Panoche and Tumey Hills Management Areas

• Overview
• How to get there
• Weather (this weather site offers text, standard and Java based scripts to generate weather reports - click on the one which will work for you!)

  Recreational opportunities

  Know before you go

  Maps

Overview - Panoche and Tumey Hills

These steep, grassy hills are home to endangered species such as the San Joaquin kit fox, the giant kangaroo rat, and the blunt-nosed leopard lizard. Hilltops over 2,500 feet high offer scenic vistas of the lush San Joaquin Valley and spectacular Sierra Nevada Mountains. These hills are green and resplendent with wildflowers in the Spring, which is also the best time of year to visit. Yellow mariposa lilies are one of the uncommon, but more showy wildflowers you might see here. Star-gazers are drawn to this area because of the wide-open spaces and un-encumbered views of the night skies. The area houses significant fossil remains, both vertebrate and invertebrate, and hobby collectors may take home specimens of clams, snails and petrified wood.

Within the boundaries of the Panoche Hills are two Wilderness Study Areas (WSA's) and and two Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC's). The main road through the Panoche Hills bisects the two WSA's. The BLM manages the WSA's to maintain their wilderness qualities - vehicle travel off of existing routes is not allowed, and there are restrictions on the amount and extent of various human activities. The ACEC's were established in recognition of the rare species habitat and in recognition of the significant fossil record. If you would like more information about these designations and how they might pertain to you, please contact the Hollister Resource Area Office, at (408) 637-8183, or use the "Feedback" button above to send us e-mail.

How to get there:

a) Panoche Hills: From I-5, take the Mercy Hot Springs exit. Continue west on this road, past the Little Panoche Retention Dam. You will see a BLM sign on your left, indicating the entrance to the Panoche Hills. The gravel access road bisects the Panoche Hills, but has no outlet on the east side. The road is closed four miles up the road during fire season, which is roughly April 15-October 15. From Highway 25, take the J-1 road at Paicines, and head east. Turn left onto "Little Panoche Road", and continue until you see the BLM sign described above. A good landmark is the Mercy Hot Springs Resort, which is almost directly opposite the access point.

b) Tumey Hills: From I-5, take the Panoche Road exit. The first Tumey Hills access point is located roughly 3 miles from the Highway. Be aware that within 2 miles of I-5, Panoche Road turns to dirt. The second access point is about 5 miles beyond the first. The Tumey Hills are closed to vehicle access with the onset of fire season, as described above. If you are coming from the Hollister/King City direction, take Highway 25 to the town of Paicines and head east on J-1, which is the other end of Panoche Road. A 14-mile stretch of this road is unpaved, beginning soon after the intersection with Little Panoche Road.

Recreation opportunities:

Opportunities abound for hiking, nature study, hunting, star-gazing and rockhounding. Camping is permitted throughout the area, as long as you park within 15 feet of the roadway. There is no running or potable water in the area. Pack out your garbage, and leave a clean campsite. The best time of year to visit is the Spring, after the winter rains and before the harsh dry summer. There is additional information about the Panoche and Tumey Hills, both in terms of recreation and natural resources, provided in our Programs page, and our Recreation page. Please do not hesitate to call the Hollister Resource Area Office at (831) 630-5000, or send us e-mail. We'll be happy to help answer your questions.

Know before you go:

Because of the presence of rare animals and fossils, and because of the special designations in effect for these areas, the BLM implements the following restrictions:

1. To ensure that the underground burrows of animal species are not crushed, and to protect WSA values, the BLM requires that vehicles remain on existing routes. This means that no cross-country vehicle travel is allowed.
2. Vehicles must park within 15 feet of any existing roadway.
3. There is no litter or garbage collection. Pack out what you pack in, including any target-shooting related material. Plastics, glass and metal scraps not only take a long time to degrade, but some animals try to ingest some of these materials, and may get cut or entangled. Foodstuffs should also be removed, as most human food is not good for wild animals.
4. For safety reasons, there is no shooting allowed upon roadways, and because private land adjoins public land along the Panoche Access Road, no shooting is allowed for the first three miles of the road.
5. No motorcycles or ATV's are allowed in the Panoche and Tumey Hills.
6. The Panoche and Tumey Hills are closed to vehicle use with the onset of fire season, roughly April 15-October 15.
7. Hunters must comply with all State fish and wildlife regulations, and there is no camping allowed within 200 yards of any developed wildlife water source. There is no target shooting inside the State of California Ecological Preserve, which is located inside the Panoche Hills.

For more information about rules and safety, click here.

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Last Modified July 21, 1999