Mojave National Preserve
Kelso Dunes, Cima Dome, cinder cones, lava tubes, springs, homesteads, and the restored depot create a landscape where desert ecology and transportation history remain intertwined.
Artwork inspired by Maynard Dixon
Kelso Dunes, Cima Dome, cinder cones, lava tubes, springs, homesteads, and the restored depot create a landscape where desert ecology and transportation history remain intertwined. Distances are much larger than the map icons imply. The essential frame combines established—1994—with area—1.6 million acres—and ecosystems—Mojave Desert.
Check conditions at Kelso Depot, then choose one major landform and one cultural stop with a fuel and turnaround plan. There are no reliable fuel stations inside the preserve, summer heat is dangerous, dirt roads become impassable, and GPS shortcuts can fail. Move deliberately from Kelso Dunes to Cima Dome, then use Kelso Depot as a check on the first impression rather than as another box to tick.
- Established
- 1994
- Area
- 1.6 million acres
- Ecosystems
- Mojave Desert
Quick guide
- Read first
- Check conditions at Kelso Depot, then choose one major landform and one cultural stop with a fuel and turnaround plan.
- Connect it to
- Compare Kelso Dunes with Cima Dome, then use Kelso Depot to test what the site is trying to communicate.
Know before you go
- Read first
- Check conditions at Kelso Depot, then choose one major landform and one cultural stop with a fuel and turnaround plan.
- Connect it to
- Compare Kelso Dunes with Cima Dome, then test that reading against Kelso Depot.
- Place in context
- Established: 1994; Area: 1.6 million acres; Ecosystems: Mojave Desert
- Plan the arrival
- For Mojave National Preserve, use Kelso Depot Visitor Center, 90942 Kelso Cima Rd, Kelso, CA 92309 as the reviewed public arrival point. Before visiting Mojave National Preserve, confirm.
Good to know
There are no reliable fuel stations inside the preserve, summer heat is dangerous, dirt roads become impassable, and GPS shortcuts can fail.
Notice these
- Kelso Dunes
- Cima Dome
- Kelso Depot