The National Wilderness Preservation System protects
federally managed land areas that are of a pristine condition. It was established by the
Wilderness Act (Public Law 88-577) upon the signature of
President Lyndon B. Johnson on
September 3,
1964. The National Wilderness Preservation System originally created hundreds of
wilderness zones within already protected federally administered property, consisting of over 9 million acres (36,000 km²). As of 2005, a total of 680 separate wilderness areas, encompassing
105,695,176 acres (427,733 km²) had been set aside. On
federal lands in the
United States,
Congress may designate an area as wilderness under the provisions of the Wilderness Act of 1964. Wilderness areas are subject to specific management restrictions. Human activities are restricted to non-motorized recreation (such as
backpacking, hunting, fishing, horseback riding, etc.), scientific research, and other non-invasive activities. In general, the law prohibits logging, mining, roads, mechanized vehicles (including bicycles), and other forms of development. The Wilderness Act is the legal basis for the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS). Wilderness areas fall in to
IUCN protected area management category Ia (Strict Nature Preserves) or Ib (Wilderness areas).
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All lands covered by the Wilderness Act of 1964 and subsequent wilderness designations, irrespective of the department or agency having jurisdiction.
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