Mayfield Ice Caves
Map SatelliteSeveral ice caves have been formed here, at the foot of the White Horse Mountains, in the fissures of the recent basaltic pahoehoe lava flow. The caves are shallow and relatively steep-sided.
Vegetation in the area is sparse, with junipers, Juniperus sp., and ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa, dominant in the overstory and Great Basin sagebrush, Artemisia tridentata, mountain mahogany, Cercocarpus ledifolius, and manzanita, Arctostaphylos sp., in the understory.
Among the numerous animals that inhabit the area are bobcats, Lynx rufus, mule deer, Odocoileus hemionus, and rattlesnake, Crotalus sp.
Integrity: Ice is occasionally cut from the caves for refrigeration but winter snows replenish it. The vegetation is relatively undamaged.
Use: Private
April 1981
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman