Mojave Trail New Years

[Wraschke]

Hi all

Going to be doing the Mojave trail this new years holiday. Taking 4 days to do the trail then spending a few days in Palm Springs afterwards. Was wondering on input about direction to travel? East to West or West to East? Any advantages over the other? Also any side quests outside of the ones in the guides one should look into?

Thanks!!

 

[OTG Ben]

Hi @Wraschke ! Welcome to OTG. Don't forget to introduce yourself in the new members thread.

Most folks travel East to West, but that's because the vast majority of travelers live in California, which gets them closer to home by traveling in that direction. So if you want to move in the direction of trail traffic, that's the way I'd go. Also, if you have 4 days on the trail to explore, I'd recommend doing some offshoots onto the East Mojave Heritage Trail. Once you get off the Mojave Road and onto the EMHT, you'll run into a lot less people. When we did it back in 2022, there were times we'd travel for hours on end without encountering another person.

Carurthers Canyon with its massive boulders was a great place to camp, but it burned severely a year or so ago so I'm not sure what sort of condition it's currently in. There's also a lot of fantastic places to explore along the EMHT. Places I'd recommend checking out:

• Kelso Dunes (there's camping at the end of the road beyond the main parking area)
• The Rings trail
• Granite Pass (lots of great camping out here
• Cinder Cone Fields (one of my favorite places to camp)

One last thing, if you're open or looking to have other folks join you, I'd be happy to help you set up an event.