Black Rock Desert–High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails | |
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Location | Black Rock Desert-Great Basin, Nevada, United States |
Coordinates | 40°54′38.64″N119°3′21.64″W / 40.9107333°N 119.0560111°W |
Area | 1,245.46 sq mi (3,225.7 km2) |
Established | 2000 |
Operator | Bureau of Land Management |
Website | BLM: Black Rock–High Rock NCA |
The Black Rock Desert–High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area is the federal land in northwestern Nevada, under the Bureau of Land Management-BLM management and protection, and the ten Wilderness Areas within it. [1]
The long name has led people to often shorten it to the Black Rock–High Rock NCA, when not needing the official name. The protected areas were created by the Black Rock Desert–High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area Act of 2000. [2]
The Black Rock–High Rock Conservation Area allows recreational uses, and motorized vehicle travel on trails and playas only, while managing the area to preserve the natural habitats, historic emigrant trails, and the natural landmarks of the Black Rock Desert and High Rock Canyon. Many activities, such as with a large group of people, require a BLM permit. Motorized vehicle travel is not permitted in the Wilderness Areas, to protect the animals and plant communities within them. Walking and hiking are encouraged. [1]
The BLM office has online and printed maps and information, with the boundaries and features of the Black Rock–High Rock NCA and of the locations of the ten designated National Wilderness Preservation Areas located within the NCA. There are the BLM Winnemucca office in Winnemucca, Nevada and the BLM Surprise Valley office in Cedarville, California. [3] [4] Information is also available from The Friends of Black Rock High Rock, a 501(c)(3) organization, which helps manage the resources of the Black Rock Desert and High Rock regions, educates the public to foster stewardship and preserve its unique character, and sponsors events to enjoy it. [5]
The National Wilderness Preservation Areas in the Black Rock Desert – High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area include:
The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in Clark County, Nevada, United States, is an area managed by the Bureau of Land Management as part of its National Landscape Conservation System, and protected as a National Conservation Area. It is about 15 miles (24 km) west of Las Vegas, and is easily seen from the Las Vegas Strip. More than three million people visit the area each year.
The Black Rock Desert is a semi-arid region of lava beds and playa, or alkali flats, situated in the Black Rock Desert–High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area, a silt playa 100 miles (160 km) north of Reno, Nevada that encompasses more than 300,000 acres (120,000 ha) of land and contains more than 120 miles (200 km) of historic trails. It is in the northern Nevada section of the Great Basin with a lakebed that is a dry remnant of Pleistocene Lake Lahontan.
Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area is a National Conservation Area (NCA) administered by the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM). It includes the Sloan Petroglyph Site which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 19, 1978. It is located south of Las Vegas, Nevada, access is available from Las Vegas Boulevard, near the Del Webb Anthem development in Henderson. Sloan Canyon NCA protects 48,438 acres (19,602 ha).
The High Rock Lake Wilderness is a wilderness area in Nevada containing the northern portion of the Calico Hills. High Rock Lake, for which the wilderness was named, was created about 11,800 years ago after a large rockslide closed the outlet to High Rock and Little High Rock Canyons. This new outlet cut a narrow canyon that empties at Soldier Meadows. One special geological feature in Fly Canyon is the potholes. The potholes were carved by whirlpool action of sand and gravel in the stream. Another unique feature is the Fly Slide where emigrants lowered their wagons with ropes into Fly Canyon portion of the Applegate-Lassen Trail. Elevations in the wilderness range from 4,000 to 7,660 ft with scattered vegetation of saltbrush and sagebrush.
Calico Mountains Wilderness is a U S Wilderness Area in Nevada under the Bureau of Land Management. It is located in the Calico Hills.
The Black Rock Desert Wilderness is a U S Wilderness Area in Nevada under the Bureau of Land Management. It is located in the east arm of the Black Rock Desert playa east of the Black Rock Range and west of the Jackson Mountains. The wilderness has a land area of 314,829 acres, or 1,274.1 km². It is the largest U.S. designated wilderness area that is managed solely by the Bureau of Land Management, and the largest that is not located within a National Forest, National Park, or National Wildlife Refuge. It is located within the Black Rock Desert – High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area, also managed by the BLM.
