Mojave National Preserve

Desert magic.

This is the world's largest concentration of Joshua trees! Surprisingly, it's not Joshua Tree National Park although that's an awesome destination as well. Sadly, many have been burned by the Cima Dome fire (2020) and stand like charred statues.

TIPS/NOTES:
-Free.
-BE PREPARED: Unlike Twentynine Palms (the town adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park), this area is really remote and away from civilization. Bring water, food, ample gasoline, anything you may need for your car health (battery starter, Fix-a-Flat, etc.). Download offline driving maps as you will lose service in the park. Don't depend on Waze for offline mapping as it can be unreliable. Bring a friend. I came here alone and it made me a tiny bit nervous just because it's so remote.
-UNPAVED ROADS: Have a driving plan. The GPS will take you on some unpaved roads. If you want to avoid these, you want to have a well-planned route in advance. For instance, I had planned to drive from Kelso Visitor Depot to the Hole in the Wall Visitor Center (to do the Rings Loop Trail). It seemed like a quick detour however it was a 15-mile dirt road (that I took there and back). My car is AWD but it was full washboard at times and my tire light kept coming on. This made me pretty anxious obviously, especially since I was alone. What I should have done is reviewed the map in advance, which would have showed me that I should have done the Rings Loop Trail first, taking a paved route from the other side. If you have a 2WD vehicle or just want to avoid the stress of long unpaved drives, here is the NPS map: https://www.nps.gov/moja/planyourvisit/upload/MOJAmap1-2.pdf. It shows you paved v. unpaved. Plan your itinerary that way.
-VISITOR CENTER: The Kelso Visitor Center is currently closed due to a failure of their climate control systems. It's not anticipated to re-open until Spring 2023! That being said, I still recommend you stop by. They have quite a few signs telling you about the railroad depot's history. There's an old jail, an abandoned general store, etc. I found it fascinating and a worthwhile stop. Also, nice bathrooms. Oh and grab a guide/map from outside the Visitor's Center.
-LODGING: There is no lodging in the park and not much within a short driving distance. It also depends where you're starting from and where you end up. You can stay in Baker, although there aren't many options. I recommend going on Airbnb and searching Sandy Valley. You'll get a few hits for properties at Sandy Valley Ranch, including their covered wagon (where I stayed). Very cool experience, at a reasonable price. About an hour drive from the north side of the park. If you're ending things on the south side of the park, there's Needles. I've driven through it and it's a little sketchy. You can also just start your day really early and get the hell out of this area altogether.
-ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS: If you like quirky roadside attractions, check out the Amboy Lions, south of the park.
-ACTIVITIES: As far as activities in the park go, I recommend checking out the Kelso Visitor Center, the Mojave Cross (interesting history including a legal battle and a theft), and a hike. I chose the quick and easy Rings Loop Trail (you use rings to pull yourself up). There's also the Teutonia Peak Trail, although I think that's where the majority of the charred Joshua trees reside. Additionally, the park offers the Kelso Dunes that I didn't get a chance to see. I believe there is a short unpaved road to get here and I'm not sure how gnarly it is. Do your own research there.

Enjoy the beauty of the desert and BE SAFE!

Had the chance to visit a piece of Mojave National Preserve yesterday. The preserve currently offers Teutonia Peak Trail and Kelso Dunes available during the pandemic. The scenery is amazing. The clouds were absolutely breathtaking as a backdrop to the many mountains and peaks. There are places to pull over along the way, you can even have a picnic at The Mojave Cross.

Can't wait to come back and visit more of Mojave National Preserve!

I like many of people have experienced this expansive wilderness from I-15 in San Bernardino County. It takes a bit of extra effort to get off the interstate and explore it further. There's a lot of natural beauty away from the road. It takes a lot of time to get to everything. The roads aren't always good, so be prepared.

It's hard to account for everything because it's such a large area. It takes up much of San Bernardino County starting at Barstow. This is where you find the headquarters. It has a visitors center. This part of the preserve isn't the most exciting. It gets better the closer you get to Baker. When you get there, you're pretty close to the Kelso Dunes, where you can find a still functioning train depot among other things.

If you've driven from LA to Vegas you've been here and may not know it. Look around a bit the next time you're in the area. The park is mostly between Interstates 15 and 40, with most of the best parts around Baker and Kelso.

Pros: The world's largest Joshua Tree Forest at Teutonia Peak is still impressive, despite being mostly burned.

Cons: Sand dunes at Death Valley National Park are much more impressive than Kelso Dunes.

This is the road less traveled. Newcomers beware! There is zero service and there is nothing on the reserve for miles! Be prepared to make sudden stop for potholes. Flash floods are common out there and will change road conditions in a short period of time. This is one of my favorite drives to make but one should definitely prepare for the unexpected. It's the last place you want to be going without. Enjoy the quiet and the scenery. It's a wonderful place.

What I can appreciate most about Mojave National Preserve is the efforts taken to maintain its existence.

