COMMISSION

District manage the SVRA and hired full-time law enforcement and environmental scientist
staff in the summer of 2016.
Facilities and Recreational Opportunities
There are no visitor facilities within the SVRA.
Surrounding land uses include motorized and non-motorized recreation, livestock grazing,
energy development (primarily wind and solar), forestry/forest management, and rural
residential areas. Eastern Kern County, Onyx Ranch SVRA offers OHV recreation on
identified routes and trails for ATVs, motorcycles, and 4-wheel drive vehicles. Roads
and trail systems also provide access to
non-motorized recreation such as hiking,
backpacking, camping, birding, mountain
biking, and equestrian riding. The Pacific
Crest National Scenic Trail (PCT) crosses
the SVRA and is accessible from motorized
routes.
The BLM operates two OHV open areas
BLM Open Riding Area
adjacent to the SVRA. Dove Springs OHV
Area encompasses over 3,000 acres to the north of the SVRA and Jawbone Canyon
OHV Open Area has 8,500 acres to the south. While these areas allow open riding, there
are also parts that allow OHV travel only on designated routes. The BLM and Friends of
Jawbone have received OHMVR Grants program funds to install signs and barriers and
for trail restoration to prevent resource damage and keep people on the trails. Some of the
SVRA lands intersect with both of these BLM OHV areas.
Much of Eastern Kern County, Onyx Ranch SVRA and BLM areas are open to primitive
camping. No hook-ups or water for camping is available in the SVRA; however, there are pit
toilets and other facilities at Dove Springs and Jawbone Canyon.
Butterbredt Spring Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the
premiere stops in the SVRA. It is an oasis in the middle of
the desert and a very important resource for migrating birds.
Filled with willows, cottonwoods, and the only water for miles
on end, this sanctuary provides a much-needed resting place
for hundreds of thousands of birds migrating through the area.
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California State Parks, Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission