Kelso Dunes & Kelso Train Station

As you approach the 45-square-mile Kelso Dunes, the view of this confection-whipped egg whites on a chocolate plain will pull you onto the 4-mile access road. A spectacular panorama can be seen from the top of the dunes making this stop a worthwhile day trip in itself. Ascent to the ridge can take 2-3 hours (it's one step up, two steps back, with 400 feet of elevation gain), but what the heck, you're playing in the sandbox of childhood dreams. If you don't have time for the ridge, reading the road signs left by the night active wildlife on the lower slopes will reward your efforts.

These vegetation stabilized dunes fringe the active part of a larger dune system--the Devil's Playground--to the north and west. If our climate continues to warm with diminishing rainfall, these dunes could loose their vegetation and become active again. The Kelso Dunes are known for their rumbling "booming" quality caused when the upper rounded rose-quartz sand grains slide over the underlying surface. These dunes have been protected from motor vehicles since 1973 and will provide you with both solitude and quiet while hiking. All visits to sand dunes provide magical memories.

Cinder Cones

Not nearly so ancient are the multiple cinder cones stretching across the landscape to the east. This view is the western edge of a triangle which includes the Cima Dome, seen gently rising in the background. The oldest cinder cone erupted 7.6 million years and the youngest a mere 10,000 years ago as the most recent ice age was ending.

Kelso Depot Visitor Center

The Kelso Depot Visitor Center of the Mojave National Preserve is a magnificent two-story Mission-style train depot, built by the Union Pacific Railroad in 1924 and now carefully renovated and preserved. The historic train station offers information, exhibits, orientation film, art gallery, bookstore, restrooms, lunch counter, water, and picnic area. Open daily 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Phone: (760)252-6108.

Location: From I-15: Exit Kelbaker Road at Baker, CA. Continue 35 miles southeast on Kelbaker Road to Kelso. From I-40: Exit Kelbaker Road (about 29 miles east of Ludlow), continue 22 miles north on Kelbaker Road to Kelso, CA.

Food: "The Beanery" at Kelso Depot. After nearly two decades, the Kelso Depot lunch counter—"The Beanery"—is back in business. Coffee, ice cream, deli sandwiches, lunch counter and friendly stories are featured in an authetic 1925 atmosphere.

Exhibits: The renovated Kelso Depot is now the primary Visitor Center for Mojave National Preserve. Former dormitory rooms contain exhibits describing the cultural and natural history of the surrounding desert. The baggage room, ticket office, and two dormitory rooms have been historically furnished to illustrate life in the depot in the first half of the 20th century. A 12-minute orientation film is shown in the theater. Basement gallery space features rotating fine art collections by local artists, focusing on the cultural history and natural splendors of Mojave National Preserve.

More information >>