Castle Mountains
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Castle Mountains
National Monument
Castle Mountains National Monument
A New National
Monument
President Barack Obama signed a Presidential Proclamation in February, 2016 creating
the Castle Mountains National Monument. Nestled against the border with Nevada and
bounded on three sides by Mojave National Preserve, the 20,920 acre National
Monument provides serenity, solitude, natural soundscapes and dark night skies. The
National Monument protects an expanse of relatively intact desert ecosystem. It
provides a wide variety of recreational experiences and opportunities for the public to
explore and enjoy including hiking, backpacking, wildlife viewing, scenic driving, as well
as opportunities for solitude and personal discovery.
Mojave Desert
An integral piece of the Mojave Desert, the
Monument is home to important flora, fauna,
water, and historic resources. The Castle
Mountains contain resident populations of, and
migratory corridors for, desert bighorn sheep and
other fauna. It has some of the finest Joshua tree
forest and native desert grassland in the Mojave
Desert. It also completes the protection of the
226-square mile Lanfair Valley watershed,
shielding an aquifer that is critical to life in the
desert ecosystem both within the area and
Mojave National Preserve. Cultural resources
throughout the area reflect a long history of
prehistoric and historic human use.
Flora and Fauna
The Castle Mountains National Monument
provides a critical linkage for plants, animals, and
water between two mountain ranges within the
Mojave National Preserve -- the New York
Mountains to the northwest and the Piute
Mountains to the southeast. The Monument s
high quality desert habitat includes some of the
finest Joshua tree forest in the Mojave Desert, as
well as pinyon pine and juniper forest at the
upper elevations. The Monument s native desert
grassland is a hotspot of botanical diversity. The
unique plant assemblage includes 28 species of
native grasses, about half of which are rare, such
as burro-grass (Scleropogon brevifolius) and false-
buffalo grass (Munroa squarrosa). This high
concentration of rare plants in such a small area
indicates the likelihood of future discoveries of
new plants.
Shaped by millions of years of geologic forces, the
rugged Castle Mountains are emblematic of the
Mojave landscape. Composed of early
Proterozoic gneiss and foliated granites, overlain
by thick volcanic deposits, the Castle Mountains
rise from the broad sweep of the Lanfair Valley to
a height of over 5,000 feet, presenting a
picturesque skyline visible from many locations
within the Preserve in California and
surrounding lands in Nevada, while also
affording spectacular views of the Preserve and
beyond. Hart Peak is the prominent feature in
the Castle Mountains National Monument
skyline at 5,543 feet.
to the desert ecosystem. With its primary
recharge zone in the New York Mountains, this
aquifer feeds Piute Spring located in the Preserve
just south of the Monument. Piute Spring is also
the only perennial stream and riparian corridor in
the Preserve. The Lanfair Valley groundwater
basin is a closed system, with recharge entering
the upper elevations of the New York Mountains
and discharge at Piute Spring. Sampling by the
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) revealed a
radiocarbon date for the water at Piute Spring of
6,825 years, indicating that discharge from the
spring originated as precipitation in the New
York Mountains thousands of years ago during
the mid-Holocene epoch.
Geology and Hydrology
Underlying much of the Lanfair Valley, including
the Castle Mountains National Monument, is a
large groundwater aquifer of critical importance
With its habitat linkages, wildlife corridors, and
intact ecosystems, the area offers exceptional
opportunities to study plant and animal
movement and connections between diverse
natural systems, especially in the context of
climate change. Ongoing studies of desert
bighorn sheep and other plant and animal species
have shown the priority of this area for scientific
research.
Human History
Some of the best-preserved segments of a wagon
road that linked the Arizona Territory
(Hardyville, now Bullhead City, Arizona) to
settlements in Southern California can be found
in the Monument. Ranchers grazed cattle in the
area and, by 1894, the Rock Springs Land and
Cattle Company had consolidated its holdings in
the eastern Mojave Desert. Much of this historic
ranching operation, which has been nominated
to the National Register of Historic Places as a
historic district, lies within the Monument and
Mojave National Preserve. Characteristic
features of this ranching era can still be seen on
the landscape in the form of corrals and watering
troughs.
In 1907, likely attracted by the volcanic deposits
and igneous intrusions cutting through older
rocks, three prospectors, James Hart and
Planning Your Visit
brothers Bert and Clark Hitt, found pockets of
rich gold ore in the Monument area and staked
claims that later became the Oro Belle and Big
Chief Mines. By early 1908, the town of Hart had
nearly 700 people, a post office, telephone lines,
and a weekly newspaper. By the summer of 1908,
the population of Hart peaked at around 1500
residents. But the pockets of high-grade ore
proved too small, and mining began to decline a
year later. The newspaper and other businesses
closed, the post office shut down in 1915, and by
Prehistoric rock art and archeological sites are
found throughout the area, typically associated
with travel corridors and important resources
which demonstrate the long-term significance of
the Castle Mountains area for prehistoric
inhabitants.
Operating Hours and Seasons
Directions
Hours: Open every day
Castle Mountains National Monument lies within a
few hours drive of several major metropolitan areas.
It can only be accessed by dirt roads. A high
clearance, 4-wheel drive vehicle is recommended.
Entrance fee: No Charge
Address:
Castle Mountains National Monument
2701 Barstow Road
Barstow, CA 92311
Phone: (760) 252-6100
www.nps.gov/camo
E X P E R I E N CE Y O U R AM E R I C A
™
You can access the National Monument from
Walking Box Ranch Road off of California State
Road 164 (Nipton Road) or from several unnamed
dirt roads off of Lanfair Road in Mojave National
Preserve.