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Saddle Peak Hills Wilderness is the smallest designated wilderness area created by the California Desert Protection Act of 1994. The area includes the northern end of the Saddle Peak Hills and the northwestern portion of the Silurian Valley. The southern and western boundaries are shared with Death Valley National Park.

History
A 1980 Bureau of Land Management report recommended the area as unsuitable for wilderness designation, as the mineral resources identified in the study were likely to be commercially viable. These included copper, lead, silver and talc, all of which had been historically extracted in the area.

The area was given wilderness status on 21 October 1994.

Geology
Elevations range from 500 feet on the floor of the Silurian Valley to about 2,500 feet atop the hills. The terrain is typical of Southern California's desert land and mountains.

The hills are cut by curvy faults and the features preserved here represent common landforms found throughout the surrounding desert and mountains.

The area contains considerable deposits of talc.

Vegetation
Vegetation consists mostly of creosote bush and allscale scrubs. No sensitive or significant plant species are known to occur within the wilderness area.

Wildlife
The area is not known to support any listed, sensitive or rare species.

The sandy substrate in an area of approximately 3 square miles (1,920 acres / 7.8 square kilometres) provides habitat for the Mojave fringe-toed lizard, a highly adapted sand-dwelling species.