{"id":4440,"date":"2015-10-16T06:22:20","date_gmt":"2015-10-16T06:22:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.backroadswest.com\/blog\/?p=4440"},"modified":"2022-09-21T19:44:18","modified_gmt":"2022-09-21T19:44:18","slug":"mojave-national-preserve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.backroadswest.com\/blog\/mojave-national-preserve\/","title":{"rendered":"Mojave National Preserve"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Mojave National Preserve is one of the newest units of the National Park Service and within its boundaries represents much of the fine qualities of the Mojave Desert. \u00a0<\/strong>This article, along with our Virtual Tour below, will give you a brief overview of some of the sites to see in the Preserve and where they can be found.<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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The Mojave National Preserve (MNP) was formed in 1994 by what is known as the Desert Protection Act. At approximately 1.6 million acres, it is currently the third largest unit of the National Park Service within the contiguous United States (right behind Death Valley and Yellowstone). It is roughly located between the I-15 and I-40 with the western edges starting roughly near Baker (north) and Ludlow (south) and extending to the Nevada\/Arizona border.<\/p>

There is a lot to explore in this large area and we hope that this article will spark your interest to learn more about it and take a trip (or several trips) out there to experience it for yourself. In addition to the vast amount of open, unspoiled desert landscapes, the Preserve has many unique things to see. It is a very special place.<\/p>

Our accompanying YouTube virtual video tour gives you a glimpse of what those things look like and where they are located. Even better is our compressive Virtual Tour Guide that gives you plenty of details on all the places you\u2019ll want to visit. Once you see all that the Preserve has to offer, you\u2019ll want to go back again and again.<\/p>

Why was the Preserve created?<\/i><\/b>\u00a0 The whole purpose of creating the Preserve was to protect and save a region of the unique Mojave Desert environment.\u00a0 The Mojave Desert covers a huge area of land and much of the western part of it had been permanently altered by commercial and military development.\u00a0 The almost untouched \u201cEast Mojave\u201d still had most of the diverse flora and fauna specific to the Mojave Desert so it seemed logical to preserve this piece.<\/p>

Good thing that decision was made because, in 2013, National Geographic Magazine rated the Mojave Desert as one of the top 100 places to visit in the world.<\/i><\/b>\u00a0 Now, San Bernardino County has a world-renowned natural area that can be enjoyed for generations to come.<\/p>

What is a National Preserve?<\/i><\/b>\u00a0 It is a bit confusing as to why the MNP is a National \u201cPreserve\u201d instead of a National \u201cPark\u201d but there is a clear distinction between the two.\u00a0 All land inside of a National Park has to belong to the National Park system.\u00a0 It cannot be privately owned nor is there any hunting or mining allowed.\u00a0 When the Preserve was created, there were still many privately owned parcels of land within its boundaries.\u00a0 There were also active mining claims and hunting was allowed.\u00a0 Over time, these parcels are being purchased by the Park Service (as they become available and the Park Service can afford them) but the status of the Preserve cannot change until there is no more privately owned land, nor any mining or hunting interests.<\/p>

More…<\/p>

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Pictures<\/h3>

Below are some pictures of what you will see along the way.<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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