A New National 

Monument

Castle Mountains

National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Castle Mountains

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. 

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.

Mojave Desert

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 falsebuffalo grass (Munroa squarrosa). This high 

concentration of rare plants in such a small area 

indicates the likelihood of future discoveries of 

new plants.

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.

Castle Mountains National Monument

Geology and Hydrology 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.

Underlying much of the Lanfair Valley, including 

the Castle Mountains National Monument, is a 

large groundwater aquifer of critical importance 

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.
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 

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.

Human History

Planning Your Visit Operating Hours and Seasons

Hours: Open every day 

Entrance fee: No Charge

Address:

Castle Mountains National Monument

2701 Barstow Road

Barstow, CA 92311

Phone: (760) 252-6100

www.nps.gov/camo

Directions

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.

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.

E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R AM E R I C A TM