Eastern Mojave Vegetation Kingston Road - Eastern Mojave Desert  
 

Tom Schweich  

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Literature Cited
  Kingston Road was the original route from Valley Wells in the Shadow Valley to Jean in the Ivanpah Valley via Goodpsrings. It was originally opened as a toll road..

Other Articles: NV Hwy 161: 60000

Locations: Jean.  

Junction: Nevada Highway 161, to U. S. Interstate 15 at Jean, Nevada.

Literature Cited:
- Hewett, D. F., 1931. Full Size Image Goodsprings, Nevada

Other Articles: FAQ: Goodsprings Routes to Water: at Goodsprings

Locations: Goodsprings.  

Goodsprings

 
Full Size Image Location of Aztec Tank, type locality of Aztec Sandstone. Full Size Image Sandy Valley and the Mesquite Mountains.  

Locations: Mesquite Mountains. Aztec Tank.  

Just south of Wilson Pass a road goes up to some radio towers. Some great views are had from here, including Goodsprings and Sandy Valley.
Full Size Image Kingston Road south of Wilson Pass.      
 

Locations: Wilson Pass.  

Wilson Pass
Full Size Image Kingston Road north of Wilson Pass.      

Other Articles: Potosi Mountain Road: 90000  

Junction: Potosi Mountain Road, to Potosi Valley, Potosi Spring, and eventually Kingston Road near Wilson Pass.

Other Articles: Sandy Valley Road: Sandy Valley  

Sandy Valley

Junction: Sandy Valley Road
Full 
Size Image Kingston Road at the California-Nevada border  

Locations: Mesquite Mountains.  

Nevada above …
California below …
Full Size Image View of Mesquite Lake and Mesquite Valley

Other Articles: Field Notes: 20040420034919  

The first outcropping of limestone on the north side of the road is also an informal dump. It was here that I made my collections 350 - 352, plus taking some photographs of some plants of which I only saw one.
Full 
Size Image Sandy Valley, looking east from the margin of the Mesquite Mountains.  

Locations: Sandy Valley.  

 
Full Size Image Kingston Road on the east side of the Mesquite Mountains.  

Locations: Mesquite Mountains.  

 
Full 
Size Image Calochortus flexuosus in the Mesquite Mountains

Other Articles: Field Notes: 20040422037305  

On the south side of the road, climbing up to some dip-slope limestone outcrops, I saw 4-5 Calochortus flexuosus.
Full 
Size Image Large Barrel Cactus on quartzite outcrop.

Other Articles: Field Notes: 20040422037310  

I walked up to the quartzite outcrop on the south side of the road. On the way back to the car, I collected two different Atriplexes. Location was 11S 3953350 618750, elevation: 1000 m.
Full 
Size Image Looking east into Nevada from Winters Pass

Other Articles: Field Notes: 20040420034110

Locations: Winters Pass.  

The view west from Winters Pass into Sandy Valley, Nevada.
Full Size Image View south from Winters Pass

Other Articles: Field Notes: 20040420034110

Locations: Mesquite Mountains. Winters Pass.  

Winters Pass
Full 
Size Image Winters Pass as seen from one of the small hills in Winters Pass Hills.

Other Articles: Field Notes: 20040420034009

Locations: Winters Pass.  

From a vantage point on the low Winters Pass Hills north of Kingston Road, one gets a better sense of Winters Pass being a low, broad pass separating the North and South Mesquite Mountains.
Full 
Size Image Eriophyllum wallacei in wash near the Wilson Pass Hills, Mesquite Mountains.

Other Articles: Field Notes: 20 Apr 05 Looking for Langloisia  

When walking across the wash to the Winters Pass Hills from Kingston Road, there are often little wooly sunflowers (Eriophyllum wallacei) clustered in the washes.
Full 
Size Image Lilac Subbonnet (Langoisia setosissima ssp. punctata)

Other Articles: Field Notes: 20 Apr 04 Coll No 341

Locations: Goldhammer Mine.  

