Mojave National Preserve facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mojave National Preserve
IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape)
Joshua trees along Cima Road in the Mojave National Preserve
Mojave National Preserve Location in California Show map of California Mojave National Preserve Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	San Bernardino County, California, US
Nearest city	Baker, California
Area	1,542,776 acres (6,243.39 km2)
Created	October 31, 1994 (1994-10-31)
Visitors	424,864 (in 2024)
Governing body	National Park Service

The Mojave National Preserve is a huge and amazing protected area in the Mojave Desert of California, USA. It's like a giant outdoor classroom, covering over 1.5 million acres! This special place is located between two major highways, Interstate 15 and Interstate 40. It was created in 1994 and is one of the largest national preserves in the United States.

Here, you can explore incredible natural wonders. Imagine vast sand dunes, rugged mountains, and unique volcanic areas like Hole-in-the-Wall. The preserve is also home to the world's biggest and densest forest of Joshua trees around Cima Dome. You might even find the ghost town of Kelso, where the old Kelso Depot building once served as a train station. Today, it acts as the park's visitor center, though it is currently closed.

Discovering the Mojave's Past

How the Preserve Was Created

The Mojave National Preserve became a protected area on October 31, 1994. This happened when the United States Congress passed a special law called the California Desert Protection Act of 1994. This same law also helped create Joshua Tree National Park and Death Valley National Park. Before it became a preserve, some parts of this land were already protected as the East Mojave National Scenic Area.

You might wonder why it's called a "National Preserve" and not a "National Park." It's because a preserve allows some activities like hunting and ranching to continue. This was an important decision to get enough support for the law to pass.

Mary Martin was the first superintendent, leading the preserve from 1994 to 2005.

Protecting Wildlife and Nature

The preserve has faced challenges, especially with funding. For example, in its first year, it received a very small budget. Because of this, the park focused on letting visitors explore on their own, rather than building many new facilities.

Even today, the preserve needs more resources to fix roads and buildings. This is important for protecting amazing animals like the endangered desert tortoise. Sadly, reckless driving by some visitors has put these tortoises at risk. Other animals like the prairie falcon and bighorn sheep also need protection. One idea to help them is to build special crossings over roads, so animals can move safely.

In 2024, the preserve welcomed over 424,000 visitors.

The 2020 Wildfire

In August 2020, a large wildfire swept through the preserve. This fire sadly destroyed about 1.3 million Joshua trees around the Cima Dome.

Exploring Mojave's Landscapes

The preserve is home to many mountain ranges, including the Beale, Clark, Granite, Ivanpah, Kelso, Marl, New York, and Providence ranges.

The highest point in the entire Mojave Desert is Clark Mountain, which stands tall at about 7,930 feet (2,417 meters) above sea level.

In the northern part of the park, you can find the Cima volcanic field. This area has cool lava tubes that visitors can explore!

Along the western edge of the park, there's a huge sandy area called Devils Playground. The famous Kelso Dunes, towering sand hills, are located in the southwest part of the preserve.

Towns and Ghost Towns

When the preserve was created, it included many areas of private land, especially in the Lanfair Valley. Ranching has been a part of this area for a long time and continues today.

Many of the old towns in the preserve are now ghost towns. These include Kelso, Ivanpah, Lanfair, Providence, and Vanderbilt. Even though Kelso is mostly a ghost town, some park employees still live there.

Other small towns you might find are Cima, a newer town called Ivanpah, and Zzyzx, which has a very unusual name! Cima is also mostly a ghost town because very few people live there.

Fun Things to Do

The preserve has three main campgrounds. The largest is Hole-in-the-Wall Campground. You can also camp in many other spots along dirt roads, as long as they were used for camping before.

Many people enjoy driving four-wheel drive vehicles on the historic Mojave Road. This road is part of the Old Spanish National Historic Trail.

A long time ago, there was a famous attraction called the Mojave phone booth. It was a phone booth in the middle of nowhere that became very popular. However, it was removed in 2000.

Protected Wilderness Areas

A large part of the Mojave National Preserve is a special "wilderness area". This means it's a very protected natural space where human activity is limited. About 695,200 acres (2,813 square kilometers) of the preserve are designated as wilderness. The National Park Service manages these areas to keep them wild and to protect important historical sites.

Mojave's Weather

The weather in the preserve can change a lot! In summer, temperatures often average around 90°F (32°C), but they can easily go above 105°F (41°C). In winter, the mountains often get snow.

The preserve has a wide range of elevations, from about 880 feet (268 meters) near Baker to 7,929 feet (2,417 meters) at Clark Mountain. Because of these different elevations, the amount of rain and snow varies. Some areas get about 3.37 inches (86 mm) of rain each year, while the mountains can get almost 9 inches (229 mm). About a quarter of the rain comes from summer thunderstorms.

Images for kids

• 

  The entrance sign alongside Kelbaker Road

• 

  Hole-in-the-Wall canyon

See also

• Mojave Memorial Cross