There are three valleys named Surprise Valley in California.

• Southern California: Surprise Valleys in the south are located in Riverside County and San Bernardino County.
• Northern California: the third and largest is located on the border of Washoe County, Nevada and Modoc County, California.

Riverside County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of California, stretching from Orange County to the Colorado River, which is the border with Arizona. ... Official website: http://www. ... Washoe County is a county located in the state of Nevada. ...

Surprise Valley -- Modoc County

The largest California Surprise Valley is about 60 miles in length from north to south. Locals refer to the area as the Tricorner Region because of the region's location at the intersection of California, Oregon, and Nevada state lines. The valley is east of the Modoc County seat of Alturas. The area is part of the Great Basin which extends across most of the northern half of Nevada. Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq. ... Official language(s) None Capital Largest city Salem Portland Area  Ranked 9th  - Total 98,466 sq. ... Official language(s) None Capital Largest city Carson City Las Vegas Area  - Total   - Width   - Length    - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 7th 110,567 sq mi  286,367 km² 322 miles  519 km 490 miles  788 km 0. ... Modoc County is a county located in Californias far northeast corner, bounded by Oregon to the north and Nevada to the east. ... Alturas is the county seat of Modoc County, California. ... Drainage map showing the Great Basin in orange The Great Basin is a large, arid region of the western United States, commonly defined as the contiguous watershed region, roughly between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada, that has no natural outlet to the sea. ...

Terrain

Most of the valley is over 4,000 feet above mean sea level (AMSL), and could be characterized as a high altitude desert valley. A series of alkaline lakes occupy low-lying areas. Forested mountains mark the west side of the valley. The Granite Range, (in Nevada,) is to the east and the Warner Range is to the west. The Granite Range in Nevada is also identified as the Hays Range on some maps. The valley is considered part of the Great Basin, a desert region roughly covering the northern half of Nevada and extending into Utah. Communities in Surprise Valley include Eagleville (ZIP Code 96110), Cedarville (96104), Lake City (96115), and Fort Bidwell (96112). Official language(s) English Capital Salt Lake City Largest city Salt Lake City Area  Ranked 13th  - Total 84,876 sq. ... Cedarville is a town located in Modoc County, California. ...

Visiting

Most of the land west of the main north-south highway, Surprise Valley Road, is US Forest Service land. To the east of the road, most land is owned by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Recreational facilities on BLM lands tie in with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada (formerly called Sheldon Antelope Refuge). Over the region, opportunities for hiking, exploring dirt roads, birding, stalking antelope with cameras, fishing, camping, and mountain biking are available. Big game and bird hunting is popular among some area visitors. A BLM brochure warns, "Snowstorms occasionally strand travelers. May and June snowstorms are not uncommon." There are hot springs and abandoned mine shafts throughout the region.

Transportation

Gas stations exist in Fort Bidwell and Cedarville but hours for these facilities may be shorter than expected.

Cedar Pass on State Route 299 is the main east-west road connecting the area with California and the county seat, Alturas. State Route 81 allows passage toward Reno, Nevada via the Black Rock Desert community of Gerlach, Nevada. It is about 152 miles from Cedarville to Reno via this route. JUNCTION MILE POST US-101 ? US-395 ? Legend < Route 282 Route 330 > The California State Highway System California State Route 299 is a California state highway that runs across Northern California. ... Below contains a list and summary of the entirely unconstructed California State Routes as outlined by the legislature in 1964. ... City nickname: The Biggest Little City in the World Downtown Reno at night Founded May 13, 1868 County Washoe County Mayor Bob Cashell Area  - Total  - Land  - Water 179. ... Gerlach-Empire is a census-designated place located in Washoe County, Nevada. ...

A segment of the Applegate-Lassen Route, a Nineteenth Century pioneer wagon route to the area, crosses the valley diagonally from north of State Route 299 to Fandango Pass. The route is also known as the California National Historic Trail. California Trail The California Trail was a major overland emigrant route across the American West from Missouri to California in the middle 19th century. ...

Other roads out of the valley are unpaved. Because of its location along the Nevada state line, it is normal to see patrol cars from the Nevada Highway Patrol and the Washoe County Sheriff's Department transiting the area.

Telecommunications

Wired telephone service in this part of area code 530 appears to work out of a single central office and is provided by Citizens Utilities. There is wireless service to some areas of the valley. This is a remote area and services that people from cities expect are sometimes degraded, expensive, or unavailable. The valley is one of the last places in California where Department of Transportation (CalTrans) highway workers have no radio communications coverage. California Highway Patrol radios were mostly useless in the area until the 1980s installation of a remote-controlled base station intended to cover the valley. The unvoted base station works over a 76 MHz link to establish radio connectivity from the Highway Patrol's command center to this remote area. A Verizon Central Office in Lakeland, Florida at night. ...

Dependent Nation Communities

The Cedarville Rancheria is a Paiute community on the southeast edge of Cedarville. An areally-larger Paiute community exists at Fort Bidwell to the north. (Dependent Nation is a legal term incompletely describing American Indian nations under US law.)

Special Districts

The area is entirely inside the Modoc County Air Pollution Control District. It is served by K-through-12 provider Surprise Valley Joint Unified School District headquartered in Cedarville. The Surprise Valley Hospital District, also known as Surprise Valley Healthcare District, operates a hospital in Cedarville. Cedarville Water District exists in Cedarville.

External Links

Indian

Fort Bidwell Indian Reservation

Bureau of Indian Affairs Leaders

Tribal Statistics (Law)

Bylaws of Paiute Reservation

Other

Weather Observations

Surprise Valley -- Riverside County (Salton Sea area)

The Riverside County Surprise Valley is located near State Route 195 east of the town of Mecca, California. It is about one mile in length and the approximate center of this valley is located at 33°35′25″N, 116°00′27″W. It is on or near the Torres-Martinez Indian Reservation, near the north extent of the Salton Sea. JUNCTION POSTMILE {{{junction}}} Legend Prev Next < Route 194 Route 196 > California State Highways Current - Unconstructed - Deleted - Scenic California State Route 195 is in the southeastern portion of California, branching westward from California State Route 111. ... Mecca is a census-designated place located in Riverside County, California. ...

Surprise Valley -- San Bernardino County (Mojave Desert)

The San Bernardino County Surprise Valley is located about seven miles east of Landers or three miles west of Sunfair Heights. It north of Joshua Tree National Park. The valley is an areal feature and the approximate center of the area is 34°14′14″N, 116°16′13″W. Landers, California is a community in the Mohave Desert of California. ... A Joshua tree silhouetted by a rock Joshua Tree National Park is located in south-eastern California. ...