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Stepladder Mountains >> Map #29
Stepladder Mountains Wilderness
SIZE: 81,600 acresLOCATION: San Bernardino County; 15 miles southwest of Needles, California
NATURAL RESOURCES: The Stepladder Mountains are a bleak range extending 10 miles north and south from the center of the wilderness. Approximately 15 percent of the wilderness is the mountain range itself. Flat bajadas covered by creosote bush scrub form the remaining 85 percent of the area. A small stand of crucifixion thorn and a large, dense stand of Bigelow cholla grow here, the cholla covering about 45 square miles of the northern portion of the wilderness. The bajadas and larger washes within the Stepladder Mountains Wilderness provide good habitat for the desert tortoise. Desert bighorn sheep also travel the area seasonally.
| GLOSSARY | > bajada, wash |
ACCESS: To access the southern boundary of this wilderness, go south on U.S. Highway 95 from Needles for approximately 25 miles to Turtle Mountain Road. Follow the road for about 2 miles west, which forms the southern boundary for the Stepladder Wilderness. Careful driving is needed when crossing the sandy Chemehuevi Wash. High clearance vehicles are recommended.
Geomorphic Province : Mojave Desert
Ecosection : Mojave Desert
Ecosubsection : Piute Valley - Sacramento Mountains
Native Culture : Mohave, Chemehuevi
