El Mirage Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids El Mirage Lake |
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 El Mirage Lake
Location in California
El Mirage Lake
Location in the United States
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| Location | Mojave Desert, San Bernardino County, California |
| Coordinates | 34°38′49″N 117°36′00″W / 34.6470°N 117.60001°W |
| Lake type | Endorheic basin |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 10 km (6.2 mi) |
| Max. width | 3 km (1.9 mi) |
| Shore length1 | 25 km (16 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 865 m (2,838 ft) |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
El Mirage Lake is a very large, flat, dry lake bed. You can find it in the northwestern part of the Mojave Desert in California. It's located within San Bernardino County, California.
This dry lake is about 9 miles (14 km) west-northwest of the town of Adelanto. It's also about 10 mi (16 km) north of Highway 18. The lake bed sits at an elevation of about 2,840 ft (870 m) above sea level. It stretches for approximately 6 mi (9.7 km) in length.
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El Mirage: A Fun Place for Off-Road Adventures
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El Mirage Lake used to be open to everyone. It was a popular spot for many exciting activities. People would fly small aircraft like ultralight aircraft and even gyrocopters here. It was also a favorite place for car racing.
Now, the Bureau of Land Management manages the area. They have put up a fence around the lake and nearby lands. This area is now called the El Mirage Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Recreation Area. You need to pay a fee to enter.
What Can You Do at El Mirage OHV Area?
This area is great for off-road vehicles. It's also a popular spot for filming car commercials. You can buy permits to enter the Recreation Area. They are available on-site, at local stores, and online.
- An annual permit costs $90.
- A weekly permit costs $30.
- A daily permit costs $15.
Even with the fees, private aircraft can still land on the lakebed.
Speed Runs and Racing History
For 50 years, the lakebed has been used for timed speed runs. The Southern California Timing Association organizes these events. This club also runs speed events at the famous Bonneville Salt Flats.
El Mirage Lake's Desert Climate
El Mirage Lakebed has a typical desert climate. This means it has cool winters and very hot summers.
Temperature Swings in the Desert
Because the lakebed is very dry (arid) and at a high elevation, the temperature changes a lot between day and night. This is called "diurnal temperature variation." Even though summer days can be extremely hot, the nights are usually cool.
Rain and Snow at El Mirage
The lakebed does not get much rain. Sometimes, in the winter, it might get a light dusting of snow. However, this snowfall usually melts away within 24 hours.
| Climate data for El Mirage Lakebed, California | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 76 (24) |
82 (28) |
88 (31) |
96 (36) |
104 (40) |
110 (43) |
112 (44) |
108 (42) |
106 (41) |
98 (37) |
84 (29) |
80 (27) |
112 (44) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 56.8 (13.8) |
60.5 (15.8) |
65.4 (18.6) |
72.1 (22.3) |
80.9 (27.2) |
91.1 (32.8) |
97.7 (36.5) |
96.3 (35.7) |
89.3 (31.8) |
77.8 (25.4) |
65.2 (18.4) |
56.9 (13.8) |
75.8 (24.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 29.3 (−1.5) |
32.4 (0.2) |
36.4 (2.4) |
40.0 (4.4) |
47.7 (8.7) |
55.0 (12.8) |
60.3 (15.7) |
59.0 (15.0) |
53.5 (11.9) |
43.9 (6.6) |
34.2 (1.2) |
27.9 (−2.3) |
43.3 (6.3) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 3 (−16) |
5 (−15) |
18 (−8) |
23 (−5) |
29 (−2) |
32 (0) |
41 (5) |
41 (5) |
33 (1) |
14 (−10) |
14 (−10) |
1 (−17) |
1 (−17) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.14 (29) |
1.14 (29) |
0.92 (23) |
0.26 (6.6) |
0.21 (5.3) |
0.05 (1.3) |
0.16 (4.1) |
0.35 (8.9) |
0.28 (7.1) |
0.26 (6.6) |
0.31 (7.9) |
0.72 (18) |
5.81 (148) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.8 (2.0) |
0.3 (0.76) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.7 (1.8) |
1.9 (4.8) |
| Source: The Western Regional Climate Center | |||||||||||||
