Mojave National Preserve is located in Southern California between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Stunning natural features abound in this 1.6-million-acre park, including rugged mountains and canyons, singing sand dunes, volcanic cinder cones, and Joshua tree forests. Remnants of its human history dot the landscape and tell an interesting story through long-abandoned mines, homesteads, and rock-walled military outposts. I was pleasantly surprised by the diverse landscapes, but I was even more impressed by the solitude. Maybe I visited during a particularly slow time, but it was a rare treat to find so few people in a National Park Service unit, many of which are being loved to death. If you’re looking for a quiet place to get away from the noise of the cities, immerse yourself in the world's largest concentration of Joshua trees and marvel at the stark beauty of the Mojave Desert. For more information visit http://www.nps.gov/moja