Lilac Sunbonnet (Langloisia setosissima ssp. punctata) can be found on the south slopes of Winters Pass Hills, elevation 990 m (3500 ft) about mid-Spring. The 20th of April 2004 was just about perfect in terms of a full bloom of the species. However, 20 April 2005 was much too early because the early Spring was cool and cloudy. As a comparison, on 24 April 2005 we found Lilac Sunbonnet in full bloom at the Goldhammer Mine, which is 100 km (62 mi) south, at elevation 675 m (2280 ft), which is 215 m (1220 ft) lower in elevation.
Full 
Size Image Mojave Prickly Pear (Opuntia erinacea) on the slopes of the Winters Pass Hills Full Size Image Parish's Larkspur (Delphinium parishii) on the slopes of the Winters Pass Hills.

Other Articles: Field Notes: 20040420034007  

 

Literature Cited:
- Corsetti, Frank A, and Alan J. Kaufman, 2003. Full Size Image Winters Pass Hills near Kingston Road

Other Articles: Death Valley Geology: 148600 Field Notes: 20 Apr 04 near Winters Pass Hills

Locations: Winters Pass Hills.  

Winters Pass Hills

Winters Pass Hills was the southeastern extent of investigation of the Noonday Dolomite and the Johnnie Formation by Corsetti and Kaufman (2003)
Full 
Size Image View of Mesquite Mountains summit from Winters Pass.

Other Articles: Field Notes: 21-Apr-05 at Winters Pass

Locations: Mesquite Mountains.  

I have climbed to the summit of this portion of the Mesquite Mountains as shown in the left background. A direct approach to this summit would lead one into some pretty rough climbing. Instead, I would recommend following an old road east as far as it leads to a saddle overlooking the Mesquite Valley, then turning north, climbing a ridge line, but staying a little to the east, to avoid the cliffs.
Full 
Size Image View of Clark Mountain from the north.

Other Articles: Field Notes: 20050420510

Locations: Clark Mountain.  

View to the south of Clark Mountain from Kingston Road.

Other Articles: Routes to Water: at Kingston Rd Jct Excelsior Mine Road: at Kingston Rd  

Junction:
  • Excelsior Mine Road, to the Kingston Range, Horsethief Springs, Beck Spring, and eventually Tecopa and Shoshone.
  • Goodsprings to Silver Lake, from Thompson's (1921), Routes to Watering Places …
Full 
Size Image Kingston Range, seen from Kingston Road, just north of Valley Wells.  

Locations: Kingston Range.  

 
 

Other Articles: Keany Pass Road: at Kingston Road  

Junction

Junction:
  • Keany Pass Road, follows the powerlines through Keany Pass on the north side of Clark Mountain, eventually reaching U. S. Interstate 15 at Primm, Nevada.
Full 
Size Image Canyon on west side of Clark Mountain. Full Size Image Pachalka Spring  

Locations: Clark Mountain.  

Pachalka Spring. Large perennial spring on the west side of Clark Mountain, 5 miles of rough road.
       
Full 
Size Image View of Shadow Valley, the Mesquite Mountains, and the Spring Mountains.

Other Articles: Field Notes: 20050420032  

A few miles north of Valley Wells, Kingston Road passes through some low hills and over a low pass. From here, the is often an excellent view of Shadow Valley and the Spring Mountains.

Other Articles: Kessler Springs Road: at Valley Wells Interstate 15: Valley Wells  

Valley Wells

Junction:
  • U. S. Interstate 15, west to Los Angeles, and east to Las Vegas.
  • Kessler Springs Road, south to Cima and Mojave National Preserve.
     

Literature Cited

  A list of all literature cited by this web site can be found in the Bibliography.
 
Corsetti, Frank A, and Alan J. Kaufman. 2003. Stratigraphic investigations of carbon isotope anomalies and Neoproterozoic ice ages in Death Valley, California. Geological Society of America Bulletin. 115(8):916-932. {TAS}

Location records referred to by this literature:

 
Hewett, D. F. 1931. Geology and ore deposits of the Goodsprings quadrangle, Nevada. U. S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 162..

Location records referred to by this literature:

If you have a question or a comment you may write to me at: tas4@schweich.com I sometimes post interesting questions in my FAQ, but I never disclose your full name or address.  


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Date and time this article was prepared: 5/8/2008 9:40:33 AM