| Mojave Trails National Monument | |
|---|---|
 Cadiz Dunes, Mojave Trails NM | |
   | |
| Location | San Bernardino County,California,U.S. |
| Coordinates | 34°36′N116°00′W / 34.6°N 116°W /34.6; -116 |
| Area | 1,600,000 acres (650,000 ha) |
| Authorized | February 12, 2016 (2016-02-12) |
| Governing body | Bureau of Land Management |
| Website | Mojave Trails National Monument |
Mojave Trails National Monument is a largeU.S. National Monument located in the state ofCalifornia betweenInterstates 15 and40.[1] The park was created to preserve a wide variety of geological and cultural features including several titular trails - theOld Spanish Trail, theWorld War II-eraDesert Training Center andRoute 66. It partially surrounds theMojave National Preserve. It was designated by PresidentBarack Obama on February 12, 2016, along withCastle Mountains National Monument andSand to Snow National Monument, also in southern California.[2] It is under the administration of theBureau of Land Management.
Mojave Trails National Monument is the largest national monument in the contiguous United States and is almost entirely undeveloped. Like the adjacentMojave National Preserve, Mojave Trails National Monument contains numerous desert mountain ranges, volcanic features, and sand dunes.[3]
The most visited area in Mojave Trails National Monument isAmboy Crater, a dormant cinder cone volcano, which was a popular sight for travelers in the heyday ofU.S. Route 66 from the 1920s to the 1960s.[3]
Another area with developed recreation facilities isAfton Canyon, one of only two places where the 140-mile longMojave River continuously flows above the ground. Afton Canyon has steep rock walls that earned it the nickname “Grand Canyon of the Mojave”.[3]
One of the most remote areas in the monument consists of the nearly pristineCadiz Dunes, which are orange-pink in color and almost entirely unvegetated. This dune field formed from the sand of dry lake beds.[4][3]Bonanza Spring, an important water resource, and Bonanza Springs Wildlife Area is also located in the National Monument.[3]
Cultural resources in Mojave Trails National Monument include 105 miles of historicU.S. Route 66, betweenNeedles andLudlow, California, the longest remaining undeveloped stretch of Route 66, as well as some of the best preserved sites from the World War II-eraDesert Training Center.[3]
The BLM's potential restriction on rock collecting is opposed byrockhounds.[5]
Several wilderness areas lie within the monument.
