Mojave Trails National Monument

Last updated
Mojave Trails National Monument
Mojave Trails National Monument dunes.jpg
Cadiz Dunes, Mojave Trails NM
Relief map of California.png
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Location San Bernardino County, California, U.S.
Coordinates 34°36′N116°00′W / 34.6°N 116°W / 34.6; -116
Area1,600,000 acres (650,000 ha)
AuthorizedFebruary 12, 2016 (2016-Feb-12)
Governing body Bureau of Land Management
Website Mojave Trails National Monument

Mojave Trails National Monument is a large U.S. National Monument located in the state of California between Interstates 15 and 40. [1] It partially surrounds the Mojave National Preserve. It was designated by President Barack Obama on February 12, 2016, along with Castle Mountains National Monument and Sand to Snow National Monument, also in southern California. [2] It is under the administration of the Bureau of Land Management.

Contents

Mojave Trails National Monument and other federally protected areas in the Mojave desert New national monuments Mojave 2016.jpg
Mojave Trails National Monument and other federally protected areas in the Mojave desert

Features

Mojave Trails National Monument is the largest national monument in the contiguous United States and is almost entirely undeveloped. Like the adjacent Mojave National Preserve, Mojave Trails National Monument contains numerous desert mountain ranges, volcanic features, and sand dunes. Four wilderness areas are within the monument: Trilobite, Clipper Mountain, Piute Mountains and Bigelow Cholla Garden. [3]

The most visited area in Mojave Trails National Monument is Amboy Crater, a dormant cinder cone volcano, which was a popular sight for travelers in the heyday of U.S. Route 66 from the 1920s to the 1960s. [3]

Another area with developed recreation facilities is Afton Canyon, one of only two places where the 140-mile long Mojave River continuously flows above the ground. Afton Canyon has steep rock walls that earned it the nickname “Grand Canyon of the Mojave”. [3]

One of the most remote areas in the monument consists of the nearly pristine Cadiz Dunes, which are orange-pink in color and almost entirely unvegetated. This dune field formed from the sand of dry lake beds. [4] [3] Bonanza Spring, an important water resource, and Bonanza Springs Wildlife Area is also located in the National Monument. [3]

Cultural resources in Mojave Trails National Monument include 105 miles of historic U.S. Route 66, between Needles and Ludlow, California, the longest remaining undeveloped stretch of Route 66, as well as some of the best preserved sites from the World War II-era Desert Training Center. [3]

The BLM's potential restriction on rock collecting is opposed by rockhounds. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mojave River</span> River in California, United States

The Mojave River is an intermittent river in the eastern San Bernardino Mountains and the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Most of its flow is underground, while its surface channels remain dry most of the time, except for the headwaters and several bedrock gorges in the lower reaches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amboy Crater</span> Dormant cinder cone volcano in the Mojave Desert, California, United States

Amboy Crater is a dormant cinder cone volcano that rises above a 70-square-kilometer (27 sq mi) lava field in the eastern Mojave Desert of southern California, within Mojave Trails National Monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuckwalla Mountains</span> Mountain range in California, United States

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.

The Clipper Mountains are located in the eastern Mojave Desert and protected within Mojave Trails National Monument, in San Bernardino County, California.

The Piute Mountains are a mountain range located in the Eastern Mojave Desert and within Mojave Trails National Monument, in San Bernardino County, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument</span> Protected area in California

The Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument is a National Monument in southern California. It includes portions of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto mountain ranges, the northernmost ones of the Peninsular Ranges system. The national monument covers portions of Riverside County, west of the Coachella Valley, approximately 100 miles (160 km) southeast of downtown Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Morongo Canyon Preserve</span>

The Big Morongo Canyon Preserve is a 31,000-acres (130 km2) native plants habitat and wildlife preserve located in the Little San Bernardino Mountains of the Transverse Ranges, in the transition zone between the higher Mojave Desert and lower elevation Colorado Desert section of the Sonoran Desert. Due to its location within this transition zone, the area is especially high in natural diversity. The natural spring fed desert oasis found here is one of the 10 largest Cottonwood and Willow riparian habitats in California. It is also identified by the Audubon Society as one of the most important avian habitat areas in California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mojave Road</span> Historical trails and roads

The Mojave Road, also known as Old Government Road, is a historic route and present day dirt road across what is now the Mojave National Preserve in the Mojave Desert in the United States. This rough road stretched 147 miles (237 km) from Beale's Crossing, to Fork of the Road location along the north bank of the Mojave River where the old Mojave Road split off from the route of the Old Spanish Trail/Mormon Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiavah Wilderness</span> Protected wilderness area in California, United States

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.

Rasor Off-Highway Vehicle Area is a remote public use area for the off-highway vehicle user located in the Mojave Desert about 50 miles (80 km) east of Barstow, California, administered by the Bureau of Land Management.

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 California Desert Protection Act of 2010 was legislation proposed by U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein. The stated aim of the legislation was "to provide for conservation, enhanced recreation opportunities, and development of renewable energy in the California Desert Conservation Area."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clipper Mountain Wilderness</span> Wilderness area in California, United States

The Clipper Mountain Wilderness is a wilderness area in the Clipper Mountains of the eastern Mojave Desert and within Mojave Trails National Monument, located in northeastern San Bernardino County, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management.

The Wildlands Conservancy (TWC) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve land for public recreation. It operates 23 preserves in California and Oregon. The preserve system comprises 210,686 acres including mountains, valleys, deserts, rivers and oceanfront lands. TWC buys land, restores land, builds public visitor facilities and provides outdoor education programs for children. All usage is free of charge. There are over 1 million visitors annually.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Mountains National Monument</span> Protected area in Mojave Desert, California

Castle Mountains National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located in the eastern Mojave Desert and northeastern San Bernardino County, in the state of California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sand to Snow National Monument</span> National monument in California, United States

Sand to Snow National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located in San Bernardino County and northern Riverside County, Southern California.

Cadiz Dunes Wilderness is a protected wilderness area in the Mojave Trails National Monument in San Bernardino County, California. Established in 1994 by the U.S. Congress, the area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. This wilderness area is north of Joshua Tree National Park, Sheephole Valley Wilderness lies to the west, Old Woman Mountains Wilderness to the east. The dunes of Cadiz Dunes were formed by blowing sands from the Cadiz dry lake, all located in the Cadiz Valley between the Calumet Mountains and the Old Woman Mountains. The ecology is typical of the Mojave Desert with wildlife that includes coyote, black-tailed jackrabbits, ground squirrels, kangaroo rats, quail, roadrunners, and rattlesnakes. The area is known for a brilliant display of springtime desert wildflowers including the Borrego milkvetch.

Whitewater Preserve is a Wildlands Conservancy nature preserve consisting of 2,851 acres (11.54 km2) of land in Riverside County, California. It features the perennial Whitewater River flowing through a desert canyon. The preserve is located within the San Bernardino Mountains and is part of the Sand to Snow National Monument.

References

  1. Sahagun, Louis (February 11, 2016). "Obama creates 3 new national monuments to protect 1.8 million acres of California desert". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2016-02-12.
  2. Eilperin, Juliet. "The Washington Post". No. February 12, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Mojave Trails National Monument". U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  4. A Monumental Addition in California
  5. Sahagun, Louis (2023-07-16). "Rockhounds fight for access to their jewel in the desert: Mojave Trails National Monument". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-07-16.