COMMISSION

Eastern Kern County, Onyx Ranch SVRA
In December 2014, the OHMVR Division
acquired 50 privately-owned parcels
(approximately 26,000 acres) in eastern
Kern County from ReNu Resources, LLC.
California’s Public Works Board approved the
acquisition at its November 14, 2014, meeting
as the Eastern Kern County, Onyx Ranch
SVRA (Onyx Ranch SVRA).
Location: Kern County
Total Park Acreage: 26,000
Year Park became an SVRA: 2014
Camping: Yes
Onyx Ranch SVRA is the second largest of nine SVRAs. It is adjacent to Red Rock Canyon
State Park, where the Mojave Desert abuts the southern-most extent of the Sierra Nevada,
and includes the Jawbone Canyon OHV Open Area, Kelso Valley, and Dove Springs OHV
Area. The property is laid out in a checkerboard fashion of mostly one-mile square parcels
and offers scenic and challenging terrain for OHV recreation. The SVRA is surrounded
by mostly Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land that also offers visitors varied OHV
recreational opportunities.
Major population centers of Bakersfield and Los Angeles are approximately 75 miles to
the west and 120 miles to the south, respectively. All of the adjacent BLM lands are within
the jurisdiction of the BLM Ridgecrest Field Office.
Within the undeveloped lands are a few developed
improvements the most notable two Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power (LADWP) aqueduct
pipelines.
Elevations range from 2,200 feet to over 6,400 feet.
Occasional snowfalls occur in the winter months and
summers are mostly hot and dry. The most pleasant
times of the year for OHV recreation occurs between
October and April when temperatures are cool and occasional rains provide for reduced
dust and improved traction. Nighttime temperatures frequently drop below freezing in the
winter, spring, and fall.
On October 3, 2013, the OHMVR Division approved the Eastern Kern County Acquisition
project and certified the Acquisition Environmental Impact report (EIR). The EIR considers
the environmental effects of the OHMVR Division acquiring and managing the project
properties and is required under California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (PRC
§ 21000 et seq.) and the CEQA Guidelines (California Code of Regulations Title 14,
§ 15000 et seq.). In accordance with the EIR, the OHMVR Division and San Andreas
2017 Program Report 189