Kelso Dunes & Depot: A Journey Through the Mojave National Preserve 🦂🛤️
Locations
📍 Kelso Depot Visitor Center — 90942 Kelso Cima Rd, Kelso, CA 92309
Historic 1920s train depot turned visitor center, once a lifeline for Union Pacific Railroad crews crossing the Mojave. Built to offer water, food, and rest along these long, empty stretches of track.
📍 Mojave National Preserve — San Bernardino County, CA (see location on map below)
Expansive desert preserve known for its sand dunes, volcanic cinder cones, Joshua tree forests, and mountain ranges. Summer heat here can be intense - well into triple digits - with little relief from shade or rain. But for those willing to slow down and sit with the stillness, the preserve offers a kind of rare solitude that feels harder and harder to find.
📍 Kelso Dunes — Mojave National Preserve, CA (see location on map below)
Massive sand dune field rising up to 650 feet (198 m), known for its ‘singing’ sands - a low, rumbling sound that happens when the sand shifts just right. Midday here can feel unforgiving, with the dunes holding onto the heat and reflecting it right back at you. You don’t need to climb the dunes to appreciate them, sometimes the best way to experience a place like this is to stand back, stay still, and simply take it all in.
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Blog
When I think back to the summers of my childhood in Pennsylvania, I remember warm, sticky days filled with the smell of damp earth and the low rumble of afternoon thunderstorms rolling through. The air was always heavy, full with humidity, buzzing with cicadas.
It’s hard to imagine a landscape more different than the one I found myself in on this July afternoon: standing at the edge of the Kelso Dunes, out in the Mojave National Preserve. Where those Pennsylvania summers were lush and loud, this place felt dry and silent. Today hit 104°F (40°C), and you could feel every single degree. There’s no relief here like the cool that comes after a storm back east - no rain, no shady trees, just the steady glare of the sun and the waves of heat rising off the ground.
The dunes themselves seem to hold onto the heat, absorbing the sun’s energy and throwing it right back at you. I stayed close to the trailhead on this visit - the idea of trekking up into the dunes in the midday sun felt less like an adventure and more like a fast track to heat exhaustion. And honestly, standing back felt right. There’s something about letting a place be what it is without needing to conquer it. Watching from a distance gave me time to actually take it all in.
The preserve itself was quiet, even more so than usual. The pandemic had cleared out most of the travelers. That kind of solitude feels rare these days - especially in places that usually come with visitor centers and trail maps and souvenir magnets. Out here, it was just me, the dunes, and the sound of the wind.
On my way through the preserve, I made a stop at Kelso Depot - the historic train station that once served as a lifeline for the Union Pacific Railroad crews crossing the desert. Built in the 1920s, the depot offered water, food, and a bit of rest for the people working these long, lonely stretches of track. The building itself feels a little out of place against the emptiness of the desert - pale stucco, the architecture holding its own against the harsh surroundings. On this visit, the depot was closed, doors locked, the inside dark and still. But even empty, it holds a kind of presence. A reminder that even the quietest places have stories to tell.
It wasn’t the kind of visit where you check off a list of hikes or viewpoints. I didn’t climb the dunes or wander far from the road. But some places don’t ask for that. Some places just ask you to show up, pay attention, and be willing to sit with the stillness. I’m glad I did.
Gallery
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