Providence Mountain State Recreation Area—A Pretty Spot Within the Mojave National Preserve
Written: Jan 11 '04 (Updated Nov 13 '05)
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Pros: cave tour, great views, pretty campground
Cons: Same as those applicable to the Mojave National Preserve
The Bottom Line: One of the nicest parts of the Mojave National Preserve, it’s worth a detour as you whiz by on I-40.
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| ericgoldman's Full Review: Providence Mountains State Recreation Area |
It is impossible to talk about the Providence Mountains State Recreation Area without simultaneously talking about the Mojave National Preserve. The state park is wholly surrounded by the preserve, and there is virtually no borders or geographic features separating the two. For this review, I’ve segregated out the key aspects of the state park from a much longer review on the Mojave National Preserve available at http://www.epinions.com/content_125691006596. Unless you are only going to the state park, you should read both reviews together.
There are three primary attractions to the state park: the caves, hiking and the campground.
Mitchell Caverns
Mitchell Caverns are nestled on the side of the Providence Mountains at about 4200 feet. The caverns have two primary chambers and lots of interesting features. However, if you’ve done other cave tours, this tour will be pretty similar unless you’re a real cave buff and care about the unique geologic features.
To get to the caves, you’ll walk about ¾ miles along an easy trail. Inside the caves themselves, the tour is very easily navigated by everyone. The path is paved and only 1 easy maneuver is required. The state has done a phenomenal job laying out the tour but, unfortunately, this involved some blasting and excavating, so the caves are not in their original condition. Also, for whatever reason, the low level of lighting makes it hard to see the features, and the ranger turned lights on and off pretty fast. The caves are 65 degrees, a cool respite in the summer and a warm refuge in the winter (when I went on Dec. 23, the outside temperature was about 45 degrees).
The tour takes about 1½ hours, although at least half of this is spent outside the caves. Our ranger talked a lot about the flora, geology and history before we got to the caves. This would have been OK, but we had a ranger who wasn’t too knowledgeable. He made a lot of stories up.
From Labor Day to Memorial Day, the tours are offered once a day (at 1:30) during the week and three times a day (10:30, 1:30, 3) on weekends and holidays. During the summer, the tour us offered only once a day on the weekends (1:30). Tours are limited to 25 people. Tours can be pretty popular and can sell out, but the day I went (Dec. 23, a Tuesday), I was the 3rd person to sign up when I got there an hour beforehand, and only 14 people showed in total.
The tour was $4/person. It wasn’t the best cave tour I’ve experienced but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Hiking
The Mojave National Preserve lacks a great system of trails, but the state park offers two short developed trails (in addition to the 1.5 mile cave tour hike).
The Mary Beale Nature Trail is a one-half mile nature trail with signs and a guidebook. It’s an easy and pleasant hike, and you might learn something too. The scenery is excellent, especially the views of Clipper Valley and the towering Providence Mountains. Unfortunately, the time I hiked it, the ranger was running the generator on his cabin, so the trail was not very peaceful and it was shrouded in diesel smoke. So much for getting back to nature.
The Crystal Springs Trail is a steep (600 feet elevation change) 2 mile (RT) hike to the springs. The relative challenge almost guarantees you’ll have the trail to yourself. I think the terrain there is among the prettiest in the preserve, so this is a beautiful hike. Unfortunately, the springs were dry when I got there.
Cross-country hiking is also possible. It really took a lot of discipline for me not to head off to bag one of the Providence Mountain peaks. They’re beautiful and inviting, but this is rugged, steep country, and it looked like a sucker’s bet to go cross-country. Be careful!
Campground
The campground is the crown jewel of the state park, and perhaps of the preserve overall. The campground is situated on a small peninsula jutting out from the range. It overlooks the Clipper Valley and the mountains beyond. I would rank it as one of the top 5 prettiest campsites I’ve ever seen. The view is incredible!
The campground faces east, so I can only imagine how pretty the sunrise must be (the sunset will be blocked by the Providence Mountains steeply towering to the west). Ultimately I chose not to camp there because I worried the campsite would get snow that night and I didn’t want to get stuck there. (I made the right choice too—I’m pretty sure it did snow there). However, for its scenic value and its small campground size (and no RVs), I’d pick this campground over Hole-in-the-Wall or Mid-Hills, without question.
The only “downsides” of camping there are (1) there are 6 campsites pretty close together, so you may have company, and (2) it costs $9/night, and it’s easy to find free camping in the preserve. For $9, you get flush toilets and running sink and a world-class view. Is it worth it? I probably would have paid the money if it hadn’t been for my fear about snow.
Other Stuff
The park office has a tiny educational display and a small bookstore. You can also check out the other buildings, which were built by the Mitchells as part of their efforts to build a resort, They are stucco cabins made with composite stones and other materials that are fascinating to examine.
Entry to the park is free, so this is also just a great place to have a lovely picnic with a view.
Getting There
From I-40, it’s an easy 16 miles/15 minute detour from the freeway via paved Essex Road. If you’re heading on I-40, try to time your visit so you make the cave tour.
Getting to the state park from I-15 is more time consuming. If you are coming from the west, you can take Kelbaker Road to I-40 and then go east to Essex Road. This is about 92 miles, although it is all paved. You can also get off at Cima Road, take that to Kelso Cima Road, and then cut over on gravel Cedar Canyon Road to gravel Black Canyon Road, which leads to Essex Road. This is “only” 51 miles but 15 of those are on gravel road (easily driven by 2WD passenger cars). Either way, it’s a long detour from I-15, and there are closer interesting places to visit in the preserve.
Conclusion
I think the Providence Mountain State Recreation Area captures the best part of Mojave National Preserve. It’s got the most interesting attraction (the cave tours), gorgeous terrain, and the nicest camping spot. Whether you’re taking a long vacation to the preserve or just whizzing by on the Interstate, you should plan on making a visit.
For more information on the state park, see http://www.calparksmojave.com/providence/.
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: December-February
Recommended for: Familes
Review Topic: Overview
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Epinions.com ID:
ericgoldman
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Member: Eric Goldman
Location: Santa Clara, CA
Reviews written: 35
Trusted by: 32 members
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