The
Mojave National Preserve is located in the
Mojave DesertThe Mojave Desert , , locally referred to as the High Desert, occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
in
Southern CaliforniaSouthern California, or SoCal, is defined as the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its population centers around three major metropolitan areas, each of which have over 3 million people; the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area with over 12 million inhabitants, the San Bernardino-Riverside...
, USA. It lies between
Interstate 15In the U.S. state of California, Interstate 15 is a major north-south route through the San Bernardino, Riverside, and San Diego Counties, and it has a length of in the state. It is a major thoroughfare for traffic between Southern California, Las Vegas, Nevada, and points beyond. The Cronese...
and
Interstate 40Interstate 40 is a major west-east Interstate Highway in the United States. Its western terminus is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern terminus is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina. Much of the western portion of I-40,...
. The preserve was established October 31, 1994 with the passage of the California Desert Protection Act by the US Congress. Previously, it was the East Mojave National Scenic Area, under the jurisdiction of the
Bureau of Land ManagementThe Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately 264 million acres or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. Most public lands are located in western states...
.
Natural features include the
Kelso DunesKelso Dunes, also known as the Kelso Dune Field, is the largest field of eolian sand deposits in the Mojave Desert. The region is protected by the Mojave National Preserve and is located near the town of Baker, San Bernardino County, California...
, the
Marl MountainsThe Marl Mountains are located in the Mojave National Preserve in eastern California in the United States, northeast of the Kelso Mountains. The Marl Mountains lie just east of Kelbaker Road, which connects the town of Baker with the small community of Kelso, California.Like the Beale Mountains to...
and the
Cima DomeCima Dome is a broad sloping upland in the Mojave Desert of California. The dome is the erosional remnant of granite plutons that formed deep under the earth's surface 180 - 80 million years ago when the Farallon Plate was being subducted beneath the North American Plate.The Cima Volcanic Field...
, as well as
volcanic3. Conduit
4. Base
5. Sill
6. Dike
7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano
8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano
10. Throat
11. Parasitic cone
12. Lava flow
13. Vent
14. Crater
15...
formations such as Hole-in-the-Wall and the Cinder Cone Lava Beds.
The
Mojave National Preserve is located in the
Mojave DesertThe Mojave Desert , , locally referred to as the High Desert, occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
in
Southern CaliforniaSouthern California, or SoCal, is defined as the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its population centers around three major metropolitan areas, each of which have over 3 million people; the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area with over 12 million inhabitants, the San Bernardino-Riverside...
, USA. It lies between
Interstate 15In the U.S. state of California, Interstate 15 is a major north-south route through the San Bernardino, Riverside, and San Diego Counties, and it has a length of in the state. It is a major thoroughfare for traffic between Southern California, Las Vegas, Nevada, and points beyond. The Cronese...
and
Interstate 40Interstate 40 is a major west-east Interstate Highway in the United States. Its western terminus is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern terminus is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina. Much of the western portion of I-40,...
. The preserve was established October 31, 1994 with the passage of the California Desert Protection Act by the US Congress. Previously, it was the East Mojave National Scenic Area, under the jurisdiction of the
Bureau of Land ManagementThe Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately 264 million acres or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. Most public lands are located in western states...
.
Natural features include the
Kelso DunesKelso Dunes, also known as the Kelso Dune Field, is the largest field of eolian sand deposits in the Mojave Desert. The region is protected by the Mojave National Preserve and is located near the town of Baker, San Bernardino County, California...
, the
Marl MountainsThe Marl Mountains are located in the Mojave National Preserve in eastern California in the United States, northeast of the Kelso Mountains. The Marl Mountains lie just east of Kelbaker Road, which connects the town of Baker with the small community of Kelso, California.Like the Beale Mountains to...
and the
Cima DomeCima Dome is a broad sloping upland in the Mojave Desert of California. The dome is the erosional remnant of granite plutons that formed deep under the earth's surface 180 - 80 million years ago when the Farallon Plate was being subducted beneath the North American Plate.The Cima Volcanic Field...
, as well as
volcanic3. Conduit
4. Base
5. Sill
6. Dike
7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano
8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano
10. Throat
11. Parasitic cone
12. Lava flow
13. Vent
14. Crater
15...
formations such as Hole-in-the-Wall and the Cinder Cone Lava Beds. The preserve encloses
Providence Mountains State Recreation AreaThe Providence Mountain Recreation Area is located inside the Mojave National Preserve at the north-western end of Essex Road. It is also home to Mitchell Caverns...
and
Mitchell Caverns Natural PreserveMitchell's Caverns are a trio of limestone caves, located at an elevation of 4300 ft , in the Providence Mountains State Recreation Area in Southern California. The "Tecopa" and "El Pakiva" caves are connected by a man-made tunnel and are open to guided tours led by California State Park rangers...
, which are both managed by the
California Department of Parks and RecreationThe California Department of Parks and Recreation, also known as California State Parks, manages the California state parks system. The system administers 278 parks and 1.4 million acres , with over of coastline; of lake and river frontage; nearly 15,000 campsites; and of hiking, biking, and...
.
Impressive Joshua Tree forests cover parts of the preserve. The Cima Dome and Shadow Valley forests are the largest in the world. The defunct railroad depot and
ghost townA ghost town is a town or city that has been completely abandoned by human inhabitants, usually because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as flood, government action, uncontrolled lawlessness or war...
of
KelsoKelso is a ghost town and defunct railroad depot in the Mojave National Preserve in San Bernardino County, California, USA. It was named after a railroad worker who won a contest to have the town named after him...
is also found there. The preserve is commonly traversed by 4 wheel drive vehicles traveling on the historic
Mojave RoadThe Mojave Road is a historic off-road route across what is now the Mojave National Preserve. The road served westward travelers in the 1800s by leading them between watering holes across the Mojave Desert and was protected by a series of army posts...
