Mojave National Preserve

The Mojave Desert of southeastern California is east of Los Angeles, south of Death Valley, and west of the Colorado River. It covers 25,000 acres, and elevations vary from 2,000 to 5,000 feet. A part of the Great Basin, it is a region of salt flats, sand plains, and rocky mountains. It was once a part of the Pacific Ocean until volcanic action cut it off from the sea. The one major river there, the Mojave, flows underground for part of its 90-mile course. The average temperature during July is 24 degrees F, but drop below freezing during the winter.