Old Woman Mountains Wilderness is a protected expanse in California’s eastern Mojave Desert, established in 1994 and managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Its broad bajadas, rugged fault-lifted mountains, and wide elevation range create a transition zone between the Lower Colorado and Mojave deserts, supporting habitats from creosote bush scrub to juniper-pinyon woodland. Springs and seeps sustain unusually varied wildlife for such an arid region, including permanent bighorn sheep, desert tortoise, mule deer, cougar, and raptors. Nearly 49,683 acres are designated critical habitat for the threatened desert tortoise. The area is also known for the 1975 discovery of the Old Woman Meteorite, California’s largest found meteorite.