The Walking Box Ranch is located within the scenic Piute Valley, which is characterized by expansive vistas of the Mojave Desert and adjacent mountain ranges. The ranch was historically operated as a cattle ranch and retains the visual character. This section provides an overview of pertinent visual resources and management guidance applicable to the Walking Box Ranch. The primary issue for visual resources is maintaining the integrity of the historic viewshed of and from the ranch headquarters.

The ranch is divided into two distinct sections: 1) a 40-acre headquarters parcel, and 2) a 120-acre undeveloped parcel. For visual resource purposes, the analysis area includes the entire 160-acre ranch, though specific emphasis is placed on the historic viewshed in the foreground of and from the ranch headquarters parcel.

The Walking Box Ranch is typical of a traditional southwestern ranch, i.e., the ranch house and associated facilities are clustered on a relatively small area surrounded by largely undeveloped lands that were traditionally used for grazing. The ranch headquarters area is comprised of multiple buildings and includes a two-story ranch house, caretaker’s house, barn, bunkhouse, ice house, corrals, and other typical ranch support facilities (e.g., water troughs, cattle ramps, etc.), as well as a pool and tennis court. Only some of the facilities on the headquarters parcel are considered historic structures, as described in Section 3.3, “Cultural Resources”. The surrounding undeveloped area (120-acre parcel) is largely native vegetation, typical of the Mojave Desert ecosystem.

The ranch house and barn are of particular importance to the scenic quality of the headquarters parcel. The historic and visually distinct ranch house is an excellent example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style. This style of architecture is typified by smooth stucco walls, low-pitched clay tile roofs, and terra cotta ornaments (among other distinct architectural features), and is not commonly found in the region. The 40-acre headquarters parcel also includes an impressive railroad tie barn. The historic and architectural qualities of the ranch buildings are key features of the scenic resources on the 40-acre parcel and are described in more detail in Section 3.3, “Cultural Resources”.

The adjacent 120-acre parcel is characterized by vegetation typical of the Mojave Desert. This includes Joshua trees, Mojave yucca (“Spanish daggers”), and creosote, among other types of native vegetation. This landscape is similar to the rest of the Piute Valley (and larger Mojave Desert) and not visually unique. Beyond the analysis area and included in the larger viewshed are two mountain ranges: 1) the Newberry Mountains to the east, and 2) the New York Mountains to the west. These mountain ranges help physically define the Piute Valley and add to the overall visual quality of the analysis area and region. Key observation points (KOPs) are described in Section 4.11, “Visual Resources”.