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Map Satellite The prime features of this area are the dry falls of the glacial Owens River and the associated river channel and gorge.
The falls, which fell 30 meters (100 feet) in two drops approximately 60 meters (200 feet) apart, were cut by water overflowing from Owens Lake. Here the river eroded a path through the Pleistocene basalt and carved not only the falls and gorge but also a number of potholes and caverns. The rock surfaces have been scoured, fluted and smoothed by the fast-flowing waters. The last major discharge from the lake was probably between 10,000 and 15,000 years B.P.
Vegetation in the area is creosote bush scrub. Mojave desert annuals such as Coreopsis bigelovii, Gilia sinuata, Lupinus microcarpus var. horizontalis, Pholistoma membranaceum and Salvia carduacea are present.
Integrity: The area is virtually undisturbed. There is an access road near the upper end.
Use: Research, educational, observational.
January 1980
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2008 Steven Louis Hartman
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