Golden Trout Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness in California’s Sierra Nevada, created in 1978 within Sequoia and Inyo national forests. Named for the golden trout, it protects key habitat in the Kern and Little Kern river systems and spans a striking range of elevations, including the Kern Plateau, southern Sierra peaks, rivers, meadows, ridges, volcanic features, and hot springs. The area was also the focus of a major post-1947 struggle over logging and multiple-use management, an influential early public lands preservation fight. Today it is valued for wildlife, backcountry recreation, extensive trails, and historic routes and guard stations.