Hole in the Wall Area
The Mojave National Preserve is a sprawling wilderness that sits just below the Nevada border in California right off of I-15 and north of I-40. It houses towering peaks, massive sand dunes, campgrounds, a cool slot canyon, and plenty of Joshua Trees. In the summer it is hot and in the winter it is cold and it’s usually pretty windy but it has a ton to do and see and is nowhere near as crowded as the many other popular areas of California. If you’re heading to or from Vegas and have some time, or if you want some solitude from SoCal (when does one NOT want that?) the Mojave National Preserve is a great place to explore.
I’ve camped at Hole in the Wall and it was a fantastic spot!
And nearby to the campground, there’s a slot canyon that’s been carved naturally in the volcanic tuff over the many years. There’s also some petroglyphs on the trail and the trail is called the Rings trail cause there are rings that help you and down the canyon.
The Kelso Dunes have a 650 ft peak you can hike up to which is the second tallest in the country. You can go into the Mitchel Caverns State Natural Preserve for some spelunking, you can climb the Providence Mountains in the Providence Mountains State Recreation Area, you can explore the rugged Granite Mountains in the Granite Mountains Natural Reserve, or you can hike through slot canyons.
And don’t miss those amazing Mojave sunsets!
