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John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints |
The Mojave National Preserve has information centres in Baker and Needles which are open year round. There is also a ranger station at Hole-In-The-Wall which appears to be closed during the summer. David Mahan, who has lived in this area for many years, kindly sent me a message in December 1999 with the news that the old railway station in Kelso is due to be converted into a new visitor centre, a fact that the Mojave National Preserve section of the National Park Service web site confirms.
Although not marked with road numbers on most maps, we took the following route without any navigation problems:
From Twentynine Palms, head initially north for about two miles, then east for about eighteen miles, then the road turns north to Amboy. (By the way, some maps show a short cut-through road from Ca 62 some twenty miles or so east of Twentynine Palms to join the Twentynine Palms to Amboy road at the point where that road changes from running east to running north. We didn't see any sign of this cut-through road while driving on the Twentynine Palms-Amboy road so it may not exist.)
At Amboy, turn east, joining the route of the historic US66 (Route 66).
Head east from Amboy for about five or six miles, then turn left so as to go north on the Kelbaker Road, which derives its name from the fact that it runs through Kelso and Baker. This paved road is not marked on some maps but it definitely does exist, is clearly signposted and very easy to find.
Staying on the Kelbaker Road, cross I-40 (there is an exit here), entering the Mojave National Preserve, and continue north to Kelso.
At Kelso, take the northeastern fork to Cima, passing Cima Dome (although the dome isn't too obvious).
At Cima, take the northwestern fork to join I-15 just west of Mountain Pass.Amboy, Kelso and Cima are all extremely small towns.
This route is a very useful shortcut between Twentynine Palms to Las Vegas and it passes through some varied and interesting Mojave Desert country. It certainly gives a very valuable different view of the Mojave to that obtained from driving on the Interstates.
All the roads on this route are paved.
I imagine that the obvious alternative routes to I-15 from Kelso and Cima are similarly easy to navigate.
This area is often extremely hot in summer with temperatures well in excess of 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Winters are very cold, making spring and autumn the best times to visit.
David Mahan also kindly sent me this additional information:
You might want to add Mitchell Caverns (with facilities available) and Midhills Campground. Mitchell Caverns State Park has a visitors centre and limited facilities. This cave is a live cave, with stalagmites and stalactites, not just a dusty hole in the ground. People do not realise how much water there is in the desert, travelling below their feet in subterranean waterways. It is located in the Providence Mountains, about 30 miles east on I-40 from Kelbaker Road. Midhills Campground, in that area, has limited camping spaces but is primitive. There is a place called Hole-in-the-Wall very near to it which might interest the hiker.
The Mojave Trail also runs through this area from Fort Mojave, Arizona to Camp Cady just outside Barstow. This was a principle route through the desert and had US Cavalry maintaining outposts to protect the water holes and springs along its route. This trail is still used by all-terrain vehicles and four wheel drive vehicles. [Fort Mojave Indian Reservation is near the town of Needles - JC.]
As for Cima Dome, don't feel bad you didn't notice it, you were sorta on the side of it and can't really judge the enormous size of the dome.
Just south of Amboy is Amboy Crater, another scenic area with trails but be careful to remember where you parked your car because the lava all looks the same after a while.
The large dunes at Kelso are actually blown from the Dumont Dune Area, just outside of Baker, California, by the prevailing winds, which are in turn blown from the Armagosa and Death Valley areas. These dunes are very steep, much steeper than the dunes at Yuma, and are off limits to off road vehicles to protect them.
If you travel just past the Mountain Pass exit going toward Las Vegas on I-15, you will see the road from Nipton California to Searchlight Nevada, about 35 miles long, which goes through one of the most pristine Joshua Tree forests in the Mojave Desert.
Another titbit you might find interesting is the area where I-40 crosses through the mountains by Kelbaker Road was slated to be the site of the Atoms for Peace Project, where the government planned to use nuclear warheads to blast a passage for the freeway.
Another web site that might interest you is Desert USA which has good information on the past and present of this area. [External link checked Dec-97 - JC]
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