Sure, there's pavement, brick and mortar visitor's centers, and developed campgrounds within the actual park. There are many other human-made structures to accommodate the numbers of people. I won't even mention that fact that it's situated basically between the 15 and 40 interstate highways, but there is that.

It's nothing like what the Grand Canyon has become. I love the Grand Canyon, but each time I see it I am saddened a bit more. More hotels and more tourist traps keep emerging. It has truly become engulfed in Edward Abbey's idea of "Industrial Tourism." A very broad definition of this concept begins on page 61 of his book "Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness," however, a whole chapter is dedicated to it in conjunction with the National Parks.

In classic Abbey style, he rambles on quite a bit about how humans need to disconnect from and leave their "automobiles" to enjoy nature. He even outlines a few ways in which the Parks should eliminate "automobile traffic." Easier said than done, especially in a place like Mojave.

Abbey explains, "Through Congress the tourism industry can bring enormous pressure to bear upon such a slender reed in the executive branch as the poor old Park Service, a pressure which is also exerted on every other possible level--local, state, regional--and through advertising and the well-established habits of a wasteful nation."

It is only for future generations that I bring all this up in hopes that as little development in these natural sanctuaries as possible occurs.

Keep Mojave the way it is - for Abbey and I have at least one thing in common: our adoration for the desert.

Page 269 (same book) reads, "And there is, I suspect, another feeling alive in each of us as we lug these rotting guts across the desert: satisfaction."

2018 Challenge #114

I've visited the Preserve twice now. There is no facilities on site - just some campsites maintained by the BLM, so both times have been drive through Day Trips.

The desert scenery is incredible.

The trip to the Lava Tube is one of the coolest things I've ever done in my life.

The Kelso Dunes were also pretty cool.

The Joshua Tree forests along Cima Road and Morning Star Mine Road rival those of Joshua Tree National Park.

The visitor center in Kelso has had open bathrooms even when the visitor center has been closed.

Mojave National Preserve could well be considered the step-child of California's parks and preserves. Everyone has heard of Death Valley, Yosemite and Sequoia. And most Angelenos could tell you where the Mojave Desert is, kind of: on the way to Vegas or the Sierras, depending on the person. But few people (and this included me, until this weekend) know that this Preserve protects 1.6 million acres of the most gorgeous and interesting acres of wilderness in our state and the country, including the Cima Dome which is home to the highest concentration of Joshua trees on the planet.

Highlights of our trip included:

Lava tube: you are able to crawl down into an actual lava tube created in the ancient geologic past of this area. Make sure you have a Jeep or the like: the road out there is five miles and unpaved in a very challenging way.

Kelso Dunes: gorgeous sand dunes which are home to several species of plants and animals native to the area.

Kelso Depot Visitor Center: A former train depot that has been converted to a nice visitor center with friendly rangers, a gift shop and displays about the history of the area (including a clay pot thousands of years old made by the Mojave residents of the area)

Hole-in-the-Wall: The fascinating rock formations in the area were created by a volcanic explosion millions of years ago. As the volcanic ash settled, it trapped gas bubbles which then creating the Swiss-cheese-like formations you will find here. Wonderful trails.

We saw lots of wildlife (maybe because it was cooler than normal for our trip) including a roadrunner, a mule deer. a coyote, tons of rabbits and birds, gazillions of lizards and lots of the Mojave ground squirrel. There are flashing red lights at some of the entrances warning you to watch out for tortoises.

Pictures and words cannot capture the feeling of vast expanse that will envelop you as you drive through the Preserve. Make sure that your car is in excellent shape, full of gas and don't try roads that might be challenging for your vehicle. Take lots of water and snacks in case you get stranded

No fee. But then peace and tranquility are priceless.

Closed at zzyzx rd. Literally the stupidest thing ever. And covid as the excuse? Somebody make this make sense. Been there a few times before, its fine. Its very nice for sunrises and sunsets, the lava tubes are neat, but honestly, stop playing games and open the convenient entrance at zzyzx. Death valley is open, and packed. This is stupid.

It's probably a safe bet Mojave National Preserve is the most visited national park. However, all but a sliver are headed to Las Vegas and never enter the park. The I-15 freeway is the northern border of the park from Zzyzx to almost the Nevada stateline.

In all the years of driving through the desert terrain, I would've never imagined that in this park you can find beautiful towering sand dunes, lava tubes that you can walk through, and beautiful scenic hikes where you see wild horses grazing nearby and indian hieroglyphics. Yes, all of this can be experienced in Mojave National Preserve.

The park is home to abundant wildlife, including bobcats, mountain lion, mule deer, big horn sheep, great horn and barn owls, and the desert tortoise. There are many volcanic sites including cinder cones and lava tubes, from activities 18 million years ago. At night, the sky lights up spectacularly with a zillion stars and the milky way is clearly visible.

SUVs are the best for criscrossing the park as some of the roads are gravel and rough but passenger cars with good clearance will work too. The park facilities are well maintained. We camped at the Hole-In-The-Wall campground which had a great covered picnic table area.

Mojave National Preserve may be less known than Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks but has unique attractions that are definitely worth visiting.