El Mirage Lake California

El Mirage Lake is best known for Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) activities. The area is located in the Mojave Desert just West of the city of Adelanto. The Off-Highway vehicle riding area is by managed the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and does require permits.

The El Mirage lake bed is a flat playa that has formed from an undrained basin. A combination of silt and clay have deposited into the basin from periods of heavy rains. After the lake dries the lake hardens. This hard smooth surface has become popular for several outdoor activities.

When you visit El Mirage Lake you may see ultra-light aircraft, gyrocopter, model rocketry, remote control airplanes, landsailing and even land speed racing. The surface character has been and is used by many filming companies. Several major movies have scenes filmed here like Auto Commercials, Judgement Day, Legal Weapon and so on.

El Mirage Lake bed is surrounded by the Shadow Mountains and the Twin Hills area. This area makes up a 24,000 acre project area of public and private land. The elevations range is about 2,800 feet at the lake to more than 3,800 feet in the Shadow Mountains.