The Argus Range is a mountain range located in

Inyo County, California Inyo County () is a county in the eastern central part of the U.S. state of California, located between the Sierra Nevada and the state of Nevada. In the 2020 census, the population was 19,016. The county seat is Independence. Inyo County is ...

, southeast of the town of Darwin. The range forms the western boundary of

Panamint Valley The Panamint Valley is a long basin located east of the Argus and Slate ranges, and west of the Panamint Range in the northeastern reach of the Mojave Desert, in eastern California, United States. Geography The northern end of the valley is in ...

, and the northwestern boundary of

Searles Valley Searles Valley is a valley in the northern Mojave Desert of California, with the northern half in Inyo County and the southern half in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Searles Valley is located between the Argus Range to the wes ...

. The

Coso Range The Coso Range of eastern California is located immediately south of Owens Lake, east of the Sierra Nevada, and west of the Argus Range. The southern part of the range lies in the restricted Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake and the northern pa ...

is located to the west, and the

Panamint Range The Panamint Range is a short rugged fault-block mountain range in the northern Mojave Desert, within Death Valley National Park in Inyo County, eastern California. Dr. Darwin French is credited as applying the term Panamint in 1860 during his s ...

to the east.

Geography

The Argus Range is one of the westernmost of the

Basin and Range Province The Basin and Range Province is a vast physiographic region covering much of the inland Western United States and northwestern Mexico. It is defined by unique basin and range topography, characterized by abrupt changes in elevation, alternating ...

ranges. The northern end of the range is just south of the Panamint Springs Resort on Highway 190. The range runs south to

Argus Peak Argus is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek word ''Argos''. It may refer to: Greek mythology * See Argus (Greek myth) for mythological characters named Argus ** Argus (king of Argos), son of Zeus (or Phoroneus) and Niobe ** Argus (son of ...

, just northwest of

Searles Lake Searles Lake is an endorheic dry lake in the Searles Valley of the Mojave Desert, in northwestern San Bernardino County, California. The lake in the past was also called Slate Range Lake and Borax Lake. The mining community of Trona is on its ...

, near the town of Trona, California. In addition to Argus Peak, the range contains

Maturango Peak Maturango Peak is the highest mountain in the Argus Range. It is located in Inyo County, California and reaches an elevation of . The area is under the control of the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake and access is restricted. Origin of th ...

. The crest of the Argus Range is located within

NAWS China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake is a large military installation in California that supports the research, testing and evaluation programs of the United States Navy. It is part of Navy Region Southwest under Commander, Navy Installat ...

and so the peaks of this range are off-limits to the general public. The two peaks that are most alluring to would-be hikers are Argus Peak () and Maturango Peak () towering to the west of Panamint Valley.

Argus Range Wilderness

The Argus Range Wilderness, under the administration of the

Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...

(BLM), runs along the east side of the Argus Range. It extends from the military reservation on the west to the foot of the Argus Range on the east. For most of its length, this wilderness area is no more than two miles (3 km) wide. Several private property holdings are located within this wilderness area including a rather deep cherry-stem at Snow Canyon and a parcel known as Onyx Springs between Shepherd and Bendire Canyons. Many land-owners were affected by the creation of the Argus Range Wilderness Area in 1994 .

References

External links

Argus Range Wilderness website
Bureau of Land Management. {{Authority control Mountain ranges of the Mojave Desert Protected areas of the Mojave Desert