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Route
Description -
This route begins on Interstate 15 in Barstow, about 100 miles
northeast of the Los Angeles Basin. The route continues on
Interstate 15 east to highway 127, north to Death Valley National
Park, west on 190 to the base of the Sierra Nevada, and south
on Highway 395/14 through Mojave and back to Barstow. A side
trip to Lone Pine at the base of Mount Whitney, the tallest
peak in the continental United States, provides a well-rounded
desert experience. The route travels through the northern
Mojave Desert, known for its broad expanses of open space,
rugged mountain peaks, dry lake beds, and Joshua trees. Hidden
oases are a magnet to desert wildlife and most of the listed
viewing sites are near permanent water. The dry eastern and
southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada provide a diversity of
habitats and wildlife.
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Location:
From Barstow, take Interstate 15 east for 35 miles.
Take the Afton exit south. Drive south three miles on
graded dirt road to parking area for Afton Campground.
Best
Season to View: Excellent viewing during fall
What
to see: One of the only places where the Mojave
River flows above ground all year round. This unusually
reliable Mojave Desert water source provides bounty
for many animals. More than 180 species of birds have
been spotted, thanks to habitat restoration efforts.
The area also hosts various turtles and lizards, and
desert tortoises.
Visiting
Tips: Visitor information is available at the
campground and at all entrances into the area. Hot in
summer. Keep distance from water so wildlife can drink.
Watch children and pets; railroad is active.
Contact:
BLM
- Afton Canyon (760) 252-6000
Local
Accommodations and Travel Information: Barstow
Area Chamber of Commerce
Death
Valley National Park |
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Location:
From I-5 take Highway 127 north to Highway 178. Turn
west to park. From Highway 395 take Highway 178 or
190 east into park. From Highway 95 in Nevada, take
Highways 267,374, or 373 west to park.
Best
Season to View: Fish can be seen in March and
April. High probability of seeing waterfowl, shorebirds
and songbirds in spring and fall, reptiles from spring
through fall. Desert mammals rarely visible during day;
best viewing is at dawn and dusk, near water.
What
to see: A land of startling extremes, from
11,000 foot snow-capped peaks to a spot 282 feet below
sea level, with arid dunes, salt pans, lush oases, and
marshes in between. Even though there is almost no rain
and temperatures reach 127°F, there are more than 1,000
species of flowering plants, including ferns, lilies
and orchids. Close to 400 wildlife species breed here,
including 290 bird species, 57 mammals, 36 reptiles,
3 amphibians and 5 species of pupfish. Watch for desert
bighorn sheep on the Scenic Canyon four-wheel drive
routes.
Visiting
Tips: Come prepared for desert. Site is extremely
remote and hot in summer. Entry fee or user fee, Visitor
Center.
Contact:
Death
Valley National Park (760)
786-2331
Local
Accommodations and Travel Information: Death
Valley Chamber of Commerce
Death
Valley Scenic Byway
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| Location:
From Highway 395 in central Lone Pine, go west on Whitney
Portal Road for three miles. Turn south on Horseshoe Mountain
Road, drive about eighteen miles to picnic/camping area
bordering creek. Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead nearby.
Best
Season to View: ROADS IMPASSABLE WINTER AND SPRING.
Spawning at lake, May through June. Birds of prey, songbirds,
small mammals, good, summer and fall. Occasional bears.
What
to See: Cottonwood Creek winds through high-elevation
pines, is bordered by a willow- lined wet meadow, and
offers excellent summer views of California's state fish,
the colorful golden trout. The California Department of
Fish and Game spawns wild fish at Cottonwood Lake, a five-mile
hike from the Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead; most of the
eggs are packed out on mules to rearing facilities. Creekside
trails offer views of wild trout, brown creeper, mountain
bluebird and other songbirds. Watch for golden-mantled
ground squirrels, occasional yellow-bellied marmots, even
snowshoe hares. Golden eagles are common.
Visiting
Tips: Viewing information at Interagency Visitor
Center, one mile south of Lone Pine. Horseshoe Meadows
Trailhead, camping, horse corrals, and handicap accessible
restrooms are two miles beyond site.
Contact:
US Forest Service, Mt. Whitney Ranger Station,
(760) 876-6200,
Interagency Visitor Center (760) 876-6222
Los
Angeles Department of Water and Power (760 876-5544, 872-1104)
Local
Accommodations and Travel Information: Lone
Pine Chamber of Commerce
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Mount
Whitney/Black Rock Hatcheries |
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Location:
Mt. Whitney: from Independence, take Highway 395 west
one mile to entrance. Black Rock: from Independence, take
Highway 395 north nine miles to entrance.
Best
Season to View: Mt. Whitney spawning, excellent,
March to May; late October through December. Wading birds,
excellent, year-round. Waterfowl, songbirds, good, spring.
