Kelso Dunes

Kelso Dunes Review

As you enter the preserve from the south, you'll pass miles of open scrub brush, Joshua trees, and beautiful red-black cinder cones before encountering the Kelso Dunes. These golden, fine-sand slopes cover 70 square miles, reaching heights of 600 feet. You can reach them via a ½-mile walk from the main parking area, but be prepared for a serious workout. When you reach the top of a dune, kick a little bit of sand down the lee side and listen to the sand "sing." North of the dunes, in the town of Kelso, is the Mission revival-style Kelso Depot Visitor Center. The striking building, which dates to 1923, was extensively renovated last decade and contains several rooms of desert- and train-themed exhibits. The Depot's restaurant, The Beanery, has an early- to mid-20th-century diner look that will have you reaching for your camera.