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Bighorn Mountain Proposed Wilderness Additions
 Size:
Approximately 1,920 acres
Managing agency: Bureau of Land Management, Barstow and Palm Springs Field Offices
Location: San Bernardino County, east of Big Bear.
Access: From the Big Bear area, take Forest
Service road 2N02 (Burns Canyon Rd.) from just east of Baldwin Lake (Big Bear
City) to Rattle Snake Cyn Jeep Trail (north/south corridor through area).
Description:
- Key watershed for the Mojave Desert
- Key habitat for bighorn sheep, golden eagles, mountain lions, bobcats and mule deer
- Key resident and migratory bird habitat
- Unique vegetation variations; yucca cactus, creosote, pinyon-juniper, ponderosa pine
The rugged Bighorn Mountains in the north central portion of
this wilderness are in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains. Visitors
can experience the rare ecological transition that occurs here, including yucca
and Joshua trees on the desert floor and stands of Jeffrey pine at higher elevations
such as on the 7,500 foot high Granite Peak. Mule deer, mountain lion, bobcat
and golden eagles make their home among the Joshua trees and yucca and stands
of Jeffrey pine in the remote, higher elevations. Resident and migratory birds
rest along Rattlesnake Canyon Creek, which flows northward through wilderness
to Johnson Valley.
This wild terrain marks the merging of the relatively wet forested San Bernardino
Mountains and arid Mojave Desert. Out of this combination has resulted some
interesting features, including what is one of the world’s most magnificent
Joshua tree forests and southern California’s most continuous pinyon pine stand.
For additional information, please contact:
Joyce Burk
San Gorgonio Chapter - Sierra Club
P.O. Box 106
Barstow, CA 92312-0106
Phone: (760) 256-9561
Email: joyceburk@earthlink.net
Or:
Tim Allyn
Sierra Club
3435 Wilshire Blvd. #302
Los Angeles, CA 90010-1901
Phone: (213) 387-6528 x202
Email: tim.allyn@sierraclub.org
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Just three miles off of Interstate 80, 
