“The vast, rugged landscape redefines our notions of distance and space and brings into sharp focus the will and resolve of the people who have lived here.”
– Presidential Proclamation establishing Basin and Range National Monument.
The Basin and Range National Monument, created by President Obama in 2015, protected 704,000 acres and is an ecological and geological powerhouse, offering unparalleled opportunities for solitude. The Monument includes two large valleys surrounded by eight separate mountain ranges, and is home to much wildlife (including many threatened or sensitive species) and unique and endangered plants found only in Nevada.
The two days we spent in the Monument we saw two people. The group Friends of Basin and Range have great info about the Monument and link you to the website birdandhike which has detailed info on places to see. It includes a great driving route across the Basin that lets you feel every bit of the 704,000 acres.
The Monument has tons of unique areas hidden throughout, including caves, arches, and shallow boulder fields and canyons.
The Monument is home to great art both old and new. There are regular art districts of petroglyphs in a couple different pockets of the Monument. More recently, the artist Michael Heizer has been working on the earthwork sculpture the City. The BLM recently accepted a conservation easement for the private land where the City is located.
Basin & Range is a landscape of survivors. We hope it can withstand the current political glare and continue to be a place for art and life in the future.