Location: Take either Hwy 59 or Hyw 14 to the California City exit. Turn north on Randburg-Mojave Road, and continue 5.5 miles to entrance.
Comments: Obviously, the Desert Tortoise, California's State Reptile, is the main attraction here. Hibernating during the winter, it appears in the spring to eat grasses and wildflowers, drink water from the spring rains, and to socialize and look for mates. At other times of the year, they are less active above ground. Birds recorded in this area include the greater roadrunner, red-tailed hawk, prairie falcon, turkey vulture, chukar, golden eagle, American kestrel, loggerhead shrike, and LeConte's thrasher. Numerous reptiles such as the desert iguana, chuckwalla, zebra-tailed lizard, side-blotched lizard, desert horned lizard, western whiptail, sidewinder, gopher snake, red racer and Mojave rattlesnakes are also found in the area. Mammals found here include the black-tailed hare (jackrabbit), Audubon cottontail, antelope ground squirrel, desert kit fox, coyote, badger and bobcat.
