Dome Mountain. Creosote bush scrub covers much of the area, with Joshua trees and seasonal wildflowers in places, while raptors, Mojave ground squirrels, and desert tortoises live there. Established in 1994 under the California Desert Protection Act and managed by the Bureau of Land Management's Ridgecrest Field Office, it is valued for its scenery, wildlife habitat, and remoteness.