The In-Ko-Pah Mountains are one of the
Peninsular Ranges 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 territori ...
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 Guatema ...
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 m ...
, west of the
Jacumba Mountains. The range, which lies in a north-south direction, is located just north of
Interstate 8, 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.
Visitors can view these landforms while driving
Interstate 8 through
Devil's Canyon heading west and
In-Ko-Pah Gorge
In-Ko-Pah Gorge is a deep narrow canyon or gorge in San Diego and Imperial counties, California. Its head is at at an elevation of . Myer Creek flows down the In-Ko-Pah Gorge from its source in the Jacumba Mountains at the head of the canyon to ...
heading east. Remnants of
Highway 80, the first North American transcontinental highway, can be seen on either side. The boulders can be examined closer at the
Desert View Tower, 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 ...
.
See also
*
Peninsular Ranges topics
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