The East Fork High Rock Canyon Wilderness is a U S Wilderness Area in Nevada under the Bureau of Land Management. It is located on the northeast side of High Rock Canyon but does not include the 4x4 trail inside High Rock Canyon nor a 4x4 trail to the Yellow Hills.
The High Rock Canyon Wilderness is a U S Wilderness Area in Nevada under the Bureau of Land Management. It is located on the southwest side of High Rock Canyon and north of the Little High Rock Canyon Wilderness. It does not include the 4x4 trail in High Rock Canyon.
The Little High Rock Canyon Wilderness is a US Wilderness Area in Nevada under the Bureau of Land Management. It is located south of the High Rock Canyon Wilderness and west of the High Rock Lake Wilderness.
The North Black Rock Range Wilderness is a U S Wilderness Area in Nevada under the Bureau of Land Management. It is located northeast of Soldier Meadows and south of the Summit Lake Indian Reservation.
The North Jackson Mountains Wilderness is a U S Wilderness Area in Nevada under the Bureau of Land Management. It is located in the Jackson Mountains north of the South Jackson Mountains Wilderness and east of the Black Rock Desert Wilderness.
The Pahute Peak Wilderness is a U S Wilderness Area in Nevada under the Bureau of Land Management. It is located in the central Black Rock Range west of the Black Rock Desert Wilderness.
The South Jackson Mountains Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area in Nevada under the Bureau of Land Management. It is located in the Jackson Mountains, south of the North Jackson Mountains Wilderness and east of the Black Rock Desert Wilderness.
The Kiavah Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area located in the Mojave Desert, Scodie Mountains, and southern Sierra Nevada in Kern County, California, United States. California State Route 178 connects the town of Lake Isabella to State Highway 14 in the east, crossing Walker Pass at the north boundary of the wilderness.
The Sacatar Trail Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area located 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Ridgecrest, California USA. It was created in 1994 with the passage of the California Desert Protection Act - Public Law 103-433 - and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The wilderness is 51,900 acres (210 km2) in size and protects portions of the southern Sierra Nevada Mountain Range.
The Piper Mountain Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area located in the White Mountains 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Big Pine, California in Inyo County, California.
The Sylvania Mountains Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area located 30 miles (48 km) east of Bishop in the state of California. The wilderness is 18,677acres in size and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The California Desert Protection Act of 1994 created the Sylvania Mountains Wilderness and was added to the National Wilderness Preservation System. The wilderness is bordered by Nevada stateline on the east, Piper Mountain Wilderness on the west and Death Valley National Park to the south.
The Owyhee River Wilderness is located on the high basalt plateaus of Owyhee County in southwestern Idaho in the western United States. The wilderness area is named after and protects the upper Owyhee River, its tributaries, and the surrounding desert canyon landscape. Whitewater rafting is a popular recreational activity in this wilderness area. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, it is the second-largest U.S. Wilderness Area that is not located within a National Forest, National Park, or National Wildlife Refuge. The BLM's Black Rock Desert Wilderness, located within Black Rock Desert – High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area, is larger. About 67.3 miles (108.3 km) of the Owyhee River is classified as a wild river.
The Whipple Mountains Wilderness is a 76,122-acre (30,805 ha) wilderness administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Most of the Whipple Mountains are within the wilderness area. It is located in the northeastern Colorado Desert near the Colorado River. Lake Havasu and Lake Havasu City are 25 miles (40 km) to the North. Earp, California and Parker, Arizona are 20 miles (32 km) to the South. The Parker Dam is 8 miles (13 km) due east.
The Red Cliffs National Conservation Area is a 44,724-acre (180.99 km2) National Conservation Area located in southwest Utah, north of St. George at the northeasternmost edge of the Mojave Desert. It is managed by the Bureau of Land Management as part of the National Landscape Conservation System, and was created as part of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009.