wilderness area

noun, often capitalized W&A

|Updated on: 6 Jun 2018

Definition of wilderness area

: an often large tract of public land maintained essentially in its natural state and protected against introduction of intrusive artifacts (such as roads and buildings)

See wilderness area defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of wilderness area from the Web

Much backlash revolves around Fiordland, a wilderness area near Queenstown.

— rachel pannett, WSJ, "Anger Over Tourists Swarming Vacation Hot Spots Sparks Global Backlash," 22 May 2018
In 1993, Vilane was hired to work in Swaziland’s mountainous Malolotja Nature Reserve, a 44,500-acre wilderness area filled with leopard, zebra, and wildebeest.

— jessica flint, Outside Online, "Meet the First Black Man to Summit Everest," 7 May 2018
The center is next to the Whiting Ranch Red Rock wilderness area, a popular hiking spot.

— ben brazil, latimes.com, "O.C. supervisors OK event center near Modjeska Canyon despite opposition from residents," 12 Apr. 2018
These clean-ups prevent debris from making its way into the wilderness area or from entering the food chain.

— nancy lord, Anchorage Daily News, "In ‘A Wild Promise,’ a wilderness area in limbo and a book with a mission," 19 May 2018
The unofficial site is about 4 miles west of the wilderness area's eastern boundary on County Highway D. Jones Spring Trail Area Three lakes dot this 2,000-acre trail area in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest near Townsend.

— chelsey lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "10 remote campsites in Wisconsin for peace and quiet," 14 May 2018
While there’s no shortage of camping spots in the Mountain State, Johnson is a fan of this site near the Cranberry and Dolly Sods wilderness areas.

— larry bleiberg, USA TODAY, "10 great hidden-gem parks and campgrounds," 9 Mar. 2018
Like national parks and wilderness areas, national monuments have become regional economic engines for related eco-tourism and outdoor recreation businesses.

— joyce strand, Ramona Sentinel, "Indivisible Ramona forum addresses environment, degulation," 15 Apr. 2018
And after a day of maneuvering – including a bizarre dispute involving a senator upset about the renaming of a wilderness area after a deceased political rival – the Senate followed suit early Friday morning, passing the legislation 65 to 32.

— author: mike debonis, erica werner, Anchorage Daily News, "Congress passes budget with little time to spare," 23 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wilderness area.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.