Palen Mountains
Encyclopedia
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
.
The mountains lie in a southwest-northeasterly direction, and are approximately 15 miles long and nine miles wide at their widest point.
designated and managed Edmund C. Jaeger Nature Sanctuary - Desert Lily Preserve to the west of the range in the southern Palen Valley. It preserves the beautiful Desert Lily (Hesperocallis undulata), many other native desert plants, and an important undeveloped "land bridge" wildlife corridor
.
.
Within the Palen-McCoy Wilderness are the Palen , Granite, Arica
, Little Maria
, and McCoy 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.
Mojave Desert
The Mojave 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...
- northern Colorado Desert
Colorado Desert
California's Colorado Desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert, which extends across southwest North America. The Colorado Desert region encompasses approximately , reaching from the Mexican border in the south to the higher-elevation Mojave Desert in the north and from the Colorado River in...
in eastern Riverside County, California
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...
, USA. The range lies southeast of the Coxcomb Mountains
Coxcomb Mountains
The Coxcomb Mountains are located in Riverside County, California, where the higher Mojave Desert and lower elevation Colorado Desert region of the Sonoran Desert ecosystems and habitats meet...
, and northeast of the Chuckwalla Mountains
Chuckwalla Mountains
The Chuckwalla Mountains are a mountain range in the transition zone between the Colorado Desert—Sonoran Desert and the Mojave Desert, climatically and vegetationally, in Riverside County of southern California.-Geography:...
near 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,...
.
The mountains lie in a southwest-northeasterly direction, and are approximately 15 miles long and nine miles wide at their widest point.
Desert Lily Preserve
Palen Pass, at 1,472 feet above sea level, lies at the northern end of the chain, with Palen Dry Lake and 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...
designated and managed Edmund C. Jaeger Nature Sanctuary - Desert Lily Preserve to the west of the range in the southern Palen Valley. It preserves the beautiful Desert Lily (Hesperocallis undulata), many other native desert plants, and an important undeveloped "land bridge" wildlife corridor
Wildlife corridor
A wildlife corridor or green corridor is an area of habitat connecting wildlife populations separated by human activities . This allows an exchange of individuals between populations, which may help prevent the negative effects of inbreeding and reduced genetic diversity that often occur within...
.
Palen/McCoy Wilderness Area
The Palen 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 Palen , Granite, Arica
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...
, 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 McCoy Mountains
McCoy Mountains
The McCoy Mountains are located in southeastern California in the United States.-Geography:The range lies in a northwest-southeasterly direction east of the Palen Mountains and south of the Little Maria Mountains...
, 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
External links
- Jaeger Nature Sanctuary - Desert Lily Preserve website: flora & fauna info & photos.