An area southwest of Minaret Summit was not included in the Wilderness Act of 1964 in order to leave a corridor for this potential highway.

While Governor of California, Ronald Reagan made a horse packing trip into the area.

[3] The Sierra Nevada escarpment is now a continuous Wilderness from Ball Mountain (near Inyokern) to Tioga Pass, a distance of about 150 miles (240 km).

The Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River runs through the valley between the Summit and the Minarets.

[4] The road usually closes near the Main Lodge of Mammoth Mountain Ski Area before Thanksgiving and usually doesn't open much before Memorial Day.