The Mojave Desert covers southwestern Nevada, a portion of southeastern California and just a slight bit of western Arizona.  The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Death Valley National Park and Las Vegas lie within the boundaries of the Mojave.  

A few notes on our desert:

•  The Mojave is the smallest of the North American deserts.
  • The four deserts in North America, in order of area are: Great Basin, Sonoran, Chihuahuan and the Mojave.
    

• Diversity of plant life:  The Mojave is a shrub-dominated desert.  Much like most of the country ephemerals bloom in late March, April and May.  Summer storms may bring out a few late blooms.  There are approximately 1750-2000 species of plants known to occur throughout the Mojave.  About a quarter of the plant species are endemic to the Mojave Desert, meaning their origin is the Mojave and this is the only place that they naturally occur.  At the Visitor Center pick up the brochure entitled:  PLANTS
  • This link will give you more information on Plant Communities:
    • PLANTS

• Mammals and Birds - There are more than 45 species  of mammals occurring in the Red Rock Canyon Area.   Our desert has carnivores, small herbivores, large herbivores, and insectivores.  The Mojave boasts over 100 bird species that find a home, at least seasonally, in the sandstone canyons of the Conservation Area.  At the Visitor Center pick up the brochures entitled:  MAMMALS and BIRDS.  Also available - Bird List and Mammal List

• Precipitation varies from west to east.  The western portion receives approximately five inches while the eastern portion receives a mere two inches;  Las Vegas, the city in the desert, receives from 4 - 6 inches, and Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area [just west of Las Vegas] receives from 6 - 10 inches per year.

• Geology 
  • The land that is now RRCNCA was once the bottom of an ocean!
  • The most significant geologic feature of Red Rock Canyon is the  Keystone Thrust Fault.  Geologists and students of geology from the world over come to view this easy to get to site.  At the Visitor Center pick up the brochure entitled:  GEOLOGY

• Cultural Resources
  • Early Native Americans          Early Settlement
  • Roasting Pits
  • Rock Art
    To learn about the Cultural Resources of the area: At the Visitor Center pick up the brochure entitled:  CULTURAL RESOURCES  

For more information on the Mojave and Red Rock Canyon please visit the Bureau of Land Management site at: http://www.nv.blm.gov/redrockcanyon/

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This page was last updated:  08/17/08 04:19 PM