Big Morongo Canyon Preserve/ACEC is well recognized as an important wildlife corridor that links BLM’s San Gorgonio Wilderness with the San Bernardino National Forest and Joshua Tree National Park. This corridor allows wildlife; including mule deer, big horn sheep, and mountain lions, to move freely within this area in search of food and water.

Perennial water within the area provides a much-needed stopping point for migrating birds and is essential to the survival of a wide variety of birds, mammals, insects, amphibians, and reptiles. The lush vegetation that grows in the canyon is a sharp contrast to the surrounding dry, desert slopes. Big Morongo ACEC is administered by BLM’s Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office.

Big Morongo Canyon Preserve is an internationally-recognized birding site. Several rare or unusual species are known to nest here, and many other species are abundant during the spring and fall migration seasons.

The Preserve has been designated as an Important Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy, the American Birding Association, and the Watchable Wildlife National Program, and is featured in the National Geographic Guide to Bird Watching Sites. Over 247 bird species have been recorded in the Preserve, with at least 72 resident breeding species.

Explore Nearby

• Indio Hills Palms — State Park in California
• Indian Mountain State Park — State Park in Tennessee
• San Bernardino National Forest — National Forest in California
• Joshua Tree National Park Dark Sky Park — Dark Sky Site in California
• Cleveland National Forest — National Forest in California