|  |  | |  | |  | Providence Mountains State Recreation Area
Spectacular eastern Mojave scenery. Sun-scorched washes and mesas rise 7,000 feet from Clipper Valley, meeting weathered crags that offer magnificent East Mojave vistas. An ancient ocean, limestone rock, and time formed the cool Mitchell Caverns, home to California myotis bats and rare pseudo-s...
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Oak Flat Lookout |  | Description: Here’s a rare chance to spend the night in a retired fire lookout with an unbeatable 360-degree view of the surrounding oak woodlands, the scenic Kern River, and the rugged Greenhorn Mountains. If you plan a springtime visit, enjoy the dramatic wildflower displays. | |
Wildlife to Watch: Watch bald eagles, golden eagles, Swainson’s hawks, prairie falcons, and red-tailed hawks soar on thermal updrafts. Use your spotting scope to scan the slopes for traveling mountain lions, bobcats, black bears, and gray foxes. Search among the black and live oaks for California quail, band-tailed pigeons, and chukar. The oak woodland is also a seasonal home to mountain chickadees, plain titmice, California thrashers, horned larks, and other migrants. |
Special Tips: Only fire lookout in California that can be rented overnight ($25/night); you must call USFS for reservations. |
Other Activities: Day viewing open to public; walk in 0.3 miles past locked gate. Viewing from trail or from vehicle on Greenhorn Summit. About 12.7 miles of graded dirt/gravel roads; last 0.7 miles may not be passable when wet. |
Ownership: USDA Forest Service
Size: 1 acre
Closest Town: Bakersfield |
Facilities:
    Best Seasons for Wildlife Viewing:
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