Writer John Clayton celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, which puts some spectacularly beautiful and important landscapes off limits to exploitation. The act was a farseeing move by Congress, writes Clayton, though there's always pressure to allow more access, especially for recreationists.
Writers on the Range: You’re not the boss in wilderness
![Buck Lake, Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness in Challis, Idaho. The Wilderness Act protects 806 wilderness areas and 112 million acres.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f3fe214/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1300x974+0+0/resize/880x659!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F68%2F1e%2F429c48e541f1865685a2aec6675f%2Funnamed-21.jpg)
US Forest Service