State Parks and National Parks

Mojave National Preserve

These high-desert lands are marked by dramatic volcanic formations, rose-colored sand dunes and twisted stands of juniper.

In the heart of the Mojave National Preserve, this park was created in 1994 and preserves 1.6 million acres of mountains, jumble rocks, desert washes and dry lakes.

Masses of visitors have not yet discovered this Southern California park. It is a place where hikers can still find solitude.

A fire in 2005 swept through Mid Hills Campground, burning much of the pinion and juniper. More than half of the campground was affected.

The Hole-in-the-Wall Campground is 1,200 feet lower in the high desert vegetation zone. Both campgrounds are available on a self-registration basis, and offers picnic tables, water, fire rings and pit toilets. The Hole-in-the-Wall Campground provides an RV dump station.

Visitors must supply their own firewood.

The Kelso Depot, a 1920s-era tram station, now serves as the park's main information center. Visit it for maps and hiking suggestions.

A short side trip at Hole-in-the-Wall is the Rings Trail, a series of metal rings in the wall to assist visitors enter and exit a small slot canyon.

In the park, bighorn sheep are at home among the rocks and cactus.

Within the preserve are Joshua tree forests and cactus gardens.

The most ancient rocks in the preserve, found in the Clark Mountains, are 2.5 billion years old.

Photo credits in order: Courtesy of Bureau of Land Management. Courtesy of National Park Service. Courtesy of National Park Service.