The Brasstown Wilderness stretches across 12,853 acres and is part of a system of officially designated wilderness areas protected as some of the most pristine wildlands, where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man and man is a visitor who does not remain, as defined by the Wilderness Act of 1964. These wilderness areas are among the most geologically and biologically unique places on the planet and are the last remnants of wild landscapes that once stretched from coast to coast. In Georgia, the United States Forest Service oversees 10 Wilderness Areas totaling 116,665 acres, about 15 percent of the Chattahoochee National Forest. These lands preserve natural ecosystems and wild areas while providing opportunities for primitive recreation such as hiking, fishing, hunting, birding, and wildlife photography, and they offer time for reflection, solitude, and solace in a world where nature dominates and people are only visitors.