Providence Mountains State Recreation Area
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Providence Mountains State Recreation Area
US State Park, California
c/o Inland Empire District Office
17801 Lake Perris Dr
Perris, CA 92571
www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=615
Phone: 760-928-2586
Size: 5,890 acres. Elevation: 4,300 feet. Location: In the eastern Mojave Desert off of Interstate 40, 16 miles northwest of the Essex Road exit. Facilities: 6 primitive family campsites, hiking trails, self-guided nature trails, picnic areas, restrooms, visitor center, exhibits (
). Activities: Camping, hiking, guided tours. Special Features: Park is located on the east side of the Providence Mountain range, with dramatic views of the surrounding Mojave Desert. Features include Mitchell Caverns, the only limestone caverns in California's state park system; and the Mary Beale Nature Trail, offering a self-guided walk through the desert.
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Providence Mountains State Recreation Area
The Providence Mountains State Recreation Area is located in the Providence Mountains, within the Mojave National Preserve in San Bernardino County, California.[1] It is also home to the natural Mitchell Caverns Natural Preserve, with cavern tours.[2]
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Contents
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Geography
The Recreation Area is located on the east side of the Providence Mountains range and has dramatic views of the surrounding Mojave Desert. On approaching the Providence Mountains State Recreation Area one can see layers of tilted grey rock that are ancient limestone formed during the Paleozoic period.[3] The base elevation of the park is 4,300 feet with the Providence Mountains reaching to 6608 feet.[4]
Flora
Vegetation on the lower parts of the mountains is xeric shrublands scrub habitat, composed of Creosote bush (Larrea tridentata), California Barrel Cactus (Ferocactus cylindraceus), Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia), and Mojave yucca (Yucca schidigera).
The habitat dramatically shifts with elevations above 4000 feet to a sky island where numerous animals and plants flourish in the added moisture caught by the mountains. The plant habitat includes forests of Single-leaf Pinyon (Pinus monophylla) and California Juniper (Juniperus californica), and remnant chaparral and woodlands with Oaks (Quercus turbinella) and Manzanita in these higher parts of the mountains.
Mitchell Caverns is home to two endemic species of insects, found nowhere else..
Access
The Providence Mountains State Recreation Area is located at the north-western end of Essex Road, off of Interstate 40 (the Needles Freeway). The visitor center is located in a historic 1934 stone dwelling. There is camping, with a small number of sites available. Mitchell Caverns tours can be reserved via online Reservations information.[5]
Proposed for closure
Providence Mountain Recreation Area was one of the 48 California State Parks proposed for closure in January 2008 by California's Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as part of a deficit reduction program.[6]
Until further notice all tours are suspended and the Providence Mountains SRA is closed.[7]
See also
Articles
Index
References
- ^ http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=25342 . accessed 6/20/2010
- ^ http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=25146 . accessed 6/20/2010
- ^ http://geology.wr.usgs.gov/parks/mojave/mitchell1.html
- ^ http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/projects/ecoregions/322al.htm
- ^ http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=615 . accessed 6/20/2010
- ^ CBS5.com: List Of Calif. Parks To Close In Budget Proposal
- ^ "Providence Mountain State Recreation Area". California Department of Parks and Recreation. http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=615.
External links
- Official Providence Mountains State Recreation Area website
- Providence Mountains Recreation Area Map
- Mitchell Caverns Natural Preserve website
Coordinates: 34°56′50″N 115°30′29″W / 34.94722°N 115.50806°W
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