National Preserve · CA

Things to do in Mojave

The National Park Service lists 8 things to do at Mojave National Preserve. 8 have no extra fee, 8 need no reservation, and 7 allow pets. Each listing links to the full NPS page. Data is from the NPS snapshot of Oct 28, 2026.

Updated · NPS Data API

All (8) Hiking (5)Scenic Driving (2)Museum Exhibits (1)
The granite mountains look like tan boulders piled on top of each other. Green bushes in foreground.
Photo: NPS Photo

Behold the Granite Mountains

A paved pullout about seven miles north of Highway 40 on Kelbaker Road allows visitors to park their cars and enjoy the view of the Granite Mountains. There is parking for five vehicles at a time.

0-1 Hours Pets allowed

Scenic Driving

Hike Desert Sand Dunes

Take a day hike on the Kelso Dunes! Enjoy an approximately three mile round-trip trail to the top of cream-colored dunes, formed over millennia by wind and sand. If you're lucky, you might even hear the dunes sing. This hike can be strenuous and hot.

1-4 Hours Winter, Spring, Fall Pets allowed

Hiking

Ripples and vegetation in the sand during evening light
Photo: NPS Photo / Sierra Willoughby

Hike the Kelso Dunes

Hike the Kelso Dunes

30-180 Minutes Winter, Spring, Fall Pets allowed

Hiking

Hike the Rings Loop

The Rings Loop Trail is a popular 1.5 mile hike that takes you past beautiful scenery and ancient petroglyphs, and up a series of metal rings. This is a moderately difficult hike, and generally flat until the rings climb.

1-2 Hours Year-round Pets allowed

Hiking

Teutonia Peak trail

The Teutonia Peak Hike is a great way to examine the aftermath of the Dome Fire up close. The hike is three miles round-trip and takes between 2 and 3 hours for most people.

0-3 Hours Year-round Pets allowed

Hiking

Visit a Lava Tube

Come explore underground in a lava tube! Around 27,000 years ago, lava flowed across the surface here. As the red-hot liquid lava stream flowed, its top cooled in the air, blackening and solidifying like a freezing creek in wintertime.

0-30 Minutes Year-round Pets allowed

Hiking

Visit Kelso Depot

Kelso Depot Visitor Center and Museum contains a wealth of information on the human and natural history of the area. Come learn about the plants, animals, and people who have called this area home at some point in history.

Year-round

Museum Exhibits

Wander Through the Joshua Trees

The densest concentration of Joshua trees lies along Cima Road. Although about 1/3 of the Preserve's Joshua Trees were burned during the August 2020 Dome Fire, many healthy individuals remain on Cima Road.

1-1 Hours Year-round Pets allowed

Scenic Driving

Before you go

Check current alerts and closures, entrance fees and operating hours for Mojave. Programs and tours can change with the season or be cancelled on short notice — confirm on the NPS page before you plan around one.

Things to do at nearby parks

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