El Paso Mountains Wilderness

Infobox_protected_area | name = El Paso Mountains Wilderness
iucn_category = Ib

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caption =
locator_x = 21
locator_y = 90
location = California, USA
nearest_city = Ridgecrest, CA
lat_degrees = 35
lat_minutes = 28
lat_seconds = 00
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 117
long_minutes = 50
long_seconds = 00
long_direction = W
area = 23,780 acres (96 km²)
established = October 31, 1994
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
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. All of the wilderness is in Kern County, California and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. 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, 5244 feet, an extinct volcano. Surrounding the mountain is a badlands topography.

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.

References

* [http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&sec=wildView&wname=El%20Paso%20Mountains%20Wilderness El Paso Mountains Wilderness, Wilderness.net]
* [http://www.blm.gov/ca/pa/wilderness/wa/areas/el_paso_mountains.html El Paso Mountains Wilderness, Bureau of Land Management]
*"Adventuring in the California Desert", Lynne Foster, Sierra Club Books, 1987 (ISBN 0-87156-721-0)