The land was set aside with the passage of the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 (Public Law 103–433) by the US Congress.

The mountainous terrain has deep, winding, open and expansive canyons, many of which contain springs with extensive riparian vegetation.

Vegetation varies considerably with a creosote desert scrub community on the bajadas, scattered yuccas, cacti, annuals, cottonwood and oak trees in the canyons and valleys and a juniper-pinyon woodland with sagebrush and digger/gray pine on the upper elevations.

Starting in 1992, an ongoing effort to restore the environment in both the Kiavah and Owens Peak wilderness areas is being conducted by the University of California, Davis, Student Conservation Corps.

By March 1997, 15 miles (24 km) of closed roads had been restored by relieving soil compaction with hand tools or a dozer-drawn ripper, installing waterbars, placing vertical mulch (woody debris and rocks) and scarifying disturbed area surfaces to increase water absorption and seed collection.