The Mohave Valley is a

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ove ...

located mostly on the east shore of the south-flowing

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. s ...

in northwest

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. The valley extends into

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 ...

San Bernardino County San Bernardino County (), officially the County of San Bernardino, is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 2,181, ...

; the northern side of the valley extends into extreme southeast Clark County,

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

. The main part of the valley lies in southwest

Mohave County Mohave County is in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, its population was 213,267. The county seat is Kingman, and the largest city is Lake Havasu City. It is the fifth largest county in the United St ...

, Arizona and is at the intersection of the southeast Mojave and northwest Sonoran deserts. The valley extends into the three states of California, Arizona and Nevada, and the

Fort Mojave Indian Reservation The Fort Mohave Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation along the Colorado River, currently encompassing in Arizona, in California, and in Nevada. The reservation is home to approximately 1,100 members of the federally recognized Fort Moj ...

extends into them as well. On the west, the valley borders the Dead Mountains of California which overlook the tri-state intersection point. Needles on

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 ...

lies on the southwest margin of the valley overlooking the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge and Topock Marsh. The village of Topock is located at the south end of the valley where the

Chemehuevi Mountains The Chemehuevi Mountains are found at the southeast border of San Bernardino County in southeastern California adjacent the Colorado River. Located south of Needles, California and northwest of the Whipple Mountains, the mountains lie in a nor ...

of California restrict the Colorado to the narrow Mohave Canyon.

Mohave Valley

Mohave Valley is a 25-mile (40 km) long, north-south trending

and up to wide at some areas.

Mohave Valley, Arizona Mohave Valley ('Amat' 'Analy Uuhwely in Mojave) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. The population was 2,693 at the 2020 census. It is geographically connected to Needles, ...

, in the center of the reservation, is at the center point of the valley.

Bullhead City Bullhead City is a city located on the Colorado River in Mohave County, Arizona, United States, south of Las Vegas, Nevada, and directly across the Colorado River from Laughlin, Nevada, whose casinos and ancillary services supply much of the em ...

is at the northern perimeter of the valley; Needles is on the southwest border of the valley in California. Downstream, and southeast, near the southern valley perimeter is the Topock Marsh in Arizona, and also on the southern perimeter,

Interstate 40 in Arizona Interstate 40 (I-40) is an east–west Interstate Highway that has a section in the US state of Arizona, connecting sections in California and New Mexico. The Interstate is also referred to as the Purple Heart Trail to honor those wounded ...

as it ascends uphill out of the

Sacramento Wash The Sacramento Wash is a major drainage of northwest Arizona in Mohave County, Arizona, Mohave County. The wash is east of the Black Canyon of the Colorado and drains into the south-flowing Colorado River 45 mi south of Lake Mohave, and 90&n ...

, and eventually enters the entire north-south Sacramento Valley which lies on the east, southeast, and partial south of the Black Mountains. ''Mohave Valley, Arizona'', town center of the reservation, is located at ; the town center is at the valleys center, and slightly west, closer to the Colorado River, the valley's west perimeter in many parts. The

Boundary Cone Boundary Cone is a geologic promontory located in the western foothills of the Black Mountains in Mohave County, Arizona. The peak is to the east of the Mohave Valley, northeast of Needles, California, and southeast of Bullhead City. The peak i ...

landmark, lies east, at the northwest perimeter of the Black Mesa (western Arizona), a subsection mountain region at the southern end of the Black Mountains.

Water and watersheds

Arizona, southeast & east-(Sacramento Wash & Valley)

The southern end of the valley begins elevated regions, with the Mohave Mountains directly south, and Dutch Flat, east of the Mohave Mountains, which drains northwest into

. The southeast of the valley meets the outfall of Sacramento Wash, and associated drainage plains; Sacramento Valley itself is mostly east and south of the Black Mesa section at the south of the

Black Mountains (Arizona) The Black Mountains of northwest Arizona are an extensive, mostly linear, north-south trending long mountain range. It forms the north-south border of southwest Mohave County as it borders the eastern shore of the south-flowing Colorado River ...

; the Sacramento Wash turns due west, and follows

as it turns west and parallels the wash to meet Needles at the Colorado River; it is also the southern drainage outfall point into the Topock Marsh, at Topock, eastern shore of the Colorado River, in the southeast valley. Other washes drain through the eastern Mohave Valley plains and foothills into the Topock Marsh from the southwest of the Black Mountains, the extensive range which goes north to

Lake Mead Lake Mead is a reservoir formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River in the Southwestern United States. It is located in the states of Nevada and Arizona, east of Las Vegas. It is the largest reservoir in the US in terms of water capacity. L ...

Nevada, Piute Wash & Valley-(northwest)

While in Arizona the

drains the Sacramento Valley southwest of Kingman, in Nevada the

Piute Wash The Piute Wash of extreme southeastern Nevada and northeast San Bernardino County California is the south-flowing drainage of the Piute Valley. The wash and valley are located northwest of Needles, California. The Piute Wash watershed and Piute ...

drains the

Piute Valley The Piute Valley is a north–south valley southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, and northwest of Needles. The north of the valley is at Searchlight, with some of the valley extending northwest from Searchlight. At the center-north lies Cal-Nev-Ari ...

of southeast Nevada. A separate drainage lies between them on the Colorado River, the ''Havasu-Mohave Lakes Drainage''. These three drainages, the west, center, and east all drain into the Mohave Valley region. File:Mohave Valley 2.jpg, Mohave Valley (north) with

, center-right File:Mohave Valley Arizona 1.jpg, Mohave Valley, Arizona File:Needles California from southwest 1.jpg, View east-northeast of Needles, Mohave Valley, &

References

External links

Mohave Valley
area map
''Mohave Valley'', Colorado River, Bullhead City, AZ, Meedles, CA,

Warm Springs Wilderness The Warm Springs Wilderness makes up the entirety of the Black Mesa (western Arizona) and parts of the surrounding foothills, washes, alluvial fans, and valleys. The Black Mesa is the southernmost section of the Black Mountains of western Mohav ...

, Sacramento Valley,

Whipple Mountains The Whipple Mountains ( Mojave: Avii Kur'utat; Chemehuevi: Wiyaatuʷa̱) are located in eastern San Bernardino County, California. They are directly west of the Colorado River, Parker Dam, and Lake Havasu; south of Needles, California; north of ...