Quail Mountain (California)
Encyclopedia
Quail Mountain, at 5813 feet (1,772 m), is the highest mountain in Joshua Tree National Park
and the highest point in the Little San Bernardino Mountains
of the very southern reach of the Mojave Desert
. It is one of the southernmost peaks in the Transverse Ranges
, with the Peninsular Ranges
just across the Colorado Desert
and Coachella Valley
.
The best times to hike the peak are Fall, Winter and Spring. Winter can be very cold and windy, and summer is very hot and not recommended. Fall (October–December) is probably the safest time to visit the peak. Watch for rattlesnakes in the spring. There is no water or shade en route.
(Juniperus californica) and Single-leaf Pinyon
(Pinus monophylla), Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia), and Coastal sage scrub oak
(Quercus dumosa) woodland. Several wildfire
s burned over the mountain, leaving it very barren of taller woody plants, which continues while their slow natural regeneration occurs. There are occasional Pinyon pines and California junipers that survived, and they are the source for new generation.
live in the Little San Bernardino Mountains, and seeing one or a herd is a rewarding experience.
On the mountain a few pieces of aircraft wreckage can still be found. On February 4, 1999, two civilian T-28's (N628B and N128BJ) piloted by Bill Jones and Greg Weber crashed into the side of the mountain killing both of pilots. They were in route to Thermal Airport from Van Nuys Airport as a flight of two and impacted at the 5300 feet (1,615.4 m) level on the west side of the mountain. At the time of the accident the Little San Bernardino Mountains
were obscured by cloud cover.
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park is located in southeastern California. Declared a U.S. National Park in 1994 when the U.S. Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act , it had previously been a U.S. National Monument since 1936. It is named for the Joshua tree forests native to the park...
and the highest point in the Little San Bernardino Mountains
Little San Bernardino Mountains
The Little San Bernardino Mountains are a short mountain range of the Transverse Ranges, located in southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately 40 mi southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains through San Bernardino and Riverside Counties to near the northeast...
of the very southern reach of the Mojave Desert
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...
. It is one of the southernmost peaks in the Transverse Ranges
Transverse Ranges
The Transverse Ranges are a group of mountain ranges of southern California, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region that runs along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Mexico in North America. The Transverse Ranges begin at the southern end of the California Coast Ranges and lie between...
, with the Peninsular Ranges
Peninsular Ranges
The Peninsular Ranges are a group of mountain ranges, in the Pacific Coast Ranges, which stretch from southern California in the United States to the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula; they are part of the North American Coast Ranges that run along the Pacific coast from Alaska...
just across the 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...
and Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley is a large valley landform in Southern California. The valley extends for approximately 45 miles in Riverside County southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains to the saltwater Salton Sea, the largest lake in California...
.
Trails
The mountain can be reached by foot from almost any direction. The regular route utilizes the California Riding and Hiking Trail starting from Keys View road and traverses barren, burned desert 4.5 miles (7.2 km) miles to Juniper Flats. From there it is about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) miles more of cross-country hiking to the flat summit which is marked by a large cairn. There are no trails to the summit, all routes involve cross-country hiking.The best times to hike the peak are Fall, Winter and Spring. Winter can be very cold and windy, and summer is very hot and not recommended. Fall (October–December) is probably the safest time to visit the peak. Watch for rattlesnakes in the spring. There is no water or shade en route.
Flora
Quail Mountain was previously covered with old-growth California juniperJuniperus californica
Juniperus californica is a species of juniper native to southwestern North America; as the name implies, it is mainly found in California, although its range also extends through most of Baja California, a short distance into the Great Basin in southern Nevada, and western Arizona...
(Juniperus californica) and Single-leaf Pinyon
Single-leaf Pinyon
The Single-leaf Pinyon, ', is a pine in the pinyon pine group, native to the United States and northwest Mexico. The range is in southernmost Idaho, western Utah, Arizona, southwest New Mexico, Nevada, eastern and southern California and northern Baja California.It occurs at moderate altitudes from...
(Pinus monophylla), Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia), and Coastal sage scrub oak
Quercus dumosa
Quercus dumosa is a species of plant in the Fagaceae family. This tree goes by the common name Coastal sage scrub oak.-Distribution:Quercus dumosa is found in Mexico and the U.S. state of California. It is threatened by habitat loss...
(Quercus dumosa) woodland. Several wildfire
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
s burned over the mountain, leaving it very barren of taller woody plants, which continues while their slow natural regeneration occurs. There are occasional Pinyon pines and California junipers that survived, and they are the source for new generation.
Fauna
A few Desert Bighorn SheepDesert Bighorn Sheep
The Desert Bighorn Sheep is a subspecies of Bighorn Sheep that occurs in the desert Southwest regions of the United States and in the northern regions of Mexico. The trinomial of this species commemorates the American naturalist Edward William Nelson...
live in the Little San Bernardino Mountains, and seeing one or a herd is a rewarding experience.
Event history
The devastating fire on Quail Mountain in 1999 unfortunately occurred again only 2 years later in 2001, and both burned over the mountain leaving it very barren of higher vegetation.On the mountain a few pieces of aircraft wreckage can still be found. On February 4, 1999, two civilian T-28's (N628B and N128BJ) piloted by Bill Jones and Greg Weber crashed into the side of the mountain killing both of pilots. They were in route to Thermal Airport from Van Nuys Airport as a flight of two and impacted at the 5300 feet (1,615.4 m) level on the west side of the mountain. At the time of the accident the Little San Bernardino Mountains
Little San Bernardino Mountains
The Little San Bernardino Mountains are a short mountain range of the Transverse Ranges, located in southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately 40 mi southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains through San Bernardino and Riverside Counties to near the northeast...
were obscured by cloud cover.
See also
- California montane chaparral and woodlandsCalifornia montane chaparral and woodlandsThe California montane chaparral and woodlands ecoregion covers , including the mountains of the Transverse, Peninsular, and Santa Lucia Ranges of California. It is part of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, with cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers...
- Deserts and xeric shrublandsDeserts and xeric shrublandsDeserts and xeric shrublands is a biome characterized by, relating to, or requiring only a small amount of moisture.-Definition and occurrence:...
- Desert ecologyDesert ecologyIn ecology, desert ecology is the sum of the interactions between both biotic and abiotic processes in arid regions, and it includes the interactions of plant, animal, and bacterial populations in a desert habitat, ecosystem, and community. Some of the abiotic factors also include latitude and...
- Joshua Tree National ParkJoshua Tree National ParkJoshua Tree National Park is located in southeastern California. Declared a U.S. National Park in 1994 when the U.S. Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act , it had previously been a U.S. National Monument since 1936. It is named for the Joshua tree forests native to the park...