Day 5- Anza-Borrego Desert State Park- Palm Canyon Campground

Posted on April 18, 2017 by hikenoworklater

Our friendly neighbors at Joshua Tree National Park recommended visiting Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (AnzBo) since the wild flowers are supposed to be in full bloom this time of the year. Since our original plan to explore the Mojave Trails did not pan out, we had one more day before our vacation ended. We decided to go home first to resupply and cleanup before heading to Palm Canyon campground at AnzBo. We called the Palm Canyon campground the day before and the ranger informed us all campsites were booked but we could still try for a walk-up tomorrow at noon.

Visitor Center to Palm Canyon Campground Trail

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Day 4- Amboy Crater

Posted on April 16, 2017 by hikenoworklater

It was another beautiful day out at the Mojave Desert as we woke up camping beneath the Granite Mountains. As usual, Baby S woke up at 6AM. We had breakfast and took our morning hike around the campsite trails. This schedule seems to work out for us since it coincides with Baby S’s nap time. We were sad that our stay at Mojave National Preserve has come to an end but were so grateful to have spent the last 3 days exploring this hugely understated park. We still cannot believe we stayed away from this place for so long! Mojave National Preserves has made its way into one of our favorite places.

Eating dinner and trying to stay warm at the Granite Mountain campground

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Day 3- Mojave National Preserve- Kelso Dunes and Granite Mountain

Posted on April 15, 2017 by hikenoworklater

The wind finally died down sometime in the early mornings. We woke up to a beautiful day and took a hour long hike towards the cinder cones on the jeep trail. During our walk, we noted that ecosystem here is really different compared to Hole in the Wall where it was mostly young Joshua Trees and cactus versus short brush near the lava beds. For the second time during our trip, we noted how nice it would be, if we had our mountain bikes with us on this trail.

Bonding time for L and his babies

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Day 2- Mojave National Preserve- Kelso Depot and Lava Tubes

Posted on April 14, 2017 by hikenoworklater

We arrived at the Kelso Depot Ranger Station around lunch time. This ranger station serves as the main headquarters of Mojave National Preserve. It looked much more established than the Hole in the Wall Ranger Station. In the early 1900s, Kelso Depot was a hotel and restaurant built to provide services for passengers of the railroads passing through the area. With the railroad industry declining after World War II, this area became desolate. The building was transferred to National Park Services in 1994 when the national preserve was established and the restoration of the building began in 2002.