Mojave National Preserve
Baker, Ca.
Written in: 2020 Updated: 2024
One Day In Mojave National Preserve
Mojave National Preserve is a vast desert located in Southern California and is made up of 1.6 million acres of land. The landscape of the Mojave Desert is diverse, rugged and beautiful. Visiting Mojave National Preserve is definitely worth the extra drive to visit from nearby national parks, Joshua Tree and Death Valley or on the way to Las Vegas from Los Angeles!
There are many things to see and do in Mojave including camping overnight and stargazing. We visited from L.A. and were able to see a lot of different things in just one day. If you’re spending a day or a few days exploring, remember that the Mojave National Preserve is a very remote place, so make sure you are prepared with fuel, food and most importantly water.
Here’s how to visit the Mojave Desert in one day:
We left our home in Los Angeles at 8am and drove 2.5hrs before getting onto Route 66.
Historic Route 66:
Old Route 66 which travels from California to Chicago.
Also known as the National Trails Highway, this road is easy to get to and is a unique experience to drive from the city of Angels to an empty and desolate road in the desert. We were the only ones on the road for the majority of this drive and only passed by two cars on our way to Mojave National Preserve. The main road runs right beside the historic Route 66, and you can get to the first stop, Amboy Crater via this road.
Amboy Crater:
Amboy Crater’s last eruption was estimated to be 10,000 years ago. Similar to others in the Mojave Desert that make up the Lavic Lake Volcanic Field.
It took us just under 4hrs to get to our first stop which was Amoy Crater. The extinct cinder cone volcano is just south of Mojave National Preserve and is well-worth the stop to experience the black lava rocks contrasting with the clear blue skies.
This is located on Route 66 and has a well-paved road and plenty of parking at the trailhead. Hiking to the top of Amboy Crater is one of the best things to do in the Mojave Desert. The 4 mile out-and-back trail has around 400ft elevation gain up to the rim and takes about 2 hours to complete.
Kelso Dunes:
The tallest dune rises up 650 feet (200 metres).
About an hour away from the Amboy Crater, is the Kelso Sand Dunes. Welcome to Mojave National Preserve!
The last few miles of the road has a lot of potholes and you need to drive slow. Try to get there in the morning or evening for great lighting and cooler temperatures. There is no shade on this hike.
This 3 mile hike took us less than 3hrs to complete, and it was difficult and steep in parts but definitely worth it! We walked barefoot at the top of the dunes, which was fun, but keep in mind there are snakes and wildlife in the area.
As we were sliding down the sand at the peak, we could hear the ‘singing’ or ‘booming dunes’ which sounds like a cello. This phenomenon can be heard at two dunes in California, one in Nevada and one in Namibia, and works best when the sand is very dry. It wasn’t as loud as some people have said, so listen carefully on your way down from the top.
After this we drove towards the town of Baker which is home to the world’s tallest thermometer. From there we drove back to L.A. and arrived back home at around 8pm.
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