El Paso Mountains Wilderness

El Paso Mountains Wilderness
IUCN category Ib (wilderness area)
El Paso Mountains
Location in California Location in United States
Location	Kern County, California, United States
Nearest city	Ridgecrest, CA
Coordinates	35°28′N 117°50′W
Area	23,780 acres (96.2 km2)
Established	October 31, 1994
Governing body	U.S. Bureau of Land Management

The El Paso Mountains Wilderness was created in 1994 and now has a total of 23,780 acres (96.2 km²). All of the wilderness is in the northern Mojave Desert in eastern Kern County, California and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. It is located south of Ridgecrest, California.

Geography

The wilderness contains numerous reddish-colored buttes and dark, uplifted volcanic mesas dissected by narrow canyons. The highest point and central feature of this wilderness is Black Mountain, 5,244 feet (1,598 m), an extinct volcano. Surrounding the mountain is a badlands topography.

Flora and fauna

The most spectacular attribute of this area is the abundance of cultural sites. The southern portion of the wilderness is included in the Last Chance Archaeological District and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Wildlife includes raptors, Mohave ground squirrel, and the desert tortoise. Vegetation primarily consists of creosote bush scrub community with Joshua trees on the western side of the mountain.

El Paso Mountains Wilderness border sign

See also

• Protected areas of the Mojave Desert
• Category: Flora of the California desert regions
• Category: Fauna of the Mojave Desert

Sources

• BLM−Bureau of Land Management: Official El Paso Mountains Wilderness website
• Wilderness.net: El Paso Mountains Wilderness Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
• Adventuring in the California Desert; Lynne Foster; Sierra Club Books; 1987; (ISBN 0-87156-721-0)

External links

• U.S. Geological Survey Map at the U.S. Geological Survey Map Website. Retrieved April 13, 2023.