Please drive slowly and exercise due caution when driving in Mojave National Preserve. Rough and damaged roads exist on both paved and unpaved roads. Watch for potholes. More
Kelso Depot Visitor Center is closed for rehabilitation of the heating and cooling system. We expect to reopen the depot in 2026. The restrooms beside the depot are open.
Rough roads may and do exist! Check your vehicle, the road conditions, and weather before you head out into the desert.
NPS / K. Lewandowski
Mojave National Preserve has miles of adventures to explore. Not every road within the Preserve is suitable for standard passenger cars. The majority of our off-pavement roads require high clearance and 4WD. This section is an introduction to sights along the primary roads in the Preserve. It is strongly recommended to check current road conditions prior to beginning your adventure at Mojave National Preserve.
1.6 Million Acres to Choose From...
Mojave is a massive preserve. With so much room to roam, you'll want to plan ahead so you know you'll have enough gas, water, and food to survive on your own. Attractions are far apart and may require a 4WD vehicle. Come prepared for rugged desert adventure.
Cima Road is an 18 mile paved road that connects Interstate 15 to Cima, California. Cima Road passes through a forest of Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia jaegeriana). Sadly, many of Joshua Trees seen on this road burned in the August 2020 Dome Fire.
Essex Road is a paved road and is the gateway from Interstate 40 to Hole-in-the-Wall and to the Providence Mountains State Recreation Area (home of Mitchell Caverns). To reach Hole-in-the-Wall simply travel 10 miles north on Essex Road, make a right, and then travel and additional 10 more miles on Black Canyon Road.
Tour reservations for the Mitchell Caverns, will be taken by phone only on Mondays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m by phone (760) 928-2586
You must speak with a staff member to make a reservation at (760) 928-2586. Phone messages and emails will not be accepted.
For school and group tours, please call during reservation hours for more information.
Tour Details: The tour involves a 1.5 mile strenuous roundtrip hike to/from Mitchell Caverns and an hour guided tour of the cave.
Costs:
Individuals: $10 per adult I $5 per child (16 and below) I $9 per senior
Payment options: Credit card or cash. Note: Because of the remoteness of the park, CARD IS PREFERRED.
Available Tours:
October-May: 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Fridays through Sundays (and Holiday Mondays).
June & September: 10 a.m. Fridays through Sundays (and Holiday Mondays).
Park is closed July & August, as well as Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
Arrival Instructions:
Make sure to arrive early. Give yourself plenty of time to journey to the park as road conditions are primitive and subject to delays.
Reservation holders should arrive and pay for their tours at 30 minutes before they are scheduled to depart.
Kelbaker Road is a 56 mile road and is one of the primary paved roads in Mojave National Preserve. This road connects Interstate 15 in Baker to Interstate 40. Beyond the Preserve, Kelbaker Road continues further south connecting to Route 66, Amboy, and eventually Joshua Tree National Park and Twentynine Palms.
Visitors from the south: Amboy is the last gas station before reaching Mojave National Preserve. Gas can be found with a detour from Amboy either in Ludlow (28 miles) or Fenner (47 miles). Both locations are on Interstate 40.
Ivanpah Road is a 27 mile road that connects Nipton Road to Lanfair Road.
Lanfair Road is a 19 mile that connects to Ivanpah Road and ends on Route 66 in Goffs, California. Together these two roads are 46 miles.
Ivanpah and Lanfair Roads are paved at the north and south ends. The middle 15 miles are rough, rocky dirt roads, that are not suitable for 2WD. Check road conditions before attempting to cross in a standard passenger vehicle.
Nipton Road is a paved road leading from I-15 to the desert town of Nipton (which is currently for closed and for sale).
You have reached the end of the alphabet if you are on Zzyzx Road! This is 4-mile road and is located 6 miles west of Baker off Interstate 15. Zzyzx Road is suitable for all vehicles. This road ends at the California State University Desert Research Center, which is private property.
All buildings at Zzyzx are on private property that is home to the California State University Desert Studies Center. This is an operating educational campus and is closed to the public. Zzyzx is not a ghost town.
Activities and facilities open to Mojave National Preserve visitors:
Birding and wildlife viewing
Hiking around Lake Tuendae
Picnicking
Black Canyon Road goes from Essex Road to Cedar Canyon Road. This road is only paved between Essex Road and Hole-in-the-Wall Campground. Beyond the campground this road is passable to 2WD, but we encourage 2WD visitors to use the paved roads whenever possible.
The Lava Tube at Mojave National Preserve basaltic lava tube feature in the Cima Dome Volcanic Field. A short, rocky hiking trail leads from a primitive parking area, to a skylight in the tube, where a ladder leads hikers into the lava tube. Access requires a high clearance from Aiken Mine and Kelbaker Roads. Be sure to check road conditions at go.nps.gov/MojaveRoads before you go.
The Rings Loop Trail is a popular 1.5 mile hike that takes you past beautiful scenery and ancient petroglyphs, and up a series of metal rings. This is a moderately difficult hike, and generally flat until the rings climb.
Kelso Depot Visitor Center and Museum contains a wealth of information on the human and natural history of the area. Come learn about the plants, animals, and people who have called this area home at some point in history. Rangers are available to answer questions and distribute maps. There is an auditorium featuring a 20 minute film, which is a good introduction to Mojave National Preserve.
When the eastern Mojave Desert was opened to homesteading in 1910, Lanfair Valley became the focus of a visionary group of African American entrepreneurs and clergy in Los Angeles who were determined to establish agricultural and mining colonies in this desert settlement. These homesteads are the stories of friends and family who came to Lanfair Valley to escape oppression and bigotry, and to claim land that with work could become land of their own.
Visitors can enjoy the Granite Mountains at the Boulders Viewpoint Parking Area located 7 miles north of Interstate 40. Boulders Viewpoint Parking Area is also 50 miles south of Baker and Interstate 15. There are no services at this viewpoint.
Discover how Hole-in-the-Wall got its name as you ascend narrow Banshee Canyon with the help of metal rings mounted in the rock. The 1.5-mile round-trip hike connects to the Mid Hills to Hole-in-the-Wall Trail and the Barber Peak Trail.
Come explore underground in a lava tube! Around 27,000 years ago, lava flowed across the surface here. As the red-hot liquid lava stream flowed, its top cooled in the air, blackening and solidifying like a freezing creek in wintertime. The liquid lava beneath continued to flow under the solid surface, which left behind this hollow tube: frozen in time.
