Chuckwalla Mountains
Encyclopedia
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
.
and the town of Desert Center
, and to the south by the Bradshaw Trail
and the Chocolate Mountains
Aerial Gunnery Range. The highest point is Black Butte, elevation 4504 feet (1,372.8 m). The Chuckwalla Range is divided from the Little Chuckwalla Range by Graham Pass. The Orocopia Mountains
are to the west, and Joshua Tree National Park
to the northwest.
as the Chuckwalla Mountains Wilderness Area in 1994. Motorized travel is allowed only on “cherry-stemmed” established roads.
The Chuckwalla Mountains, near the San Andreas Fault
, rise like an island from a vast sea of sand and rock, within the walls of this "rock fortress" are a variety of landforms, textures, and colors. They include steep-walled canyons, inland valleys, large and small washes, isolated rock outcrops and panoramic expanses of desert.
section of the Sonoran Desert
, adjacent to the Lower Colorado River Valley
region. Plants include Ocotillo, cholla, yucca, creosote, and barrel and foxtail cactus.
On the southern flank of the range lies the Chuckwalla Bench bajada region, an Area of Critical Environmental Concern
(ACEC) as it is frequented by the threatened desert tortoise
. Also common in the area is the rosy boa
, kangaroo rat
and, of course, the large lizard after which the mountains are named - the Chuckwalla
. Other wildlife includes Bighorn sheep, burro deer, raptors, snakes, coyotes and fox.
. Several successful mines
have been dug, including the Red Cloud, Aztec, and Granite.
Chuckwalla
Chuckwallas are large lizards found primarily in arid regions of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Some are found on coastal islands...
Mountains are a mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
range in the transition zone between 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...
—Sonoran Desert
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
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...
, climatically and vegetationally, in Riverside County
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,...
of southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Geography
The range spans approximately 40 miles (64.4 km), running in a generally northwest-to-southeast direction. It is bordered to the north by Interstate 10Interstate 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,...
and the town of Desert Center
Desert Center, California
-"Desert Steve" Ragsdale:The town was founded in 1921 by Stephen A. Ragsdale, also known as “Desert Steve”, and his wife, Lydia. Ragsdale was an itinerant preacher and cotton farmer, originally from Arkansas. In 1915, he left his farm in the Palo Verde Valley along the Colorado River to attend to...
, and to the south by the Bradshaw Trail
Bradshaw Trail
The Bradshaw Trail, nicknamed the Gold Road at one time, is an historic overland stage route in Southern California which originally connected San Bernardino, California to gold fields in La Paz, Arizona, some miles north of Ehrenberg...
and the Chocolate Mountains
Chocolate Mountains
The Chocolate Mountains of California are located in Imperial County and Riverside County in the Colorado Desert in Southern California. The mountains stretch more than 60 miles in a northwest to southeast direction, and are located east of the Salton Sea and south and west of the Chuckwalla...
Aerial Gunnery Range. The highest point is Black Butte, elevation 4504 feet (1,372.8 m). The Chuckwalla Range is divided from the Little Chuckwalla Range by Graham Pass. The Orocopia Mountains
Orocopia Mountains
The Orocopia Mountains are located in Riverside County in southern California, USA, east of the Coachella Valley, west of the Chuckwalla Mountains, and south of Interstate 10 in the Colorado Desert. The range lies in an east-west direction, and is approximately 18 miles long...
are to the west, and Joshua Tree National Park
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...
to the northwest.
Chuckwalla Mountains Wilderness Area
Most of the mountains were designated 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...
as the Chuckwalla Mountains Wilderness Area in 1994. Motorized travel is allowed only on “cherry-stemmed” established roads.
The Chuckwalla Mountains, near the San Andreas Fault
San Andreas Fault
The San Andreas Fault is a continental strike-slip fault that runs a length of roughly through California in the United States. The fault's motion is right-lateral strike-slip...
, rise like an island from a vast sea of sand and rock, within the walls of this "rock fortress" are a variety of landforms, textures, and colors. They include steep-walled canyons, inland valleys, large and small washes, isolated rock outcrops and panoramic expanses of desert.
Flora and fauna
The Chuckwalla Mountains are in the Colorado DesertColorado 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...
section of the Sonoran Desert
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
, adjacent to the Lower Colorado River Valley
Lower Colorado River Valley
The Lower Colorado River Valley is the river region of the lower Colorado River of the southwestern United States in North America that rises in the Rocky Mountains and has its outlet at the Colorado River Delta in the northern Sea of Cortez in northwestern Mexico, between the states of Baja...
region. Plants include Ocotillo, cholla, yucca, creosote, and barrel and foxtail cactus.
On the southern flank of the range lies the Chuckwalla Bench bajada region, an Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Areas of Critical Environmental Concern is a conservation ecology program in the western United States, managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The ACEC program was conceived in the 1976 Federal Lands Policy and Management Act , which established the first conservation ecology mandate for the BLM...
(ACEC) as it is frequented by 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...
. Also common in the area is the rosy boa
Rosy boa
The Rosy Boa is a snake of the Boidae family, one of only two members of that family native to the United States. The other is the Rubber Boa...
, kangaroo rat
Kangaroo rat
Kangaroo rats, genus Dipodomys, are small rodents native to North America. The common name derives from their bipedal form: as they hop in a manner similar to the much larger kangaroo, although they are not related...
and, of course, the large lizard after which the mountains are named - the Chuckwalla
Chuckwalla
Chuckwallas are large lizards found primarily in arid regions of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Some are found on coastal islands...
. Other wildlife includes Bighorn sheep, burro deer, raptors, snakes, coyotes and fox.
History
The Chuckwalla Mountains have had many visitors over the millennia, as they are situated near heavily-traveled east-west routes and feature several sources of water, the most prominent being Corn SpringsCorn Springs
Corn Springs is a palm oasis situated in the Chuckwalla Mountains of the Colorado Desert in Riverside County, California, United States, seventeen miles southeast of Desert Center. Native Americans relied on the springs and they engraved many signs, petroglyphs, on the rocks in the area...
. Several successful mines
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
have been dug, including the Red Cloud, Aztec, and Granite.