[2] Northern Paiute people resided in the area until the early 20th-century, including spiritual leader Wovoka, of which the wilderness is named after.

[3] Senators Harry Reid and Dean Heller proposed the protection of the area in exchange for a copper mine in the 2000s or 2010s.

On January 28, 2014, the House Committee on Natural Resources approved the legislation which was added to a larger proposal to be presented to Congress, including combining the Pine Forest and Wovoka Wilderness.

[3] The wilderness is located in Humboldt–Toiyabe National Forest in Lyon County, Nevada and totals 49,018 acres (19,837 ha) of protected land.

[3] The wilderness comprises pinyon-juniper woodland and includes Williams combleaf, Bodie Hills cusickiella, Mono County phacelia, Jeffrey pine and Barneby's serpentweed.

[1][2] The wilderness serves as a migration route from the Great Basin to the Sweetwater Mountains and Sierra Nevada.