Chuckwalla Mountains

This vast area contains a variety of desert habitats still relatively undisturbed in most places. The dominant plant community in the area is creosote bush scrub, with creosote bush, Larrea tridentata, burro weed, Ambrosia dumosa, ocotillo, Fouquieria splendens, and brittle bush, Encelia farinosa, as the most conspicuous species.

In the alluvial washes there is a typical wash woodland including mesquite, Prosopis glandulosa var. torreyana, desert ironwood, Olneya tesota, smoke tree, Psorothamnus spinosus, palo verde, Cercidium floridum, and desert willow, Chilopsis linearis.

Numerous Cactaceae are found in the area. There are stands of the California fan palm, Washingtonia filifera, in several of the oases. At least two rare plants, a cactus, Escobaria vivipara var. alversonii, and Ditaxis californica, occur here.

Within the area there is a wide variety of lower-Sonoran animal life. One of the more conspicuous is the chuckwalla, Sauromalus obesus, from which the area takes its name. Over 20 other species of reptiles may occur here. The desert bighorn, Ovis canadensis, is found in the mountains.

Geologically, the area includes a variety of rock ranging from Precambrian gneiss and metamorphics, through Mesozoic granites, Tertiary volcanics to Quaternary alluvium deposits. A complex system of faults riddles the mountains.

Petroglyphs and other archaeological material occur in the area.

Integrity: There are jeep trails, camp sites, power lines, etc., in the area and there has been some off-road vehicle damage as well as some vandalism; however, much of the area is virtually pristine. The Old Butterfield Stage Route crossed a portion of the area. The area also includes most of the western part of the Chuckwalla Recreation Lands.

Use: Research, educational, observational, light recreation.

August 1976