Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tackle the 3-mile round-trip hike up
Teutonia Peak
(5755ft), starting on Cima Rd, 6 miles
northwest of Cima.
Kelso Dunes
DUNES
Rising up to 600ft high, these beautiful 'singing' dunes are the country's third-tallest sand
dunes. Under the right conditions they emanate low humming sounds that are caused by
shifting sands. Running downhill sometimes jump-starts the effect. The dunes are 3 miles
along a graded dirt road west of Kelbaker Rd, 7.5 miles south of Kelso Depot.
Hole-in-the-Wall
HIKING, DRIVING
These vertical walls of rhyolite tuff (pronounced toof), which look like Swiss-cheese cliffs
made of unpolished marble, are the result of a powerful prehistoric volcanic eruption that
blasted rocks across the landscape. On the 0.5-mile
Rings Trail
, metal rings lead down
through a narrow slot canyon, once used by Native Americans to escape 19th-century
ranchers.
Wild Horse Canyon Rd
, an incredibly scenic 9.5-mile backcountry drive up to
Mid Hills, also starts at Hole-in-the-Wall. Ask at the visitors center if it's currently pass-
able. Hole-in-the-Wall is on Black Canyon Rd, east of Kelso-Cima Rd via unpaved Cedar
Canyon Rd. Coming from I-40, exit at Essex Rd.
Sleeping & Eating
Baker, north of the Mojave National Preserve along I-15, has plenty of cheap, largely
charmless motels and takeout restaurants. Southeast of the preserve, along Route 66,
Needles has slightly better options.
Camping
First-come, first-served sites with pit toilets and potable water are available at two small,
developed
campgrounds
(tent & RV sites $12): Hole-in-the-Wall, surrounded by rocky
desert landscape; and Mid Hills (no RVs), set among pine and juniper trees. Free back-
country and roadside camping is permitted throughout the preserve in areas already used
for the purpose, such as the Rainy Day Mine Site and Granite Pass off the Kelbaker Rd,
and Sunrise Rock off the Cima Rd. Ask for details and directions at the visitors centers.
