Argus Range

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Argus Range, near Searles Dry Lake, Mojave Desert, California

The Argus Range is a mountain range located in eastern California, southeast of the town of Darwin, between the Coso Range and the Panamint Valley. The range contains Maturango Peak, at 8,839 feet above sea level. The northern part of the mountains begin just south of the Panamint Springs Resort on Highway 190 and continues south to Searles Lake, near the town of Trona.

The crest of the Argus Range is located within a military reservation and so the peaks of this range are off-limits to the general public. The two peaks that are most alluring to would-be hikers are Argus Peak (6562') located just north of Trona above the Searles Valley and Maturango Peak (8,839') towering to the west of Panamint Valley.

The Argus Range Wilderness Area, under the administration of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), runs 28 miles along the east side of the Argus Range. It extends from the military reservation on the west to the foot of the Argus Range on the east. For most of its length, this wilderness area is no more than two miles wide. Several private property holdings are located within this wilderness area including a rather deep cherry-stem at Snow Canyon and a forty acre parcel known as Onyx Springs between Shepherd and Bendire Canyons. Many land-owners were affected by the creation of the Argus Range Wilderness Area in 1994.