The In-Ko-Pah Mountains are one of the

Peninsular Ranges The Peninsular Ranges (also called the Lower California province) are a group of mountain ranges that stretch from Southern California to the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula; they are part of the North American Coast Ranges, whic ...

located near the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

border with

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

in southern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, west of the

Jacumba Mountains The Jacumba Mountains are a mountain range of the Peninsular Ranges system, located in eastern San Diego County, Southern California, near the U.S. border with Mexico. The mountain range lies in a northwest-southeasterly direction, east of the In- ...

. The range, which lies in a north-south direction, is located just north of

Interstate 8 Interstate 8 (I-8) is an Interstate Highway in the southwestern United States. It runs from the southern edge of Mission Bay at Sunset Cliffs Boulevard in San Diego, California, almost at the Pacific Ocean, to the junction with I-10, jus ...

, and east of the Manzanita Indian Reservation. The range is approximately long. Mt. Tule, at , and Sombrero Peak, at above sea level, are the tallest mountains in the chain.

Geology

The In-Ko-Pah Mountains consist of faulted granitic intrusive bedrock, weathered into dramatic piles of residual boulders. The local

granodiorite Granodiorite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock similar to granite, but containing more plagioclase feldspar than orthoclase feldspar. The term banatite is sometimes used informally for various rocks ranging from gr ...

is naturally a very light color, weathering over centuries into a reddish-orange

desert varnish Desert varnish or rock varnish is an orange-yellow to black coating found on exposed rock surfaces in arid environments. Desert varnish is approximately one micrometer thick and exhibits nanometer-scale layering. Rock rust and desert patina are ot ...

. Visitors can view these landforms while driving

through Devil's Canyon heading west and In-Ko-Pah Gorge heading east. Remnants of

Highway 80 The following highways are numbered 80: International * European route E80 * Arab Mashreq route M80 Australia * Buchanan Highway * Burleigh Connection Road - Queensland State Route 80 * M80 Ring Road, ''North East Link (under construction)'' ...

, the first North American transcontinental highway, can be seen on either side. The boulders can be examined closer at the

Desert View Tower The Desert View Tower is located on Interstate 8, in Boulder Park, in western Imperial County, Southern California. It is also adjacent to remaining sections of Old U.S. Route 80. It is at in elevation, in the In-Ko-Pah Mountains. Travel th ...

, a historic roadside structure, that includes a boulder park with a number of massive Depression-era sculptures carved in the local rocks. Camping among the rocks is available in the McCain Valley Recreational Area, located off Interstate 8 near the town of

Boulevard A boulevard is a type of broad avenue planted with rows of trees, or in parts of North America, any urban highway. Boulevards were originally circumferential roads following the line of former city walls. In American usage, boulevards may b ...

References

External links

McCain Valley Recreational Area information

— ''information''. {{Authority control Peninsular Ranges Mountain ranges of the Colorado Desert Mountain ranges of San Diego County, California

Geology

See also

References

External links