Il Deserto in Mojave also known as the High Desert, it is one of the main attractions and symbols of the United States. In total it occupies an area of 60 thousand km², covering most of southern California, and areas in southern Nevada, southwestern Utah, and northwestern Arizona. The desert it is not just an arid plain, has an altitude ranging from 85 meters below the sea level of the Death Valley to over 4.400 meters of height of Mount Whitney.
Its name is given to be the place where they lived the Mohave tribe. This tribe of American Indians used to occupy these lands, settling not far from where Las Vegas stands today. The Mojave Desert, not far from Los Angeles (about 150 km), borders the sunny and suggestive Sonoran Desert to the south.
To see
Citta
In addition to the glittering city of Las Vegas, there are other cities that we can find in the Mojave Desert that are worth visiting. Among the most important Barstow, Joshua Tree e Pioneertown, in the state of California; Mesquite e Moapa Valley in Nevada; And Hurricane in Utah.
There are also ancient ones western villages and ghost towns as the suggestive Calico ghost town. Located near the town of Barstow, it is easily accessible from both Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
Natural parks
The Mojave Desert includes vast protected areas such as the Mojave National Reserve, Joshua Tree National Park and Death Valley National Park. The latter is surely only one of the main attractions of the Mojave Desert, but of all the United States.
Are also present other parks and protected areas come: l’Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, l’Arthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland State Park, il Red Rock Canyon State Park, il Mojave National Preserve, il Saddleback Butte State Park e il Providence Mountains State Recreation Area.
Flora and fauna
Like all deserts, the Mojave Desert also has a scarce flora and fauna, typical of arid areas. The fauna it is mainly composed of turtles, foxes, snakes, coyotes and pumas. The most common plants that make up flora they are the Yucca, the Joshua and the Rose of Jericho or desert star
Other destinations
Despite being a desert, Mojave offers many interesting places to see, such as Hoover Dam which supplies water to the states of Arizona, Nevada and California. Among the curiosities in the city of Baker in California it will be seen along the way the tallest thermometer in the world.
Weather
It is advisable to be very prepared when visiting the desert. On the hottest days temperature it can reach 50 °, while at night the temperature can drop to -20 °. Furthermore, it can happen to find a fairly strong wind.
In summer the weather is characterized by high temperatures often over 50 °. Severe thunderstorms can happen in some days due to the heated climatic contrasts. The wind is present in most of the days.
In spring and autumn the climate is milder and are certainly the best times to visit these areas. The rains are rare and the maximum temperatures vary from 30 ° to 40 °. The wind is present, but less strong than in the summer.
The winter perhaps it is the least suitable period to visit the higher areas, where snow can happen and temperatures can drop to -20 °. While for the Valley of Death this is perhaps the most suitable period, where high temperatures do not occur, even if at night the thermometer can drop below zero.
