Shadow Valley is one of the Central Nevada Desert Basins within the Ivanpah-Pahrump Watershed that is within 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...

 of San Bernardino County, California

San Bernardino County, California

San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...

. A section of Interstate 15

Interstate 15 in California

In the U.S. state of California, Interstate 15 is a major north–south route through the San Bernardino, Riverside, and San Diego Counties, and it has a length of in the state. It is a major thoroughfare for traffic between Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada, as well as points beyond...

 passes through the valley between Mountain Pass

Mountain Pass, California

Mountain Pass is an unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is situated on Interstate 15 in the southeast mountainous desert region of the state approximately from the Nevada border at an elevation of - the highest point along I-15 between California and...

 and Halloran Springs. The valley drains to the north from the west flank of the Ivanpah Mountains

Ivanpah Mountains

The Ivanpah Mountains are located in the southeastern Mojave Desert of California in the United States. The range lies to the south and east of the Mescal Range and west of the Ivanpah Valley and New York Mountains. The mountains lie in a southwest-northeasterly direction, and are home to the...

 within the Mojave National Preserve

Mojave National Preserve

Mojave National Preserve is located in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, USA, between Interstate 15 and Interstate 40. The preserve was established October 31, 1994 with the passage of the California Desert Protection Act by the US Congress...

. North of I-15 the valley lies between Clark Mountains

Clark Mountain Range

The Clark Mountain Range is located in southeastern California, north of Interstate 15 and the community of Mountain Pass. The range stretches approximately 15 miles in a southwest-northeasterly direction, beginning in the Mojave National Preserve, and ending near Stateline Pass, about one mile ...

 to the east and Shadow Mountain to the west. To the north of Shadow Mountain, Kingman Wash becomes the main drainage and turns to the west and the Mesquite Valley is to the northeast.