.
The climate varies greatly. Summer temperatures average , with highs exceeding . Elevations in the Preserve range from at
Clark MountainClark Mountain is a mountain located in the Clark Mountain Range in the Mojave National Preserve, close to the California-Nevada border.The mountain rises abruptly north of Mountain Pass and Interstate 15 to an elevation of , which is the highest point of the Mojave National Preserve and the Mojave...
to near Baker. Annual precipitation varies from near Baker, to almost in the mountains. At least 25% of precipitation comes from summer thunderstorms. Snow is often found in the mountains during the winter.
Mojave Wilderness
The California Desert Protection Act (CDPA) of 1994 designated a wilderness area within Mojave National Preserve of approximately . The National Park Service manages the wilderness in accordance with the
Wilderness ActThe Wilderness Act of 1964 was written by Howard Zahniser of The Wilderness Society. It created the legal definition of wilderness in the United States, and protected some 9 million acres of federal land. The result of a long effort to protect federal wilderness, the Wilderness Act was signed...
, the CDPA, and other laws that protect cultural and historic sites in the wilderness.
Cross
On May 14, 2008, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied a Justice Department petition to rehear
en bancEn banc, in banc, in banco or in bank is a French term used to refer to the hearing of a legal case where all judges of a court will hear the case , rather than a panel of them. It is often used for unusually complex cases or cases considered of unusual significance...
its September 2007 decision striking down a congressionally mandated land exchange to save an metal cross that is bolted onto rocks on a rise in the Preserve. The court found the land exchange to be a transparent "attempt by the government to evade the permanent injunction enjoining the display of the Latin cross" on federal land.
Locations within the Preserve
- Cima, California
Cima is a small unincorporated community in the Mojave Desert of California, in the United States. Few people live in the area. Cima is located in the Ivanpah Valley, south of the Ivanpah Mountains and Interstate 15, and lies at an elevation of . Cima was founded circa 1906, and served as a...
- Cima Dome & Volcanic Field National Natural Landmark
Cima Dome is a broad sloping upland in the Mojave Desert of California. The dome is the erosional remnant of granite plutons that formed deep under the earth's surface 180 - 80 million years ago when the Farallon Plate was being subducted beneath the North American Plate.The Cima Volcanic Field...
- Clark Mountain
Clark Mountain is a mountain located in the Clark Mountain Range in the Mojave National Preserve, close to the California-Nevada border.The mountain rises abruptly north of Mountain Pass and Interstate 15 to an elevation of , which is the highest point of the Mojave National Preserve and the Mojave...
- Devils Playground
The Devils Playground is a large sandy region in the Mojave Desert in the state of California in the United States. Dunes and salt flats stretch for approximately 40 miles in a generally northwest-southeasterly direction in the Mojave National Preserve. The Cronese Mountains are located at its...
- Granite Mountains
The Granite Mountains is a small mountain range in San Bernardino County, California, USA, located at the edge of the Mojave Desert. The range stretches from Granite Pass to Budweiser Wash ....
- Kelso, California
Kelso is a ghost town and defunct railroad depot in the Mojave National Preserve in San Bernardino County, California, USA. It was named after a railroad worker who won a contest to have the town named after him...
- Kelso Depot, Restaurant and Employees Hotel
The Kelso Depot, Restaurant and Employees Hotel was built in the Mojave Desert by the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad to provide services to railroad employees. It is an example of a surviving mid-1920s era Mission Revival style railroad depot with a hotel-restaurant facility and designed...
- Kelso Dunes
Kelso Dunes, also known as the Kelso Dune Field, is the largest field of eolian sand deposits in the Mojave Desert. The region is protected by the Mojave National Preserve and is located near the town of Baker, San Bernardino County, California...
- Kelso Mountains
The Kelso Mountains are located just north of the small community of Kelso and the Kelso Dunes, in the Mojave National Preserve in southeastern California. The town of Baker, near Interstate 15, lies approximately 18 miles to the northwest of the mountain range. Kelso Peak, at 4,764 feet , is the...
- Marl Mountains
The Marl Mountains are located in the Mojave National Preserve in eastern California in the United States, northeast of the Kelso Mountains. The Marl Mountains lie just east of Kelbaker Road, which connects the town of Baker with the small community of Kelso, California.Like the Beale Mountains to...
- Mid Hills
The Mid Hills are a mountain range in San Bernardino County, California....
- Mojave phone booth
The Mojave phone booth was a lone telephone booth in what is now the Mojave National Preserve in California, which attracted online attention in 1997 due to its unusual location. Placed in the 1960s, the booth was fifteen miles from the nearest Interstate Highway, and miles from any buildings...
- Mojave Road
The Mojave Road is a historic off-road route across what is now the Mojave National Preserve. The road served westward travelers in the 1800s by leading them between watering holes across the Mojave Desert and was protected by a series of army posts...
- New York Mountains
The New York Mountains are found in eastern San Bernardino County in California, USA. The range lies just south of the small community of Ivanpah, and north of the Lanfair Valley. The mountains are part of the Mojave National Preserve...
- Providence Mountains
The Providence Mountains are found in the Mojave Desert of southern California, USA. They lie southeast of the small community of Kelso, and northwest of Essex...
Sources and external links