The Rodman Mountains are located in the

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in ...

, in

San Bernardino County, California San Bernardino County (), officially the County of San Bernardino, is a County (United States), county located in the Southern California, southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of the ...

United States 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 territorie ...

. The range is located south of

Interstate 40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...

and

Newberry Springs Newberry Springs is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in the western Mojave Desert of Southern California, located at the foot of the Newberry Mountains (California), Newberry Mountains in San Bernardino County, California, San B ...

, and east of the

Ord Mountains The Ord Mountains are located in the Mojave Desert of southern California, USA. The range lies in a generally east–west direction, and reaches an elevation of above sea level at East Ord Mountain. The range is approximately long, and is about ...

and northwest of the

Bullion Mountains The Bullion Mountains are located in the Mojave Desert of California southeast of the city of Barstow. The mountain range stretches for approximately 50 miles in a northwest-southeasterly direction north of Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms. Sinc ...

. They are 30 miles southeast of

Barstow, California Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, in the Mojave Desert of Southern California. Located in the Inland Empire region of California, the population was 25,415 at the 2020 census. Barstow is an important crossroads for the I ...

. One of the

Cinder cone A cinder cone (or scoria cone) is a steep conical hill of loose pyroclastic fragments, such as volcanic clinkers, volcanic ash, or scoria that has been built around a volcanic vent. The pyroclastic fragments are formed by explosive eruptions o ...

s of the Lavic Lake volcanic field are in the range, with the other three including

Pisgah Crater Pisgah Crater, or Pisgah Volcano, is a young volcano, volcanic cinder cone rising above a lava plain in the Mojave Desert, between Barstow, California, Barstow and Needles, California in San Bernardino County, California. The volcanic peak is ...

beyond to the east.

Wilderness

Established in 1994 by the U.S. Congress, the 34,264 acre Rodman Mountains Wilderness is managed by the U.S.

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 ...

as part of the

National Wilderness Preservation System The National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS) of the United States protects federally managed wilderness areas designated for preservation in their natural condition. Activity on formally designated wilderness areas is coordinated by the Na ...

. A series of ridges and valleys climbing from 2,000 feet to almost 5,000 feet are the result of faults which cross this

wilderness area Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

. A lava flow slices this area in two from northwest to southeast, forming a sloping mesa. Colorful escarpments, calico-colored mountains, maze-like canyons and broad, majestic bajadas come together here. Steep canyons and cliff-like walls form dry falls along deep drainage channels, creating cascades during heavy rain storms. More than a half dozen natural water "tanks" sit within the lava flow. Two of the tanks, Hidden Tank and Deep Tank, hold thousands of gallons of water, drawing wildlife. One of only seven core

raptor Raptor or RAPTOR may refer to: Animals The word "raptor" refers to several groups of bird-like dinosaurs which primarily capture and subdue/kill prey with their talons. * Raptor (bird) or bird of prey, a bird that primarily hunts and feeds on v ...

breeding areas in the

is within this wilderness, where

prairie falcon The prairie falcon (''Falco mexicanus'') is a medium-large sized falcon of western North America. It is about the size of a peregrine falcon or a crow, with an average length of 40 cm (16 in), wingspan of approximately 1 meter (40&nb ...

s and

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of p ...

s are known to survive. The mountains themselves are part of the historic range of the

Desert Bighorn Sheep The desert bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis nelsoni'') is a subspecies of bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis'') that is native to the deserts of the United States' intermountain west and southwestern regions, as well as northwestern Mexico. The Bu ...

. While sheep have not been spotted here, this wildlife species has been seen in the nearby Newberry Mountains.Rodman Mountains Wilderness
- Wilderness Connect

References

External links

Rodman Mountains Wilderness
- BLM {{authority control Mountain ranges of the Mojave Desert Mountain ranges of Southern California Mountain ranges of San Bernardino County, California Protected areas of San Bernardino County, California Bureau of Land Management areas in California