 | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(April 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Red Rock Canyon State Park | |
|---|---|
 | |
   | |
| Location | Kern County, California,United States |
| Nearest city | Cantil, California |
| Coordinates | 35°22′22.75″N117°59′26.47″W / 35.3729861°N 117.9906861°W /35.3729861; -117.9906861 |
| Area | 27,000 acres (110 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,600 feet (790 m) |
| Established | 1968 |
| Governing body | California Department of Parks and Recreation |
Red Rock Canyon State Park is astate park in the U.S. state ofCalifornia which features scenic desert cliffs,buttes and spectacular rock formations. The park consists of approximately 27,000 acres (110 km2) within theMojave Sector of theTehachapi District of theCalifornia State Park System, and is located alongState Highway 14 inKern County, about 80 miles (129 km) east ofBakersfield and 25 miles (40 km) north ofMojave, where the southernmost tip of theSierra Nevada converges with theEl Paso Mountains.
Eachtributary canyon is unique, with vivid colors due to alternate layers of white clay and red sandstone, further accented by pink volcanic rocks and brown lava formations. The canyon was formed 3 million years ago.[1] After wet winters, the park's floral displays are notable. Three overlapping desert ecosystems provide for the wildlife that includes eagles, falcons,roadrunners, hawks, coyotes, kit foxes, bobcats,lizards,mice andsquirrels. Red Rock Canyon provides magnificent views of the pristine desert landscape, includes two natural preserves, and offers, among other recreational activities, camping, sightseeing, equestrian activities, hiking, and opportunities for solitude.
The park is located onState Route 14, which connectsU.S. Route 395 with the communities ofSouthern California, where 14 is known as theAntelope Valley Freeway. The park is 25 miles (40 km) northeast ofMojave on SR 14. SR 14 goes through the center of the park, in the canyon itself. No motorist/tourist facilities are available. It is not far fromCantil, California. Camping, picnic, and restroom facilities are available in several sites immediately off ofCalifornia Route 14.
The area was once home to theKawaiisu people. Somepetroglyphs andpictographs are found in theEl Paso Mountains and represent ritual sites from ancestors of theCoso people were earlyindigenous inhabitants of this locale. They created extensive carvings in rock within the El Paso and neighboring mountains of Red Rock Canyon.[2] and conducted considerable trade with other tribes as far as theChumash on thePacific coast.[3]
The colorful rock formations in the park served as landmarks during the early 1870s for20-mule team freight wagons that stopped for water. The park protects significantpaleontology sites and the remains of 1890s-era mining operations.
Between these two photographs, 66 years have elapsed. In the 1933 picture Red Rock Canyon was onU.S. Route 6, a well-traveled route fromBishop toLos Angeles along the east side of theSierra Nevada. The scenery at this point in the road eventually led to the creation of Red Rock Canyon State Park in 1968. A dirt road crosses the center of the view.
In the 1999 photo, a total of 17 species are now present in the foreground. NoYuccas, Joshua trees or other plants have persisted over the 66 years between the dates of the photographs. In most of the repeat photography, few Yuccas appear to live longer than about 40 years. Many more plants appear in the 1999 view, partially in response to decreased disturbance as well as increased precipitation in the latter part of the 20th century. For example, the road that previously crossed the foreground is difficult to detect. The foreground of this view isgeomorphically active, and small rills and gullies cross parts of the foreground. Young geomorphic surfaces, such as that portrayed in this 1999 view, support young plant assemblages that recover relatively quickly following cessation of disturbance.
Providing several unique, dramatic areas, and close toLos Angeles, since the 1930s Hollywood has frequently filmed at Red Rock Canyon, including motion pictures, television series, advertisements, and music videos. Among the manywesterns filmed there wereThe Big Country,Man of the West, andThe Outlaw, and such diverse movies asMesa of Lost Women,Radar Men from the Moon,Beneath the Planet of the Apes,Buck Rogers (serial),Capricorn One,The Mummy,Zorro Rides Again,Jurassic Park,I'll Be Home for Christmas,Missile to the Moon,The Car,Westworld,Savages, and TV seriesAirwolf,Galactica 1980,Lost in Space andThe Twilight Zone .40 Guns to Apache Pass, the last film ofAudie Murphy, was shot there in 1966. The 2005 music videoCater 2 U byDestiny's Child was filmed at Red Rock Canyon. The 2006 video for British rock bandMuse song "Knights of Cydonia" was shot in the park as well. The opening scene ofThe Darkness (2016) was also filmed here.
Red Rock Canyon is one of the darkest skies within a two hour driving distance of Los Angeles.[4][5] The dry climate, frequently cloudless skies, and relatively lowlight pollution enhance nighttime viewing conditions. The park is aBortle class 2-3 site, ranging from an "average dark sky" in northern regions to a sky typical of a rural area in southern regions.[4] On a clear night with no moon, visitors with good eyesight and dark adapted vision may see both theAndromeda andTriangulum galaxies with the unaided eye, and the centralMilky Way shows complex structure from this site.[6] While the southern sky suffers from light pollution from nearby towns, dark sky conditions in the park are nonetheless exceptional relative to nearby urban areas.
.jpg)
