Chemehuevi Wash facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chemehuevi Wash |
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View due north
Wash outfall at center-west of Lake Havasu |
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Chemehuevi Wash in California
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| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Region | (southeast)-Mojave Desert (Lower Colorado River Valley) |
| District | San Bernardino County, CA |
| City | Havasu Lake, CA–Lake Havasu City, AZ |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Length | 35 mi (56 km), NW-SE, (then E) |
The Chemehuevi Wash is a big, dry riverbed, also called a wash, located in the northeastern part of San Bernardino County. This area is in the southeastern Mojave Desert in California. The wash flows into the western side of Lake Havasu, which sits right on the border between California and Arizona.
Chemehuevi Wash helps drain the middle part of the Chemehuevi Valley. It also collects water from nearby washes, valleys, and mountains. This whole area is next to the northeastern part of the Colorado Desert. It lies on the west side of the Colorado River, which flows south.
Contents
What is Chemehuevi Wash?
The Chemehuevi Wash is about 35 miles (56 km) long. It acts like a natural drain for the center of the Chemehuevi Valley. The wash starts southwest of the middle of the Sacramento Mountains.
There's a special line called a water divide here. This line separates the Chemehuevi Wash from the Ward Valley. Ward Valley drains to the northwest and is a branch of the Piute Wash area, which is west of Needles.
How the Wash Flows
The Chemehuevi Wash and its valley usually flow towards the southeast. But then, they make a sharp turn and flow directly east for about 12 miles. This change in direction happens because of large mountain ranges.
The Turtle Mountains are to the southwest, and the Whipple Mountains are to the southeast. The huge Whipple mountain range, also called a massif, is so big it even makes the Colorado River change its path. The Colorado River usually flows south, but it turns from southeast to southwest because of these mountains. After that, it mostly continues south, making a few more turns before reaching the northern part of the Gulf of California.
Stepladder Mountains Wilderness Area
The Stepladder Mountains Wilderness is a special protected area. It is located in the middle of the Chemehuevi Valley. This wilderness area is close to where the Chemehuevi Wash begins in the northwest.
Understanding Watersheds
A watershed is an area of land where all the water drains into a single river, lake, or ocean. The Chemehuevi Wash Watershed is located south of the Piute Wash watershed. The Piute Wash is found in southeastern Nevada and California.
The Chemehuevi Wash watershed is a western branch of a larger system. This larger system is called the Havasu-Mohave Lakes Watershed. It includes the areas that drain into Lake Havasu and Lake Mohave.
