Holdout and Mud Spring Mesas dominate the central Wilderness. Thick chaparral vegetation covers the terrain with stands of ponderosa pine and Douglas fir on the north flanks and the crest of Cottonwood Peak. Black bears live here among coatimundi, javelina, and mountain lions. Peregrine falcons soar overhead, hunting for prey. Human use of the area is very light.
Water flows year-round from a few springs.