Ridgecrest, CA

China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station

The Maturango Museum in Ridgecrest, California celebrate the natural and cultural history of the Upper Mojave Desert with exhibits of plants, animals, Native American artifacts and contemporary arts and crafts. More...

Earthquakes July 2019 - June 2020

The largest earthquake in California in 20 years occurred on July 5, 2019. Its epicenter was 11 miles from Ridgecrest and it was measured at 7.1 on the Richter scale. An earthquake measuring 6.4 had just hit the area the day before, July 4, 2019. 2020 - Moderate mag. 5.5 earthquake. The USGS says June 3rd quake hit at a fairly shallow depth shortly after 6:30 p.m. and was centered 13.6 miles north of the small city of Ridgecrest.

Location / Description

Ridgecrest is located in the southern portion of the Indian Wells Valley, surrounded by four mountain ranges; the Sierra Nevada on the west, the Cosos on the north, the Argus Range on the east, and the El Paso Mountains on the south. It is approximately 80 miles from the Lancaster/Palmdale area and approximately 125 miles from both Bakersfield and San Bernardino, the three nearest major urban centers.

As the only incorporated community in the Indian Wells Valley, Ridgecrest acts as the urban center for northeastern Kern, Inyo and San Bernardino Counties. The City's incorporated area includes approximately 13,300 acres Ridgecrest is host to the famed federal research and development laboratory at China Lake. Ridgecrest is located in the Mojave Desert east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and west of Death Valley National Park.

Population / Elevation

28,978 people / 2,289 feet above sea level

Weather / Climate

The meteorology in the Indian Wells Valley is predominantly influenced by its high desert location. The climate is characterized by hot days and cool nights, with extreme arid conditions prevailing throughout the summer months. The mean annual temperature for the Ridgecrest area is 65 degrees F. There are wide annual temperature fluctuations that occur from a maximum of 118 degrees F to a minimum of 0 degrees F.

Ridgecrest, California - Monthly Climate Normals
	Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
High °F	80	59	65	70	79	86	96	103	101	95	83	69	60
Low °F	50	30	35	41	48	56	64	70	68	61	50	37	30

Average °F	65	45	50	56	64	71	80	86	85	78	67	53	45
Rain	3.5	0.8	0.6	0.5	0.1	0.1	-	-	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.3	0.5

Hotels/Motels

Camping & RV Parks

Death Valley National Park: There are 9 campgrounds within Death Valley NP.

History

Ridgecrest, incorporated in 1963, is located in the northeast corner of Kern County in the Northern Mojave Desert. Prior to the establishment of the Naval Ordnance Test Station (NOTS) at Inyokern in 1941, Ridgecrest, then "Crumville," consisted of a few scattered farms and homesteads. Ridgecrest evolved during the 1950's and 1960's as a support community, vital to the mission of NOTS, by providing housing and services for Federal employees and contractors.

NOTS, later China Lake Naval Weapons Center (NWC) and now the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) home to the Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC) Weapons Division, continues to be the major source of employment for Ridgecrest residents. At the same time, NAWS depends increasingly upon Ridgecrest for support services. The economic stability Ridgecrest has enjoyed as a service community for the NAWS has been essential to its successful emergence as a community in its own right.

Things To Do

Events Calendar

Annually in spring: Wildflower Tours
Annually in spring & fall: Petroglyph Tours
Annually in September: Desert Empire Fair
Annually in May: Josh's Jamboree
Annually in October Ridgecrest Balloon Festival