Mojave Desert

Understand

The majority of visitors to the Mojave Desert see it only through their car windows as they traverse I-15 to Las Vegas. But the beauty and isolation of this desert is immense and should be experienced first-hand by travellers with time and adequate vehicles and supplies.

Cities

• Baker - Baker is the only significant town on I-15 in the remote desert stretch between Barstow and the Nevada border and, as a result, is frequented by travelers on their way to Las Vegas. It offers food, fuel and lodging, is home to the world's tallest thermometer, and is the starting point for those journeying north to Death Valley. Not to be confused with another town called Baker on the eastern side of Nevada.
• Amboy - Lying out in the desert, this ghost town has a population that today varies between 4-8 people. A stop on the historic Route 66, the town is worth a visit to see a decaying piece of American history.
• Barstow - Barstow is located on the former Route 66 and offers visitors several historic and natural attractions ranging from the 200,000 year old Calico early man site to the Western America Railroad museum.
• Boron
• Cima
• Kelso — Ghost town - part of Mojave National Preserve.
• Lancaster - Lancaster provides extensive services for travelers, as well as the whimsical "Musical Road", a recreation of a road built in Lancaster for a Honda commercial that has grooves cut into it that generate an approximation of the William Tell Overture when a car passes over them.
• Mojave - Mojave is a hotbed of aerospace activity, with the Mojave Spaceport the headquarters of Scaled Composites, the first private company to launch a human into space. Edwards Air Force base, a landing site for the space shuttle and a center for the development of experimental aircraft, is located adjacent to the town.
• Needles
• Palmdale - In 1962 Palmdale became the first city in the Antelope Valley to incorporate, and today it is home to over 150,000 people. While it lacks exciting tourist destinations, the town does offer a vast number of hotels, restaurants and other services for travelers.
• Ridgecrest - Ridgecrest is a desert town that is adjacent to China Lake Naval Weapons Station. Many visitors pass through this area on the way to Death Valley or sites further north along the Eastern Sierra.
• Trona
• Victorville

Other destinations

• Mojave National Preserve - Stark mountains and shifting sand dunes in the remote desert
• Edwards Air Force Base is in the western Mojave. The airfield is used for aircraft testing; it is also an alternate landing spot for the Space Shuttle. Aircraft designer Burt Rutan operates out of Mojave but occasionally uses the long runways at Edwards for testing or noteworthy flights such as the Voyager around-the-world. Tours are no longer offered.

Get in

By car

The Mojave Desert is located between Los Angeles and Las Vegas on Interstate 15. Highway 395 passes through the middle from Victorville in the south; Highway 14 comes in from Lancaster in the southwest. Highway 40 runs from Barstow, roughly in the middle, out through Needles in the east.

By plane

Scarce airports are in the area; most have really long runways and rainy, stormy weather; few have commercial flights.

• Lancaster/General Fox (WJF)
• Palmdale (PMD)
• Mojave (MHV)
• Barstow (DAG)
• Victorville/Southern California Logistics (VCV)
• Baker (0O2)

By train

Amtrak operates its Southwest Chief route through the area from Los Angeles to Chicago, stopping at Victorville, Barstow, and Needles. Eastbound Train 4 leaves Victorville at 8:55pm, Barstow at 9:41pm, and Needles at 12:08am. Westbound Train 3 leaves Needles at 12:31am, Barstow at 3:45am, and Victorville at 4:24am.

Get around

Aside from main roads, most of the Mojave is criss-crossed with dirt roads; some of these are shown as standard roads on maps; others are unmarked. In either case you should have a medium- to high-clearance vehicle, with four wheel drive if you plan extreme backcountry driving.

Stay safe

When travelling in the desert, follow the standard precautions; carry any needed parts and fluids for your vehicle, and at least a gallon of water per day for drinking. Rattlesnakes will only bite you if they feel threatened.

Go next

To the North of the Mojave desert is Death Valley.