El Mirage Lake
{{Short description| Lake in the state of California, United States}}
{{Infobox body of water
| name = El Mirage Lake
| image = Mojave SummerStorm.jpg
| caption =
| location = Mojave Desert, San Bernardino County, California
| coords = {{coord|34.6470|-117.60001|region:US-CA_type:waterbody_source:wikimapia| display=inline,title}}
| lake_type = Endorheic basin
| inflow =
| outflow =
| catchment =
| basin_countries = United States
| length = {{convert|10|km|abbr=on}}
| width = {{convert|3|km|abbr=on}}
| area =
| depth =
| max-depth =
| volume =
| residence_time =
| shore = {{convert|25|km|abbr=on}}
| elevation = {{convert|865|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| pushpin_map = California#USA
| pushpin_label_position =
| pushpin_map_alt = Location of El Mirage Lake in California, USA.
| pushpin_map_caption =
| website =
| reference = {{gnis|241896}}
}}
El Mirage Lake is a dry lake bed in the northwestern Victor Valley of the central Mojave Desert, within San Bernardino County, California.
The lake is located about {{convert|9|mi}} west-northwest of the town of Adelanto and {{convert|10|mi|abbr=on}} north of Highway 18 in San Bernardino County.
The dry lake, at an elevation of {{convert|2840|ft|abbr=on}}, is approximately {{convert|6|mi|abbr=on}} long.
El Mirage Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area (OHV)
File:El Mirage Dry Lake Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area (29819220780) (cropped).jpg
Formerly open to all visitors, it has been a popular spot for many activities ranging from gyrocopter and ultralight aircraft operations to automobile racing. The Bureau of Land Management has installed a fence to enclose the lake and some of the surrounding areas, and now charges fees for entry to what is now known as the El Mirage Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Recreation Area. It is a popular filming location for automobile commercials. Permits for the Recreation Area can be purchased on-site, at local retailers and online. Annual permits are $90, weekly permits are $30, and daily permits are $15.{{Cite web |url=http://www.elmiragepermits.com/ |title=El Mirage Permits |access-date=2008-10-01 |archive-date=2022-01-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107213808/https://www.elmiragepermits.com/ |url-status=dead }} Private aircraft may still land on the lakebed.
For 50 years the lakebed has been used by the Southern California Timing Association for timed speed runs. The club also operates the Bonneville Salt Flats speed runs.
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Climate
El Mirage Lakebed experiences a desert climate, with cool winters and hot summers. Due to the lakebed's aridity and high elevation, the diurnal temperature variation is substantial. Though summer days can be very hot, summer nighttime temperatures are cool. The lakebed receives an occasional dusting of snow in the winter months, however, snowfall usually melts within 24 hours.
{{Weather box|location = El Mirage Lakebed, California
| single line = Y
| Jan record high F = 76
| Feb record high F = 82
| Mar record high F = 88
| Apr record high F = 96
| May record high F = 104
| Jun record high F = 110
| Jul record high F = 112
| Aug record high F = 108
| Sep record high F = 106
| Oct record high F = 98
| Nov record high F = 84
| Dec record high F = 80
| year record high F = 112
| Jan high F = 56.8
| Feb high F = 60.5
| Mar high F = 65.4
| Apr high F = 72.1
| May high F = 80.9
| Jun high F = 91.1
| Jul high F = 97.7
| Aug high F = 96.3
| Sep high F = 89.3
| Oct high F = 77.8
| Nov high F = 65.2
| Dec high F = 56.9
| Jan low F = 29.3
| Feb low F = 32.4
| Mar low F = 36.4
| Apr low F = 40.0
| May low F = 47.7
| Jun low F = 55.0
| Jul low F = 60.3
| Aug low F = 59.0
| Sep low F = 53.5
| Oct low F = 43.9
| Nov low F = 34.2
| Dec low F = 27.9
| Jan record low F = 3
| Feb record low F = 5
| Mar record low F = 18
| Apr record low F = 23
| May record low F = 29
| Jun record low F = 32
| Jul record low F = 41
| Aug record low F = 41
| Sep record low F = 33
| Oct record low F = 14
| Nov record low F = 14
| Dec record low F = 1
| year record low F = 1
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 1.14
| Feb precipitation inch = 1.14
| Mar precipitation inch = 0.92
| Apr precipitation inch = 0.26
| May precipitation inch = 0.21
| Jun precipitation inch = 0.05
| Jul precipitation inch = 0.16
| Aug precipitation inch = 0.35
| Sep precipitation inch = 0.28
| Oct precipitation inch = 0.26
| Nov precipitation inch = 0.31
| Dec precipitation inch = 0.72
| year precipitation inch = 5.81
|Jan snow inch = 0.8
|Feb snow inch = 0.3
|Mar snow inch = 0.2
|Apr snow inch = 0
|May snow inch = 0
|Jun snow inch = 0
|Jul snow inch = 0
|Aug snow inch = 0
|Sep snow inch = 0
|Oct snow inch = 0
|Nov snow inch = 0
|Dec snow inch = 0.7
|year snow inch = 1.9
|source 1 = The Western Regional Climate Center{{cite web
| url =http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ca2771| title =Seasonal Temperature and Precipitation Information | access-date =August 14, 2013 | publisher =Western Regional Climate Center }}
|date=August 2013}}
See also
{{commons category}}
- El Mirage, California — adjacent to the lakebed.
- {{C|Endorheic lakes of California}}
- {{C|Lakes of the Mojave Desert}}
- List of lakes in California
References
- California Road & Recreation Atlas, 2005, pg. 104
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{gnis|241896}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20080213001127/http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/barstow/mirage.html El Mirage OHV Recreation Area]
- [http://www.elmiragepermits.com El Mirage OHV Recreation Area Online Permit Sales] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107213808/https://www.elmiragepermits.com/ |date=2022-01-07 }}
- [http://www.americanparagliding.com/images/elmiragejuly06/index.htm Ultralight Flying at El Mirage Lake]
{{authority control}}
Category:Lakes of the Mojave Desert
Category:Lakes of San Bernardino County, California
Category:Endorheic lakes of California
Category:Salt flats of California
Category:Landforms of San Bernardino County, California