Mining and camping trip in the Mojave Preserve.

Friday March 6th (arrive and setup camp)
Saturday March 7th
Sunday March 8th
Monday March 9th (head home)

OFFICIAL INFO!

The Mojave Safari meet will be held in the Mojave Preserve. The closest towns are Baker and Barstow. Both Baker and Barstow have several gas stations, so if we need food or fuel, there's no problem other than the drive. Please bring extra fuel in a container for your vehicle.



Friday (6th) afternoon/evening we will be setting up camp at Mid-Hills campground. Mojave National Preserve - Campgrounds (U.S. National Park Service)

DRIVING

From the 15fwy, exit Cima Rd.
Go south on Cima Rd 16 miles to Kelso Cima Road split
Go South on Kelso Cima road 5 miles to Cedar Canyon Road
Go west on Cedar Canyon Road 5 miles to Black Canyon Road
Go south on Black Canyon Road 3 miles to Wild Horse Canyon Road
Turn right (west) on Wild Horse Canyon Road and go about 2-2 1/2 miles to Mid-Hills Camground (right side)

Here is a map with roads and approx distances.
http://www.nps.gov/moja/planyourvisi...facilities.pdf

Please be prepared for undriveable conditions to the campground if you don't have a high clearance vehicle, especially without 4 wheel drive.

* Facilities: picnic tables, fire rings, vault toilets, trashcans, and drinkable water. 26 campsites.
* Fees: $12 per site per night, $6 for Golden Age/Access Passport holders.
* Reservations: not accepted. Campsites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Campground rarely fills.

I will cover the campground fee, since i plan on being the first one there. Please bring a tent and at least a zero degree sleeping bag. If you have room in your vehicle, please bring a good amount of firewood to share.

Ive done some research on the roads we will be traveling, and a stock 4x4 SUV or truck should be fine for the majority of the trip. Things may get a little hairy around the Piute range area (if we go there), and those with 4x4 rigs are welcome to take some of the more challenging routes out in the park.

THINGS TO SEE

I put this map together with the locations we are going to see. Google Maps

Here are some of the locations available to us within the park. Some are looked over by the park, but most are unmaintained. If the location is clickable, that means ive inserted a link that will open a page to more info/pics on the site. Check it out!

Aiken Mine and lava tube (actual ladder going down into lava tube)

Evening Star Mine

Morning Star Mine

Goldome Mine

Hart Mine

Barnwell Well

General Patton WWII Airstrip

Fort Piute

Bonanza King Mine

Mitchell Caverns

Vulcan Mine

Rex Mine

Kelso Depot

Theres a lot more out there i havent listed. I will give everyone a list of coordinates to GPS when we get out there

MISC STUFF

VEHICLES: Please bring a 4x4 if possible. Its always wise to pack extra drinking water and fuel for your vehicle.

CB radio will be channel 1, for those who have it. 2-way FRS/GMRS radios will also be channel 1. Please bring some sort of radio.

Food. Please bring your own food. Fruit and dry meats are great for daytime snacks. Lipton makes pouches of rice you can boil and mix with a can of tuna, etc. Sandwiches are always a great idea. Keep in mind that we are only out there for a few days, or whatever time is left when you decide to show up. Do yourself a favor and pack accordingly for the amount of time you will be staying. Packing food home always sucks. For those of you who camp often, disregard my recommendations, :P

Gear. Everyone should have some sort of shelter, being a tent, or a vehicle. It can get really cold out there, so a sleeping bag rated at 0 degrees may be wise. I just want to make sure everyone is comfortable and safe. If you dont have the proper gear, please post in the southwest forum and see if someone has stuff you can borrow.

Well i guess thats it for now. Please use this thread to offer additions to the trip, or discuss any concerns. Also, everyone who is going to attend should RSVP. I will give everyone who RSVPs my phone number a few days before the event for anything they may need it for.

 

I'd love to do it, but the Diesel Drags in Phoenix are the same weekend and I've already committed.

 

Maybe the planets will align one day and we will get out there together on the same trip!

 

thats interesting i have camped on the other side of the 40 but never that side. you know where the power lines cross the 40? well there is a dirt road that goes out and we have camped out there. this might be an interesting trip....

 

Interested and will see as it gets closer. Love that area. Won't be able to 4x4 since the camper will stay on the truck but always enjoy getting away for the weekend.

 

So if we have a trailer we should not bring it? I'm asking because I don't tent do to my back. It's hard enough getting out of a bed.

 

Serg, the Mid-hills campground is up a rough dirt road, and the campsites are smallish and not level. When I drove up to it I told myself that I could get my 23' up there if necessary, like if the other campground was full, but it would not be preferred. A bigger trailer would not be recommended. I was in my F150 at the time.

But just a few miles south is Hole-in-the-wall campground which is a very nice RV spot with level sites, water, and a dump station. You could easily camp there and join the other group for touring around.

BTW, I would choose to enter from the I-40 side, not the I-15 side. But that's just my opinion.

 

it looks like a paved road then a graded road...wouldnt that mean that it wouldnt be to bad...have never been there but just saying

 

It's paved to the Hole in the wall, but not to Mid-hills.

 

Friday (6th) afternoon/evening we will be setting up camp at Mid-Hills campground.
Quote:
At 5,600 feet in elevation, Mid Hills Campground is much cooler than the desert floor below. The road to the campground is not paved and is not recommended for motor-homes or trailers.

 

i saw that but the people that write that stuff are just trying to cover their butts most of the time. if its a graded road i wouldnt question taking a small trailer up there. now room in the camp ground for the trailer would stop me. but if the road is graded...

 

It's an easy 2WD road. Unless it rains. I would not want to be anywhere off the pavement in the preserve when it is raining. Even the paved roads can be flooded.

Easy 2WD does not mean you should pull an RV.

I wish I could make it, but I'm already paid up for camping the weekend before. I know the campgrounds well, and a couple of favorite hunting areas, but there is a lot of stuff that I would like to explore and this seems like a well researched trip.

I am going to remember this thread for future use.

 

From what I saw, you are right. A small trailer would do fine. Like I said, I could get mine in there. It's been on rougher stuff before.

On the other hand, the roads change fast in there during the winter. It might be a one-way trip.

This is a better map:
http://www.nps.gov/moja/planyourvisi...d/MOJAmap1.pdf

 

yeah if it was rainning that would not be good...to me shouldnt and cannot are very far apart...

 

Awesome response guys. Im glad some of you are considering. Im planning on bringing a very small trailer (5x8 at the most) so i can haul in a couch and a tv and everything. JK, but i wont be packing everything in the truck because i HATE being crowded. We dont have to visit everything on the list. There are some new locations im researching.

Just be sure to bring extra fuel. 25 miles to the nearest gas station is a long way when half of it is on dirt roads :P

So who is serious about coming out? Bill, im bummed you wont be making it, but i fully understand. Ive turned down a couple of trips between now and Mojave just so i can save money and keep myself interested