McCoy Mountains
Encyclopedia
The McCoy Mountains are located in southeastern California
in the United States
.
and south of the Little Maria Mountains
. The mountain range is approximately 18 miles long and is located just north of Interstate 10
, and about seven miles northeast of Chuckawalla Valley State Prison
.
The mountains reach an elevation of 2,054 feet above sea level at McCoy Peak, at the southern end of the range. Downtown Blythe, California
is about 10 miles to the east.
.
Within the Palen-McCoy Wilderness are the Granite, McCoy, Palen
, Little Maria
, and Arica Mountains
, which are five distinct mountain ranges separated by broad sloping Alluvial fan
s-baJadas. Because this large area incorporates so many major geological features, the diversity of vegetation and landform
s is exceptional. The desert wash woodland found here provides food and cover for burro deer
, coyote, bobcat
, gray fox, and mountain lion. Desert pavement
, bajadas, interior valleys, canyons, dense ironwood forests, canyons and rugged peaks form a constantly changing landscape pattern.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Geography
The range lies in a northwest-southeasterly direction east of the Palen MountainsPalen Mountains
The Palen Mountains are located in the southern Mojave Desert - northern Colorado Desert in eastern Riverside County, California, USA. The range lies southeast of the Coxcomb Mountains, and northeast of the Chuckwalla Mountains near Interstate 10....
and south of the Little Maria Mountains
Little Maria Mountains
The Little Maria Mountains are located in southeastern California in the United States. The range lies in a northwest-southeasterly direction east of the Palen Mountains and west of the Big Maria Mountains...
. The mountain range is approximately 18 miles long and is located just north of Interstate 10
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...
, and about seven miles northeast of Chuckawalla Valley State Prison
Chuckawalla Valley State Prison
Chuckawalla Valley State Prison is located south of Interstate 10, west of Blythe in unincorporated Riverside County, California. The prison opened in December 1988 and covers . Although the prison was designed to hold 1,738 inmates, in 2008-2009 it had 3,545 prisoners, with a staff of 873...
.
The mountains reach an elevation of 2,054 feet above sea level at McCoy Peak, at the southern end of the range. Downtown Blythe, California
Blythe, California
Blythe is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the "Palo Verde Valley" of the Lower Colorado River Valley region, an agricultural area and part of the Colorado Desert along the Colorado River. Blythe was named after Thomas Blythe, a gold prospector who established primary...
is about 10 miles to the east.
Palen/McCoy Wilderness Area
The McCoy Mountains are in the Palen/McCoy Wilderness Area, managed by the Bureau of Land ManagementBureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
.
Within the Palen-McCoy Wilderness are the Granite, McCoy, Palen
Palen Mountains
The Palen Mountains are located in the southern Mojave Desert - northern Colorado Desert in eastern Riverside County, California, USA. The range lies southeast of the Coxcomb Mountains, and northeast of the Chuckwalla Mountains near Interstate 10....
, Little Maria
Little Maria Mountains
The Little Maria Mountains are located in southeastern California in the United States. The range lies in a northwest-southeasterly direction east of the Palen Mountains and west of the Big Maria Mountains...
, and Arica Mountains
Arica Mountains
The Arica Mountains are a mountain range in Riverside County, California. They are in the Colorado Desert, in the Lower Colorado River Valley region...
, which are five distinct mountain ranges separated by broad sloping Alluvial fan
Alluvial fan
An alluvial fan is a fan-shaped deposit formed where a fast flowing stream flattens, slows, and spreads typically at the exit of a canyon onto a flatter plain. A convergence of neighboring alluvial fans into a single apron of deposits against a slope is called a bajada, or compound alluvial...
s-baJadas. Because this large area incorporates so many major geological features, the diversity of vegetation and landform
Landform
A landform or physical feature in the earth sciences and geology sub-fields, comprises a geomorphological unit, and is largely defined by its surface form and location in the landscape, as part of the terrain, and as such, is typically an element of topography...
s is exceptional. The desert wash woodland found here provides food and cover for burro deer
Mule Deer
The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer...
, coyote, bobcat
Bobcat
The bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...
, gray fox, and mountain lion. Desert pavement
Desert pavement
A desert pavement is a desert surface that is covered with closely packed, interlocking angular or rounded rock fragments of pebble and cobble size.-Formation:Several theories have been proposed for their formation...
, bajadas, interior valleys, canyons, dense ironwood forests, canyons and rugged peaks form a constantly changing landscape pattern.
See also
- Category: Flora of the California desert regions
- Category: Protected areas of the Colorado Desert
- Category:Wilderness Areas within the Lower Colorado River Valley
- Category: Bureau of Land Management areas in California