Sand to Snow

Wilderness lovers, hikers, historians… take note! February 12, 2016 President Obama designated 3 new California National Monuments! Great!

But what’s a National Monument exactly? And can it be 240 square acres? Isn’t that more of a National Park or, well… I was thinking a monument is more like the Statue of Liberty?

There’s a great piece in the Press Telegram by Staff Writer, Janet Zimmerman, a city-girl like me :-) She shares all the details and history we ever wanted to know, maybe more! That’s what I like about her article. And she explains "What is a National Monument?" plus "What is the Antiquities Act?" and "What is the Difference between a National Monument, National Park and Other Designations?" I love the fact that 2016 allows me to easily share her article with you. Click here.

Desert Hot Springs is the perfect place to stay when you want to do some hiking or just take in the beautiful vistas of our new national monument. See Janet's follow-up article, "Sand to Snow Monument: Plants, animals living there aren't found anywhere else" here.

Another lovely introduction to the new monument can be found at The Wildlands Conservancy here. This website provides exploration and hiking information. Note some areas require pre-registration so please get the details before showing up then being disappointed due to limited access.

And since we’re learning, or refreshing together here’s a list of our National Monuments just in case you're interested, I know I was.

Above photograph credit to Jason Morrison. Following map from the Press Telegram article noted above.