Mojave Road
Campsite 3, March 17 - The Mojave Road started as a Native American trade route. It was used by Spanish explorers, pioneers, and the US military before becoming an off-road trail. The road is a 138 mile unmaintained trail through the desert. Traveling at typical safe speeds, the trip takes three days. Off road travelers like us, side-by-sides, and dirt bikes use the road now.
The road doesn’t look bad.
Consider that the elevation of the road on the right is just below his waist!
We turned onto the road east of Bullhead City off of Aztec Road. After a few very bumpy miles we arrived at a large wash/parking area. There were trails everywhere through the wash. We got out and aired the tires down. Airing down provides a smoother more comfortable ride while providing better traction in sand. It also provides some protection for tires, suspension, and reduces the chance of future squeaks, etc.
Parking Area near eastern end of Mojave Road
The parking area was confusing. The trails went everywhere but lead nowhere and small bushes obscured the view. We walked around trying to find where the road continued. We could see campers in the distance around the edges of the area. We didn’t think they would camp directly on the road. Eventually we returned to the Jeep and headed west on what we thought was the road. I think they were, kind of, all the road. The trail converged and diverged for miles as the other travelers made their own way through the desert. We followed our map with the knowledge that the roads all generally went the same place.
The trail twisted and turned through the desert. The soil was equal parts sand and fine gravel. The vegetation was a mix of wild flowers, cactus, creosote bushes and Mojave yucca. Here is a collection of snapshots of the area.
Typical Mojave Road Landscape
A Mine at Tungsten Flats
Joshua Tree in Bloom
Our Camp
Airing Up
We had traveled to the desert looking for warmth and found it. The daytime temperatures approached 70F with no wind. We rolled the windows down and enjoyed the breeze.
While the landscape was stark and beautiful, the most impressive thing to us was the sound. Once we had traveled far enough from the trailhead, about five miles, there were no more side-by-sides. The first day we only saw two other groups, one was camped the other was parked trying to figure out why we had a trailer on this road. We talked to them and they asked. During the day, we heard no airplanes, no people talking, no dogs or coyotes howling. No insects buzzing. Occasionally you might hear a bird in one of the washes. After that, nothing but your own breathing and footsteps.
During the night we woke up to a coyote hunting party.
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