Golden Valley Wilderness

Petroglyphs

Golden Valley Wilderness is a 37,786-acre property in an open valley between two mountain ranges in southern California. That's why the name.

The northwest portion of the wilderness rises to almost 5,000 feet at Dome Mountain in the Lava Mountains. The Lava Mountains are noted for their colorful sedimentary rock bands. The southeast portion of the wilderness rises to about 4,500 feet on Almond Mountain, in the Almond Mountains. Both mountain ranges are very rugged. In between is an undeveloped valley most noted for its spring wildflower display. The rest of the year the vegetation is clearly creosotebush community, with some Joshua trees in upper elevations. The desert tortoise and Mojave ground squirrel seem to prefer this kind of habitat.