3 Best Sights in The Mojave Desert, California

As you enter the Mojave National Preserve, 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 45 square miles, reaching heights of 500 feet. You can reach them via a 1.5-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" (or vibrate). North of the dunes, in the town of Kelso, is the Mission revival–style Kelso Depot Visitor Center, a striking building that dates from 1923. It's normally open everyday but Tuesday and Wednesday, but it's closed for renovation until 2025; check ahead for updates.

Created millions of years ago by volcanic activity, Hole-in-the-Wall formed when gases were trapped between layers of deposited ash, rock, and lava, and the gas bubbles left holes in the solidified material. You will encounter one of California's most distinctive hiking experiences here. Proceeding from the blue sign across from the Hole-in-the-Wall Information Center, you walk gently down and around a craggy hill, past cacti and fading petroglyphs to Banshee Canyon, whose pockmarked walls resemble Swiss cheese. From there you head back out of the canyon, supporting yourself with widely spaced iron rings (some of which wiggle precariously from their rock moorings) as you ascend a 50-foot incline that deposits you back near the information center. The one-hour adventure can be challenging but wholly entertaining.  There are no services (gas or food) nearby; be sure to fill your tank and pack some snacks as well as water before heading out here.

Drive around the area and marvel at the desert vistas, or overnight at one of five pack-in/pack-out campsites. The main attraction, however, is Mitchell Caverns. Access to them is via 1.5-mile round-trip hike and a two-hour, ranger-led tour, during which you'll encounter stalactites, flowstone, stalagmites, and possibly cave-dwelling animals. (Book campsites or cavern tours at  www.reservecalifornia.com.)