When we think of the desert within in the US, the Mojave desert is the first thing that comes to mind. The Mojave Desert is a national preserve covering 1.6 million acres and is home to impressive Joshua Tree forests, ghost towns, singing dunes, cinder cone volcanos, and the Mojave Road. 

The Mojave Road is a historic road that was originally created by the Mojave people who lived on the banks of the Colorado River. The dense network of paths were created as a trade route across the Mojave Desert to the Pacific Ocean. The first documented European to cross the Mojave was in 1776 by Francisco Garcés who was a Spanish Missionary. Over the years the Mojave road became a vital supply route through this remote section of the southwest. In present times, the Mojave Road is one of the best known overland routes in the United States. 

The reason the Mojave road is so special is best stated in an article by Chris Cordes for Expedition Portal:

“Despite its similar history to other desert crossings, the Mojave Road is unique. Most classic routes were improved over the years or turned to pavement; the Mojave became lost in time when more efficient routes for railroads were discovered. Even today, very little maintenance or development has occurred, allowing drivers to not only enjoy the untouched desert, but do so on what is essentially the same road used over 150 years ago.” 

We started our journey down the Mojave Road from the western side closest to Barstow, California and gave ourselves two and a half days to complete over 100 miles of trail. We ended up starting later than planned due to running into an old friend that we met in Mexico a few years earlier.

River Crossings

The first major obstacle we came to on our West-East journey was a deep water crossing at the Mojave River in Afton Canyon. It was by far the diciest section of the entire trail and it came in the first hour of being on the road. It sounds like the Mojave River does vary in depth throughout the year but it’s always there in some capacity. For us, that water crossing was about four feet deep and came up mid-grill on the front of Roxanne (what I suspect would be chest-deep on us). What this crossing does have going for it is a hard, packed bottom that gives solid traction the whole way. If you’re planning on driving this road yourself be sure to do research on current conditions and know what your vehicle can handle in aquatic situations. 

Side note: There was evidence that some vehicles had driven over the fence to a shallower section of the river that was off-trail and trampled all of the vegetation in the process. Under no circumstance should you drive off-trail to cross if your vehicle can’t handle the actual ford. There are plenty of different entry points onto the Mojave Road that do not require a river ford if need be.

Afton Canyon

The first day we spent on the Mojave Road was entirely in Afton Canyon. There were many features we wished we had time to stop and see including some slot canyons and camp spots perched high on the ridge above the canyon. Due to our late start, we pressed on further down the canyon and camped out in an open wash for the night before reaching the official edge of the Mojave National Preserve.

Soda Lake

Shortly after entering the Mojave National Preserve the road brought us to Soda Lake. Soda Lake is a 15-mile-long, 6-mile-wide dried up lake bed. The surface of the lake bed is covered in a thick crust that is packed down to be as flat as a pancake in the section where the vehicles cross. Be sure to stick to the trail that is marked by small uprights and watch the speed in the center of the lake. The surface features abrupt drops and rises in the lake bottom that could easily knock a few things loose!

In the middle of Soda Lake is the Traveler’s Monument. It’s a place where people have created a large mound of stones and left small trinkets and painted rocks in memory of their travels. It was here that we decided to leave our beloved Newfoundland Rock Art that we found in Newfoundland two years earlier. If you pass through be sure to snap a picture of it and send it our way! 

Kelso Depot

The beautiful Kelso Depot is a small detour off of the Mojave Road (via very potholed pavement). Kelso Depot is now the home to the Mojave National Preserve visitor center but was once an old train depot that serviced the remote outpost. Over the years the depot has served many purposes and recently has been restored to its original glory. We were super disappointed to find that the lunch counter was no longer operational. Apparently the depot used to serve up a mean hamburger and milkshake. Even though we didn’t get any lunch, the visit to Kelso Depot was a welcome break from the bone-rattling washboards of the Mojave Road.

The Lava Tubes

Not too much further down the road we came to the Lava Tubes which are in a unique landscape that is different than the rest of the Preserve. In this area, the horizon is dominated by ancient lava flows and dormant volcanos. The lava tubes were just a small detour off of the Mojave Road and are accessed through a small set of stairs that go down into the earth! 

Mojave Road Mailbox

Owen and I found the Mojave Road Mailbox to be one of the most humorous things we’ve ever seen down a long dirt road. This area has been flagged for a clean up by the park service because it clearly does not follow a single Leave No Trace rule. The whole area surrounding the mailbox was filled with different nicknacks arranged by theme and color. Though I’m not a fan of seeing trash, we both really enjoyed walking around and seeing everything. I would suspect that this area will likely be cleaned up in early 2020 and not be around for the new season of Mojave Road travelers.

Petroglyphs & Ancient Well

One of our last stops in the preserve was at the Petroglyphs and Eagle Well in the Lanfair Valley. The road out to this spot was the most off-camber we felt the entire drive, however, it was absolutely worth it! This spot is home to a natural occurring well at the base of a large rock mound that the Mojave people used on their treks across the desert. The rock mound above features countless petroglyphs. It was an impressive sight!

At the end of the day, the Mojave Road and National Preserve have an unlimited supply of things to do and see. There were a few things like the Kelso Dunes and the abandoned bus (to name a few) that we didn’t get a chance to see due to our tight schedule.

General Information

When traveling east to west the Mojave Road enters the park near Piute Spring. Some sections are rough and very sandy and thus 4x4 capability is recommended. Roads can become slick, muddy and impassable after rains. Be sure to inquire about road conditions, especially if you plan to cross Soda Dry Lake because standing water can make this section of the road totally impassible. 

If we were to recommend an amount of time to set aside for traveling the Mojave road, two and a half days is good if you mainly are interested in driving. If you’re wanting to see more of the “out of vehicle” stops along the way we recommend you give yourself at least four days because of how much there is to see in the Mojave National Preserve.

Other Resources

Mojave National Preserve: https://www.nps.gov/moja/index.htm

Expedition Portal Article: https://expeditionportal.com/overland-routes-the-mojave-road/

Trail Info: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/nevada/the-mojave-road

Thank you all so much for tuning in! If you’ve done the Mojave Road or have even just been to the preserve we’d love to hear what you thought and what you did while exploring the area!

Safe travels and we’ll see you down the road!

MAK