The heart of the Domeland Wilderness looking south from Sherman Peak
The Domeland Wilderness is an overlooked area in the southern sierra. First approved by congress in 1964, additional land was added in 1984 and 1994, and it now covers 133,720 acres. Named after the rugged granite outcrops that cover the area, also featuring green meadows, access to the South Fork of the Kern River, and an almost unlimited amount of bouldering and exploration possibilities across the the various “domes”.
It ranges from hot and arid areas below 4000ft up to peaks above 9000 ft on the northern edge. The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) enters from the east and follows the South Fork of the Kern for 9 miles until it reaches the last outpost at Kennedy Meadows. We offer a Southern Sierra Trail Map to help you discover this area.
The wilderness is located mostly in the Sequoia National Forest, with some areas to the east managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Generally, the main access points are located off of Sherman Pass Rd, which is the last road to cross the Sierra Nevada range until Tioga Pass at Yosemite, about 150 miles north!
Backpackers and anglers can enter the wilderness from the west above Kernville, CA via Cherry Hill Rd (aka forest route 22S12). The road is paved and then transitions to an “improved” dirt road which is normally passable by high clearance 2WD vehicles. This road leads to both Manter North and Manter South Trailheads. Alternately, there is access from the north directly from Sherman Pass Rd at either Dark Canyon or Woodpecker trailheads. The area can also be accessed from the PCT at Kennedy Meadows, or via 4WD road at Long Canyon off Chimney Peak Rd.
Permits are NOT required for day use or overnight use, but a Calif Campfire permit is required for a campfire or stove. See our detailed Sierra Wilderness Permit Page.
Check out our Southern Sierra Trail Map to help you explore the Domeland Wilderness area.
Trailheads
Manter trailheads offer the most direct access to the domes, but require dirt road and high clearance vehicle for the last 2-3 miles .
Manter North (7820′)
Manter South (7825′)
Trout Creek (8310′)
Dark Canyon (8340′)
Woodpecker (8290′)
PCT at Kennedy Meadows (6010′)
Campgrounds:
Includes campgrounds within striking distance of Domeland Wilderness.
EASTSIDE —-
Troy Meadow (7795′)
Fish Creek (7455′)
Kennedy Meadows (6140′)
Chimney Creek (5690′)
Long Valley (5230′)
WESTSIDE —-
Horse Meadow (7335′)
Limestone (3760′)
Fairview (3550′)
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Transportation:
East Side Sierra Shuttle Service — They’ll go anywhere!
Eastern Sierra Transit — Connections for Thru Hikers
Sierra Nevada Shuttles page — from climber.org
General Links:
The best resource for Domeland Information! Offers hiking itineraries with maps and so much more!
Domeland Wilderness page from Summit Post
Domeland data from Wilderness.net
Domeland links from Sierrawild.gov
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