Kelso Dunes

The Kelso Dunes are a 25,000 years in the making natural phenomenon of over 600 foot tall dunes that blanket the basin that was once an Ice Age Lake. The tallest dune reaches up to 650 feet and the dunes contain the second AND third highest dunes in the United States!

The peaks can be reached via a 2.9 mile roundtrip hike that is listed as pretty strenuous and difficult but if you’re smart about hiking on sand, it isn’t too rough. If you’ve ever hiked in sand like at the Great Sand Dunes National Park, then you’ll know how tiring and relentless it can be but make sure to stick to the top of slopes and make sure not to go straight up the face. I climbed it in less than an hour with my wife in November of 2022 and it was absolutely gorgeous and the views from the highest sand dune was breathtaking in every direction. The harsh Mojave, steep Rocky Mountains, and seemingly barren terrain was stretched out in every direction around you.

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Mojave National Preserve

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Hole in the Wall Area