Elk, good, year-round.
What
to See: The Sierra Nevada Mountains rise dramatically
behind two rainbow trout hatcheries. Self-guiding tours
of raceways and the seventy-five year old Mt. Whitney
hatchery offer excellent views of broodstock and spawning.
A natural pond here shelters great blue herons, green-winged
teal, wood ducks, and other birds. The fish eggs are reared
at other facilities, including nearby Black Rock Hatchery,
where fish can be viewed year-round. Natural ponds there
attract many birds, ranging from American white pelicans
and Caspian's terns, to ospreys and western tanagers.
Tule elk often graze near each hatchery, on either side
of Highway 395.
Contact:
California Department of Fish and Game (760)
878-2272 Mount Whitney Ranger Station (760) 876-6200
Local
Accommodations and Travel Information:
Independence
Chamber of Commerce
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Location:
From the Los Angeles area and other points south: Take
Highway 395 or Highway 14 north to where they meet. Take
Highway 395 north from that junction about 32 miles. Turn
left (west) onto Haiwee Canyon Road. Drive 1.3 miles west
to viewing area. From Bishop and points north: Take 395
south; five miles past Olancha turn right (west) onto
Sage Flat Road. Drive 1.3 miles to viewing area.
Best
Season to View: Peak mule deer viewing is December
through February, though some deer remain through April.
Mornings and late afternoons are the best time to view.
What
to see: Outstanding opportunities to view a portion
of the East Monache mule deer herd. As winter moves in,
deer move down from the mountains to the valley bottom,
at about 4,000 feet above sea level. Here they can forage
on diverse grasses and forbs and find water in hidden
springs.
Visiting
Tips: For best results bring spotting scope or
binoculars. View from the side of the road. Pull off road
onto wide shoulder for viewing. Interpretive display at
site.
Contact:
BLM
- Haiwee (760) 384-5400
Local
Accommodations and Travel Information: Mohave
Chamber of Commerce
Ridgecrest
Chamber of Commerce
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Desert
Tortoise Natural Area |
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Location:
Take California City exit from either Highway 58
or Highway 14. Drive through California City. Turn
north on Randburg-Mojave Road, and continue 5.5
miles to entrance.
Best
Season to View: Moderate probability of
seeing tortoises from mid-March to mid-June, lizards
from spring to fall. Look for songbirds and birds
of prey in spring. More than 150 spring wildflower
species.
What to see: To protect them, the Bureau of Land Management, with the help of the Desert Tortoise Preservation Committee, formed the Desert Tortoise Natural Area in 1976 This public land in the northwestern Mojave Desert in northeastern Kern County, is managed to protect a unique habitat in its natural state. The BLM closed the public land in the natural area to vehicle use, and about 35 miles of woven wire fence has been installed. Visitors will find an interpretive kiosk and self-guided nature trails. The nature trails are a plant loop and an animal loop, each approximately 0.5 mile long, and a shorter main loop. The three trails have numbered interpretive trail posts with corresponding trail guides. There is also a discovery loop which is approximately 1.75 miles long.
Visiting
Tips: Spring tours; call for reservations.
Do not collect or release tortoises. Very hot in
summer, with poor viewing. Parking, restrooms, hiking,
Visitor Center and universally accessible.
Contact:
BLM
- Desert Tortoise Natural Area (760)
384-5400
Local
Accommodations and Travel Information: Mohave
Chamber of Commerce
California
City Chamber of Commerce
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Harper
Lake |
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| Location:
From Interstate Highway 15 at Barstow, take
State Highway 58 west about 18 miles. Turn north
on Harper Road, travel about six miles. Turn
east (right) on Lockhart Road and drive 2.2
miles to the southern edge of Harper Dry Lake.
The last 0.2 mile is dirt road and not maintained.
Best
Season to View: Wading birds and
songbirds are seen year-round; songbirds are
abundant in spring and fall. High probability
of seeing waterfowl, shorebirds, and birds
of prey from fall through spring. Look for
long-eared owls in woodland thickets, short-eared
owls are close to marsh.
What
to see: Most of Harper Lake is a
dry lakebed that lies under the flight area
of Edwards Air Force Base. But in its southwest
corner, water runoff from nearby farms has
created what is probably the largest marsh
in the Mojave Desert. This oasis attracts
resident wildlife and thousands of migratory
waterfowl, shorebirds and wading birds, making
this a prime birdwatching spot.
Visiting
Tips: Heavy traffic on road. Hot
in summer. No facilities at site.
Contact:
BLM
- Harper Lake (760)
252-6000
Local
Accommodations and Travel Information:
Barstow
Area Chamber of Commerce
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to Highway 395 route
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