Ward Valley (California)

The Ward Valley (California) is a lengthy almost true N-S trending valley of far eastern San Bernardino County, California.

Ward Valley (California)
Danby Dry Lake in south region of Ward Valley, from the Iron Mountain Pump Plant
Floor elevation709 ft (216 m)[1]
Length55 mi (89 km)
Width9 mi (14 km)
Geography
Population centersMilligan, CA;
Mountain Springs Summit, California;
Goffs, CA; Rice, CA
Borders onOld Woman Mountains-W
Piute Mountains-W & NW
Sacramento Wash (California)-N
Bigelow Cholla Garden Wilderness-NE
Sacramento Mountains (California)-ENE
Stepladder Mountains-E
Turtle Mountains (California)-E & SE
Rice Valley & Arica Mountains-SSE
Granite Mountains (California)-S & SSW
Iron Mountains (California)-SW
Cadiz Dunes Wilderness-SW & W
Coordinates34°16′18″N 115°04′44″W[1] 

The south end of the valley expands slightly northwest-by-southeast, and contains Danby Dry Lake, a 13-mi (21 km) long dry lake, or playa. Mountain ranges surround the valley on all sides. The neighboring valleys eastward over the mountain ranges, Chemehuevi Valley, Vidal Valley, and Rice Valley are all western tributary valleys to the south-flowing Colorado River along the Lower Colorado River Valley corridor.

The center of the valley is approximately just east of the Oro Plata Mine[2] at the east of the Old Woman Mountains.

The Iron Mountains with the Iron Mountain Pump Plant of the Colorado River Aqueduct lie on the southwest margin of the valley.[3]

Geography

The map of California showing the location of Ward Valley, also shows the low elevation green, low valleys, south of the 'map location point'. The northwest-by-southeast section, contains the three dry lake beds, from west to east: Bristol Lake, Cadiz Dry Lake, and Danby Lake.

Geographically, the entire region of Ward Valley is a transition from higher elevation bajadas and mountain ranges of the Mojave Desert, to lower elevation sections of Mojave Desert, and the northwest region of the Sonoran Desert in southeast California, called the Colorado Desert. The region has mostly arid mountain ranges, bajadas, flatlands, sand dune fields (from prevailing, seasonal winds), and playas (salt-flats).

The lengthy north section of Ward Valley is drained by one major wash, named Homer Wash. Its outfall end, due to scant rainfall, and distance from Danby Lake, ends about 5-mi from the north side of the lake (ground infiltration).

See also

References
  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Ward Valley (California)
  2. Oro Plata Mine, Old Woman Mountains:
  3. California Atlas & Gazetteer, DeLorme, 4th ed. 2015, p. 145 ISBN 0899333834
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