Location: Mojave
Top Things to do in Mojave
9 Things to do in Mojave That You Shouldn't Miss
Mojave (formerly, Mohave) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kern County, California, United States. Mojave is located 50 miles (80 km) east of Bakersfield, at an elevation of 2,762 feet (842 m). The town is located in the southwestern region of the Mojave Desert, below and east of Oak Creek Pass and the Tehachapi Mountains.
Restaurants in Mojave
1. Mojave Trail
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 15 reviews
Early American pioneers seeking out the promised land of California used to travel along this desolate but adventurous 138-mile road.
2. Jawbone Station Visitors Center
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 8 reviews
Reviewed By Katy0701 - Tehachapi, United States
Great place to get information for this area of the desert! Maps, history books, desert stories, flora and fauna info. Plus a knowledgeable person, Bob, to answer questions. Great number of books for children. Also a good place to have a potty break, and rest in the shade. Also have a room full of information about the area & some artifacts. They have a great Map that shows all the off-road trails to follow whether you are two wheel or four wheel. Trails are marked with markers so you should not get lost. Besides desert area, higher up there are mountains with and without trees, and great views from there. Camping areas in many areas. Great family place.
3. Kelso Depot Visitor Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 33 reviews
Reviewed By gablairin - Greenfield, United States
Great stop in the middle of the Mojave Desert! We stopped, checked out the sites and got a stamp for the National Park Passport. They also have nice bathrooms. Make sure you are fueled up before entering the preserve because there are No gas stations or places to eat, but so worth the stop!
4. Fort Piute
5. Lava Tube
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 7 reviews
Reviewed By TravelingMerm - Monrovia, United States
Definitely one of the weirder adventures I’ve embarked upon - and undoubtedly one of the most fun!! What a trip haha! Finally made it out here - been trying since the #localadventurechallenge put it on my radar last September but it was closed due to Covid I think (or a fire - can’t remember lol). You’ll drive waaaay out into the Mojave Desert, passing tons of gnarly Joshua Trees - and then spend another 40+ minutes driving down an insanely bumpy, rocky, sandy road. Then you’ll finally see the little roundabout parking area with a sign for the tubes - get out and hike a tiny bit - I’d say about 1/2 a mile - unless you’re like us and take the wrong trail lol - hiking past all these rocky lava rock explosions! Black and red and so rough and pointy - it’s mind blowing how anything can grow outta this stuff! And then you’ll finally stumble upon a gaping hole opening up into the desert floor with stairs leading down. At the bottom you’ll think you should go right but you actually want to go left - the opening on the right looks like it caved in as it’s full of rocks and dirt - don’t go that way! When you go left, you’ll have to climb over large lava boulders and it gets super dark so have your cellphone light or a flashlight - you’ll need it for sure! And then BAM!!! It suddenly gets light and opens up into the coolest chamber!! If you time it right, you’ll catch beams of light shining in through lava holes in the roof of the cavern. We were there mid morning and there weren’t any beams until we started to leave - around 1030am ish I think - a tiny beam finally appeared! I definitely want to go back to catch the full light beam effects someday - but phew that ride in sure is tough! That being said, I highly recommend a rental car - and an elevated one - Bc you’re gonna be going over some serious bumps and even some large rocks along the road. It’s only about 5 miles of the Hell Road but it takes a good solid 40 mins or more to drive it Bc of the conditions. And you’ll also see a fork in the road on the way in - stay to the left!! Supposedly if you go to the right, the sand is really deep and you’ll get stuck! To get here I used google maps - and I had downloaded the offline map - DO IT - Bc there’s no signal out here whatsoever. But google maps recognized Mojave Lava Tube and got us here nonetheless. Apple Maps was all kinds of wrong lol. I also recommend hiking boots - you don’t HAVE to have them - but the ground is incredibly rocky and hard to traverse- I had on my vans and it was so tough. Hiking boots would’ve been much more comfortable! Oh and there’s absolutely NO cell signal out there for miles - so just be safe - maybe don’t come alone - let somebody know where you’re going etc.
6. Mojave Air and Space Port
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 31 reviews
Reviewed By 42bettyh - Clinton, United States
While visiting family in Rosamond, we drove up to see the Mohave Air & Spaceport. This is not a museum, but a working aeronautical compound. However, there are a few sights to see for visitors. We went to the admin building first and were pleasantly greeted. The lady who spoke with us provided a map and a brochure, pointing out where we could go. The gift shop (you’ll find some nifty gifts in there) and restaurant are in the same building. We didn’t have time to stop by the restaurant so we won’t comment it about it here. Although, we’ve only heard good things about it. We walked over to Legacy Park to learn more about the aircraft on display there and a little bit of history about the area and the air and space port. We then drove down by the main entrance to see the other planes on display. This was a great learning trip and we would recommend stopping by there if you’re an aviation buff and/or curious about the great things going on in the world around you.
7. Cedar Canyon
8. Lanfair Valley
Historical area where pioneers tried to turn the ground into farmland in the early 1900s.
9. Marl Springs
This old 1860 Army outpost is now an "oasis" in the desert where animals (and sometimes people) come to find water.
