The Sheep Hole Mountains are a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have ari ...

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 ...

, to the north of

Joshua Tree National Park Joshua Tree National Park is an American national park in southeastern California, east of San Bernardino and Los Angeles and north of Palm Springs. It is named after the Joshua trees (''Yucca brevifolia'') native to the Mojave Desert. Origin ...

, in

San Bernardino County, California 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 mountains were once

Chemehuevi The Chemehuevi are an indigenous people of the Great Basin. They are the southernmost branch of Southern Paiute.

hunting grounds. The mountain range lies between 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. Sin ...

to the west, and the

Coxcomb Mountains The Coxcomb Mountains are a mountain range located in eastern Riverside County, Southern California. Geography The Coxcomb Mountains are within the easternmost area of Joshua Tree National Park. They are east of the Eagle Mountains and Twentyn ...

to the east. The mountains reach an elevation of above sea level just east of Amboy Road, which the range crosses.

Sheephole Valley Wilderness Area

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 ...

designated and manages the Sheephole Valley Wilderness Area which is within the mountain range and

Mojave Trails National Monument Mojave Trails National Monument is a large U.S. National Monument located in the state of California between Interstates 15 and 40. It partially surrounds the Mojave National Preserve. It was designated by President Barack Obama on February 12, ...

. The 194,861-acre (approximate) Sheephole Valley Wilderness is a perfect representation of the basin and range topography typical in the Mojave Desert. The area consists of the northwest to southeast trending granitic boulder strewn Sheep Hole and

Calumet Mountains The Calumet Mountains are a mountain range in San Bernardino County, California. They are north of Joshua Tree National Park and adjacent to the Sheep Hole Mountains in the Mojave Desert. The highest point is . Sheephole Valley Wilderness Area The ...

, and is adjacent to the northern boundary of

. . accessed 6/20/2010

References

*''California Road and Recreation Atlas'', 2005, p. 106 & 112

External links

Official Sheephole Valley Wilderness Area websiteSheephole Valley Wilderness Area Map
Mountain ranges of the Mojave Desert Mountain ranges of San Bernardino County, California Mojave Trails National Monument Protected areas of the Mojave Desert Protected areas of San Bernardino County, California Bureau of Land Management areas in California Mountain ranges of Southern California {{SanBernardinoCountyCA-geo-stub