Variety and Adventure in the California Desert: A Guide to Responsible Recreation
At A Glance
When European Americans first explored the arid lands that stretch between what is now Nevada and California, they couldn’t have envisioned that in just 450 years more than 20 million people would live and play in these starkly beautiful areas. Nor could they have foreseen the number of ways 21st-century Americans would find to enjoy and explore these lands.
More than three decades ago, the public recognized that these harsh yet fragile lands could be overwhelmed by development, people, and their pursuits if something were not done to set aside a portion of the lands for future generations to enjoy.
In 1994, Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act, landmark legislation that reorganized the stewardship of about 9.3 million acres of federally owned land, expanding the role of public land agencies in managing these lands and promoting opportunities for recreation.
This guidebook and included California Desert recreation map — prepared by the National Parks Conservation Association — offers a look at how the residents and visitors to the California Desert are using these lands more than a decade after the passage of the California Desert Protection Act. The guidebook highlights 15 types of recreational pursuits visitors can enjoy in the desert, offers suggestions on how people can pursue recreation responsibly, and identifies some challenges for the future. On the map’s facility matrix, recreation sites are listed alphabetically with the most popular activities highlighted with recognizable icons.
