Clipper Mountains Scenes and Wildflowers

24 March 2005

The Clipper Mountains are in the eastern Mojave Desert, south of and outside the East Mojave National Scenic Area, just south of I-40 and north of Route 66. The Clipper Valley occurs to the north and east. The Fenner Valley occurs on the south and southwest side of the range. The Clipper Mountains attain a height of over 1,380 feet, and trend along a northeast-southwest axis. The Goldhammer pluton, Jurassic rock composed of quartz monzodiorite and granodiorite form foliated medium-grained rocks ranging in composition from granodiorite to diorite, which are locally porphyritic, are the dominant rock of the Clipper Mountains. Much of the Clipper Mountains have been designated as Wilderness. The dominant vegetation of the Clipper Mountains is Creosote Bush Scrub.

All photos copyrighted by David L. Magney 2005.

Links to Clipper Mountains Pages
Plant Photos A-D
Plant Photos E-G
Plant Photos H-M
Plant Photos N-Z
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Landscape Scenes of the Clipper Mountains

View of north face of the Clipper Mountains, San Bernardino County, from Goldhammer Wash. Goldhammer Wash is so named here due to its proximity to the Goldhammer Mine, located at the north toe of the mountians, just above I-40. This is greener then the Clipper Mountains have been in a very long time, as a result of the unusually high rainfall during the Fall of 2004 and Winter 2005.
The rugged Clipper Mountains provide habitat to the Nelson Bighorn Sheep (but not seen by the author). Castle Dome, at 1,006 feet above mean sea level, is a prominant peak southeast of the primary ridge, with the hightest point of the Clipper Mountains reaching over 1,380 feet.

The following photographs were taken along the Goldhammer Wash on the north slope of the range.