Indian Wells Valley
| Indian Wells Valley | ||
|---|---|---|
 View of Ridgecrest in the Indian Wells Valley |
||
| location | California , USA | |
| Mountains |
Argus Range (east) Coso Range (north) El Paso Mountains (south) Sierra Nevada (west) |
|
| Geographical location | 35 ° 42 ′ N , 117 ° 41 ′ W | |
|
||
| length | 53 km | |
The Indian Wells Valley is a dry north-south trending valley basin in central eastern California in the United States . In a geological sense, it is a southern extension of the Owens Valley to the north, with the volcanoes of the Coso Range being the limit. It is bounded by a fault on the west side of the valley to the Sierra Nevada . In contrast to the Owens Valley, it is bounded in the south by a fault, the Garlock Fault (within the El Paso Mountains ). The valley is located in the northwesternmost Mojave Desert .
The largest town in the valley is Ridgecrest . Other locations include Inyokern , Indian Wells, and settlements associated with the China Lake Naval Weapons Center , the valley's main industry. The California State Route 14 and US Highway 395 , the main traffic routes through the valley.