Saline Valley, California
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Saline Valley is an arid valley in the northern Mojave Desert of Southern California. Most of it became a part of Death Valley National Park when the park expanded in 1994. Most of the area had previously been owned by the BLM. It is located northwest of Death Valley proper and east of the Owens Valley.
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Natural features
A large dry lake occupies the center of the valley. The west end of the lake supports a salt marsh, which contains a variety of plant and animal life. The marsh is fed by a perrenial stream from Hunter Canyon. North of the lake is a large area of low sand dunes.
There are a number of hot springs in the northeast corner of the valley. The water temperature at the source of these springs averages at 107° F (42° C).
Saline Valley Road
Saline Valley Road is a maintained dirt road running north-south through the length of the valley, and is the most commonly used access route. From CA-168 in the north to CA-190 in the south, it is 95.06 mi (153.0 km) long, and ranges in elevation from 1094 to 7593 ft. (333.5 to 2314 m). It goes through two mountain passes: the Inyo Mountains in the north, and the Nelson Range in the south. The northern pass is higher, and has rougher terrain, but is about 20 mi (30 km) closer to the hot springs. One or both passes may be closed during the winter due to snow, ice, or washouts. The "closed" signs are often left out year-round, in an attempt to deter motorists who may not realize how treacherous the road is, and to limit Park Service liability. Officially, the entire length of the road is passable by non-4WD vehicles, but this is not always practical, and high clearance is recommended.
History
Saline Valley was inhabited in late prehistoric times by the Timbisha (also known as Panamint or Koso). The village in Saline Valley was known as Ko'on, which also referred to the valley as a whole. The village was abandoned in the early 20th century and the inhabitants moved to Darwin, California.
Saline Valley was a significant mineral source in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Conn and Trudo Borax Company mined borax from the salt marsh from 1874 to 1895. The remains of this site can be seen today as a few shallow pits near Saline Valley Road. Salt mining began in 1903 at the south end of the lake, and continued into the 1930s.
An electric aerial tram was constructed in 1911 to carry the salt 13.5 miles (21.7 km) over the Inyo Mtns. to Owens Valley. It operated sporadically from 1913 to 1936, but ultimately proved to be too expensive to run. The tram, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, was the steepest ever constructed in the United States. It rose from an elevation of 1100 ft. (340 m) in Saline Valley, to 8500 ft. (2600 m) over the mountains, then down again to 3600 ft. (1100 m) on the other side. In recent years it has been badly damaged by vandals.
In the 1960s, the hot springs in the valley became popular among nudists, and were eventually improved, by volunteer labor led by "Lizard Lee" Greenwood, to include concrete tubs, a shower, a sink, and three outhouses (which the Park Service later replaced with two concrete-lined latrines). For improved access, two airstrips were built, the "Chicken Strip" and "Tail-Dragger Strip" (the latter is now closed).
The Saline Valley Warm Springs, as they are called, have become controversial in recent years. The improvements would have violated Park Service policy if they had taken place today, and nudity is against park regulations. There has been compromise so far; a ranger is always on duty, visitors are limited to 30 days per year, and the springs do not appear on any official map. A "clothing optional" policy is still permited at the springs, but nudity is frowned upon elsewhere at the site. The Timbisha Shoshone indian tribe, which was displaced from the area in 1933, says it objects to the nudity at the springs, and will shut them down if it ever regains ownership of the valley.
The valley was a frequent hangout of murderer Charles Manson before his 1969 arrest in nearby Panamint Valley. To limit access to the valley, he once rolled boulders onto the Chicken Strip, preventing any planes from landing. He was obesessed with the springs, one of which he believed might be "The Hole", a bottomless pit supposedly leading to an underworld paradise.
Military use
Low flying jet aircraft have long been a common sight in the valley.
In December 2003, Edwards Air Force Base completed an environmental assessment for proposed construction and operation of a radar system and microwave repeater facility in the valley. The assessment's conclusion is that "A Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the alternatives considered has been determined. No potentially significant issues have been identified at any of the five alternative beacon radar sites or any of the three repeater sites considered for the proposed project. A careful review of the environmental issues that have been brought forward to date has not identified any potentially significant issues. Therefore, an Environmental Impact Statement will not be prepared."
External links
- The Saline Preservation Association (http://saliners.org/) - Publishes an irregular newsletter for the valley. Website includes a road condition report.
- A geochemical analysis of the waters of Saline Valley, California (http://www.majorproduction.net/saline.html)
- Don & Kelly Reith's photos of Saline Valley Hot Springs (http://www.reith.ca/gindex.asp?a=salinevalley)
- Edwards AFB Final Saline Valley Radar EA (http://www.edwards.af.mil/penvmng/aboutedwards/Conservation/Final%20SV%20Radar%20EA.pdf) (23.6MB PDF file)
