A big piece of the Mojave desert lies in eastern California and it is a good stop en route to Las Vegas, as well as a super destination in its own right.

In the interests of research, we bought a joint on Fremont and left Las Vegas in the dark, crossing the line back into California. 20 miles later we turned south down Cima Road into the quiet of the Mojave Desert and pulled in to camp at Sunrise Rock, where a white cross stands to commemorate the dead of World War 1. It felt good to be away from the lights of Vegas.

Overhead, only starry sky, vivid in the cold still air. The distant rumble of a freight train and the occasional dull crump of army artillery. The army use the Mojave as a training ground. We had space in case the weasels* came calling but it was unnecessary as our $25 toke produced no discernible effect: so much for legal highs!

Luckily you don’t need drugs to appreciate the Mojave Desert, though to most people it is just the boring brown dirty landscape seen from the car window en route to Vegas. It actually spreads across four states but one of the more accessible areas is found in eastern California within the Mojave National Preserve, neatly sandwiched between the I-40 and I-15 freeways.

Cima Road

Although Joshua Tree National Park has claimed the name, the world’s highest concentration of Joshua trees is actually found along the Cima road, a dense furry forest. Next morning we wound through these as we followed the Teutonia Peak trail to the mountain’s 1,754 m jagged crest, the sand crisp underfoot after an icy night. We were rewarded with stunning views in all directions and a flash of white tails from some disturbed deer.  

Surrounded in all directions by endless space, it is easy to think the land empty, but closer inspection reveals differently. From the early Indians who left their petroglyphs on the rocks to the miners who arrived in the 1860s, all have left their mark. Descending back to the flat, we detoured a little way south along an old track to the Teutonia silver mine ruins which were worked intermittently from 1896. The main shaft is now protected by a giant metal grill; nearby are the flattened remnants of an old wooden house.

Kelso Depot

The ranchers came next and when the railroad arrived in the 1890’s it entirely opened up the region. We drove on south through Cima, very nearly a ghost town now, old railway cars rusting on a siding, to Kelso Depot, an important stop on the Union Pacific line as not only did it have a reliable spring but extra engines were attached to push the trains up the steep incline to Cima. Today mile long freight trains still come through regularly en route to Salt Lake City with towering double decked containers.

In 1924, a smart new railroad building was opened, built in the Mission style with cool verandahs. Narrowly saved from demolition when it closed on 1985, it is now the Park’s headquarters and you can see an interesting 20 minute film as well as pick up maps and brochures.

To the north west lie the deceptively rounded slopes of the Cima Dome, surrounded by cinder beds and lava cones. It is possible to descend into one of these and I have read nothing but good reports about the experience, but unfortunately it lies down 5 miles of very badly corrugated, sandy road which we felt beyond our hire car.

Just south of the depot, a good dirt road leads to the trailhead for the Kelso Dunes with plenty of good wild camping possibilities beyond it. We arrived just on sunset as the dunes bathed in a final fiery glow and little kangaroo mice came out to feed. So called because they hop on their hind legs, they have long white tipped tails and are unbearably cute. Unfortunately for them, they are tasty morsels for the coyotes and foxes that we could hear yipping in the nights.

The dunes rise to 650 feet and cover an area of 45 square miles, the sand having been dropped by winds over 25,000 years. As we set off in the early morning, the heady smell of the scattered creosote bushes hung in the air: it is the smell of the desert after rain or cold winter dews. The walk to the top took just under an hour and the views were stunning, after which we had great fun skiing back down the slope. These dunes emit a booming sound when disturbed but maybe they were too cold this morning as they refused to perform.

Hole-in-the-Wall

We backtracked slightly and took Cedar Canyon road east to Rock Spring where there is an easy one mile loop trail. It starts at a little rock house which was built by Bert Smith, a World War 1 veteran seeking relief from battle scarred lungs: the desert air obviously agreed with him as he survived for another 25 years in this rather remote spot, though there is a stark beauty to the surrounding mountains.

The trail drops into a narrow canyon where there is a tiny pool, once a vital link in the chain that allowed Indians and Europeans to successfully cross the desert. There was even a short lived army base here to protect the route though nothing remains today.

Our final stop was the Hole in the Wall area, south on Black Canyon road. The park maintains two campsites on this road which have toilets and tables and cost $12 a night. The one at Hole-in-the-Wall is particularly beautiful with lovely views out over high volcanic cliffs.

Nearby is one of the most popular walks in the park, a scenic one mile loop – I would recommend doing it clockwise –  which follows a rhyolite outcrop past some Indian carvings and leads into a narrow canyon from where you climb out with the aid of rings, emerging at the picnic area – fun for all the family!

A little further south is the Providence Mountains State Recreation Area where the Mitchell Caverns have recently reopened to visitors. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see these as their booking system wdid not fit in with our erratic schedule, but they look as if they would be well worth a visit.

So visit the Mojave if you can – personally I am not recommending cannabis tourism, but it is a great place to get away from the weasels!

* Weasels

A tongue in cheek reference to a quote from the great writer of gonzo journalism, Hunter S Thompson (1937-2005). It comes from his brilliant book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, initially printed as a 2 part series in Rolling Stone magazine in 1971, then published in 1972. It describes a drug addled long weekend in Vegas with his Samoan attorney: loved the book, movie pretty dodgy!

“Every now and then when your life gets complicated and the weasels start closing in, the only cure is to load up on heinous chemicals and then drive like a bastard from Hollywood to Las Vegas … with the music at top volume and at least a pint of ether.”

Notes

The park is free to visit and you can find more information here. There is neither food nor services within the park, though Kelso Depot has water as well as the official camp sites, so stock up.

There are two managed camp sites – Mid Hills and Hole-in-the-Wall – on Black Canyon road which cost $12 and are first come, first served. Both are in beautiful locations. The park actively encourages people to wild camp in previously used places and it is a wonderful way to experience the desert and starry nights. Ask for info at Kelso Depot though I can recommend Sunrise Rock and the end of the sand dunes access road.

Mitchell Caverns have to be booked ahead by phoning 760 928-2586 between 8 am and 5 pm on Mondays. More information can be found here. Tours leave at 11 am and 2 pm on Fridays, saturdays and sundays. There is a small campsite here too.