Images of Castle Mountains National Monument –Eastern California, taken in October 2021.

Created in 2016, Castle Mountains National Monument is a relatively small park protecting 20,920 acres of the Mojave Desert and is surrounded on three sides by the Mojave National Preserve.

I reached this out-of-the-way monument via Searchlight Nevada on Highway 164 and the dirt Walking Box Ranch Road which heads into the park and is fairly well maintained as it also leads to the Newcastle Gold mine. I did venture onto one of the many side roads but thought better of continuing as the road became more of a 4 x 4 path. The views of the mountains and the surrounding desert to include thick patches of Joshua trees was fascinating and I twice made the trek into the park from where I was staying in Needles California to see it under clear skies as well as cloudy.

As with my trip into Mojave National Preserve earlier in the week I came across another Tarantula here and was also treated to a view of the Castle Peaks, a rugged crest of spires which are actually in the Mojave National Preserve. This begged the question; ‘why aren’t the Castle Peaks in Castle Mountains National Monument?’ I have no answer except to say that I’m happy these beautiful peaks are protected no matter what jurisdiction they fall under.