I have lived in these mountains for 8 years and have explored most of the backcountry via quad and 4x4.
I have been to many places around the world in my travels with the Department of Defense and this place has to be among the most phenomenal places on the face of the Earth.
The cultural history of my Native American brothers and sisters still resound across this valley and during the night, you can hear not only the sound of Native song; but the wolves and coyotes singing.
The sunsets here are so vibrant that it goes unmatched in my opinion. The contrast of bronze, burnt red, gold and yellow in the backdrop of these mountains are far beyond exceptional.
During Monsoon, the rainbows are more than a single rainbow cast in every color imaginable. Often times there are 2 - 3 rainbows overlapping each other with a collage of every color the human eye can see.
To top things off, we now have an Official Quiet Zone, meaning no more disturbing train horns polluting and damaging the area with noise.