The Hexie Mountains are a desert mountain range

Mountain range

A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...

 located in Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park is located in southeastern California. Declared a U.S. National Park in 1994 when the U.S. Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act , it had previously been a U.S. National Monument since 1936. It is named for the Joshua tree forests native to the park...

, in southern California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

.

Geography

The range is located in the higher northern Mojave Desert

Mojave Desert

The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...

 area of the park. They are north of the Cottonwood Mountains

Cottonwood Mountains

The Cottonwood Mountains range is found in Death Valley National Park in Inyo County, California, U.S.The range lies just to the northwest of the Panamint Range at the top of Death Valley, and run in a north-south direction....

, and south of the Pinto Mountains

Pinto Mountains

The Pinto Mountains are found in southern California, USA, at the north-central part of Joshua Tree National Park. The range reaches an elevation of southeast of the city of Twentynine Palms. The range is made up of dark gneiss, and the creosote bush is the dominant plant in the area....

. The Eagle Mountains

Eagle Mountains

The Eagle Mountains are located in northeastern Riverside County, California, U.S.-Geography:The range lies to the north of Interstate 10 off Riverside County Route R2 and west— and southwest of the Coxcomb Mountains...

 lie to the east of the Hexie Mountains.

Natural history

Numerous washes drain the Hexie Mountains, including Porcupine Wash and Fried Liver Wash. These host a mixture of low and high desert animals and plant. A herd of desert bighorn sheep

Bighorn Sheep

The bighorn sheep is a species of sheep in North America named for its large horns. These horns can weigh up to , while the sheep themselves weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates that there are three distinct subspecies of Ovis canadensis, one of which is endangered: Ovis canadensis sierrae...

 also live there.

History

There were attempts to mine and mill gold at many sites, including Ruby Lee Mill, and none were successful. Native petroglyphs can also be found in the Hexie Mountains.