Beaver Dam Wash
Encyclopedia
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
-Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
border. At its southern end in northern Arizona, near the point where it empties into the Virgin River
Virgin River
The Virgin River is a tributary of the Colorado River in the U.S. states of Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. The river is about long. It was designated Utah's first wild and scenic river in 2009, during the centennial celebration of Zion National Park.-Course:...
, the stream flows throughout the year.
The wash occupies a transition zone among the Colorado Plateau
Colorado Plateau
The Colorado Plateau, also called the Colorado Plateau Province, is a physiographic region of the Intermontane Plateaus, roughly centered on the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States. The province covers an area of 337,000 km2 within western Colorado, northwestern New Mexico,...
, the Great Basin
Great Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds in North America and is noted for its arid conditions and Basin and Range topography that varies from the North American low point at Badwater Basin to the highest point of the contiguous United States, less than away at the...
, and 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...
ecosystems. Like all such zones, this area supports diverse vegetative communities and a rich array of wildlife. The wash begins in the Clover Mountains
Clover Mountains
The Clover Mountains are a mountain range in Lincoln County, Nevada.The Clover Mountains Wilderness make up a large part of the mountain range.The Clover Mountains are the southern mountains on the east perimeter of the Meadow Valley Wash watershed....
in Lincoln County, Nevada
Lincoln County, Nevada
Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2000 census, the population was 4,165. Its county seat is Pioche.-History:...
and flows south across very sparsely populated desert terrain. The area around the wash, including a number of protected wilderness areas, includes forests of Joshua trees along with other yucca
Yucca
Yucca is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40-50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitish flowers. They are native to the hot and dry parts of North...
s, cholla cactus
Cactus
A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines...
, barrel cactus
Barrel cactus
Barrel cacti are classified into the two genera Echinocactus and Ferocactus, both of which are found in the Southwest Desert of North America. Their pineapple-shaped fruits can be easily removed but are not recommended for eating. The barrel cactus may reach over a metre in height. Its ribs are...
, Mormon Tea, and other grasses and shrubs are the primary vegetation in the area.
Animal life in the area consists of a variety of lizards, mammals, birds, and insects, and other creatures found in the Mojave Desert. The lower elevations provide designated critical habitat for the threatened desert tortoise
Desert Tortoise
The desert tortoise is a species of tortoise native to the Mojave desert and Sonoran desert of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. They can be located in western Arizona, southeastern California, southern Nevada, and southwestern Utah. The species name agassizii is in honor of...
and other native species, such as desert bighorn sheep
Desert 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...
, gila monster
Gila monster
The Gila monster is a species of venomous lizard native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexican state of Sonora...
, and mojave rattlesnake.
Winters are mild with temperatures reaching highs from the mid 50s to 60s degrees Fahrenheit. Winter lows are usually in the 40s to high 20s Fahrenheit. Summer highs are commonly over 100 degrees Fahrenheit with lows in the mid 80s Fahrenheit.
Flash flood
Flash flood
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of geomorphic low-lying areas—washes, rivers, dry lakes and basins. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a storm, hurricane, or tropical storm or meltwater from ice or snow flowing over ice sheets or snowfields...
s are common in the area when heavy summer monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
thunderstorms dump heavy amounts of rain in short times causing water to fill washes and gulleys in the area. Most precipitation comes in concentrated storms that are infrequent. Generally, the air is low in humidity and dry. Windy conditions also are common throughout the year.
At 2179.8 ft. elevation, Beaver Dam Wash is the lowest point in the state of Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
.
See also
- Beaver Dam State ParkBeaver Dam State ParkBeaver Dam State Park is a state park of Nevada, USA, in the Beaver Dam Mountains of Lincoln County. Located about east of the town of Panaca on a rough road, Beaver Dam is one of the least accessible state parks in Nevada. It is in the Eastern Nevada Region of Nevada State Parks...
- Beaver Dam Mountains WildernessBeaver Dam Mountains WildernessThe Beaver Dam Mountains Wilderness is a wilderness area located in northwestern Arizona and southwestern Utah, USA, within the arid Colorado Plateau region. The jagged mountains and gently sloping alluvial plain of the Beaver Dam Mountains straddle the border between the two states...
- Doc's Pass WildernessDoc's Pass WildernessDoc's Pass Wilderness is a wilderness area in the US state of Utah. It was designated March 30, 2009, as part of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. Located adjacent to Nevada in the northwestern corner of Washington County, it protects a portion of the Bull Valley Mountains and the...
- Slaughter Creek WildernessSlaughter Creek WildernessSlaughter Creek Wilderness is a wilderness area in the US state of Utah. It was designated March 30, 2009, as part of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009...
- Cougar Canyon WildernessCougar Canyon WildernessCougar Canyon Wilderness is a wilderness area in the US state of Utah. It was designated March 30, 2009, as part of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009...