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Yucca Forest

Coordinates: 36°31′56″N 115°09′49″W / 36.53222°N 115.16361°W / 36.53222; -115.16361
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yucca Forest
Floor elevation1,733 m (5,686 ft)[1]
Geography
LocationClark County, Nevada, United States
Coordinates36°31′56″N 115°09′49″W / 36.53222°N 115.16361°W / 36.53222; -115.16361[1]
Topo mapUSGS Sheep Peak
Traversed byMormon Well Road
Pine Nut Road

The Yucca Forest is a valley in Clark County, Nevada, United States, located in the Desert National Wildlife Refuge north of Las Vegas.[1] It is surrounded by the Sheep Range to the north and west and Las Vegas Range to the south and east.[2]

Flora

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The Yucca Forest is named for its dense distribution of yucca plants, including Joshua trees, Banana yuccas, and Mojave yuccas. The valley is very grassy compared to the surrounding landscapes due to the abundancy of rain it receives and is covered in shrubs, bunchgrasses, and forbs among other plants.[3]

Roads

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The valley is traversed by Mormon Well Road, a long dirt road which passes through the Yucca Gap from Corn Creek near U.S. Route 95 to cross the southern side of the valley towards Desert Pass Campground, Mormon Well Spring, and U.S. Route 93.[4] Another dirt road, Pine Nut Road, spurs off of Mormon Well Road in the Yucca Forest and heads northwest towards the Sheep Range.[5]

Wildfire

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In the 1990s, a wildfire burnt a large portion of the northern half of the valley, and a large burn area remains visible from space.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Yucca Forest". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ "Yucca Forest Topo Map in Clark County NV". TopoZone. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  3. ^ Boone, Jim. "Birding Around the Yucca Forest". Bird and Hike. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  4. ^ Boone, Jim. "Mormon Well Road". Bird and Hike. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  5. ^ a b Boone, Jim. "Pine Nut Road". Bird and Hike. Retrieved 26 August 2021.