Overview

The Kelso Dunes Trail is really just an unmarked route across open desert and sand that runs for about 1.5 miles to the top of the Kelso Dunes, which stand some 470 feet above the trailhead. The trail starts between fencing intended to protect trailhead vegetation, but after the first few minutes, the trail fades into the sand. Early on, there is a fairly well defined use-trail, but even that eventually fades into the drifting sands. The summit is always in view, and turning around, the trailhead usually is in view, so there is little chance of getting lost.

Running down the steep south face of the tallest dune makes for a fun route back to the trailhead.

The sand dunes spread across 45 square miles and rise to a height of about 650 feet above lands to the north.

Link to map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ...this is a safe hike. Guard your eyes and camera equipment when the wind blows sand.

While hiking, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. Also, even though this is a short hike, be sure to bring what you need of the 10 Essentials. This hike goes into the Mojave Wilderness Area, so pay particular attention to respecting the land.

This hike is located in Mojave National Preserve, about 2 hours south of Las Vegas.

From town, drive out to the Kelso Depot Visitor Center. In Kelso, turn left and drive south on Kelbaker Rd. Cross the railroad tracks and continue south for 7.8 miles (towards Interstate-40) to Kelso Dunes Road, which is just before some tin buildings on the right that can be seen from miles away. Turn right onto Kelso Dunes Road and drive west for 2.9 miles to a pullout with vault toilets, which is near the highest dunes. Park here; this is the trailhead.

The Hike

From the trailhead (Table 1, Waypoint 01), fencing guides hikers onto the trail, and beyond the fencing, the use-trail leads north towards the highest sand dunes. After 200 yards or so, there is no particular route, but many routes wander out into the sand. Try to avoid walking on the vegetation because it is hard enough for plants to live out here without getting trampled. The east ridge of the highest dune makes for a reasonable route to the summit.

The route into the dunes starts out heading slightly downhill following the slope of the land. Through this area, the vegetation is typical of lower-elevation Mojave Desert: vast flats of Creosote Bush and White Bursage on coarse, sandy soils.

After about 0.2 miles, the "trail" gets to the edge of the dune field (Wpt. 02), and the vegetation switches to species that can survive on the shifting sands: here bunchgrasses (Big Galleta Grass) and shrubs such as California Croton, Thurber's Sandpaper Plant, and Desert Twinbugs (Dicoria canescens) thrive.

Out in the dunes (about 0.7 miles out; Wpt. 03), watch for footprints of animals that live on the sand. The 4-inch diameter burrows around the bushes are mostly dug by Desert Kangaroo Rats. These cute little rodents hop on their hind legs like kangaroos. They have long tails with a tuft of fur on the end that they use for balance. Watch for their tracks. When they are hopping along slowly, you will see pairs of side-by-side footprints with a mark where their tail drags in the sand. If hopping fast, they hold their tail in the air for balance, so there is no drag mark, and the paired footprints can be several feet apart. Black-tailed Jackrabbits also live on the sand. Watch for their tracks and scat around plants

Lizards also make tail-drag marks, but their footprints are alternate rather than paired. Watch for the tracks of "sand swimmers" (Mojave Fringe-toed Lizards): lizard tracks that disappear into the sand when the lizards go underground.

Bird prints can be paired, but they tend to alternate and never have a drag mark. Most birds have three toes pointed forward and one toe pointed backwards, but Greater Roadrunners have an X-shaped footprint.

Snake tracks are seldom seen, but watch for lines of smoothed out sand with no footprints. If you are really lucky, you might find the disconnected, S-shaped tracks of a Sidewinder. If you follow the tracks and find the snake, don't try to pick it up. Most people who are bitten by rattlesnakes get that way because they tried to catch the snake, and the poor little frightened thing is just trying to defend itself from the monster.

After another 0.4 miles, the dunes get steep. On the steep dunes, it is another 0.6 miles to the crest (Wpt. 04). Climbing to the crest of the dunes in the soft sand is hard enough, but the really hard part is hiking along the crest to the summit (Wpt. 05).

Views from the summit are worth every effort. Off to the east are the steep and craggy Providence Mountains. To the south are the imposing Granite Mountains. To the west is the Devil's Playground where sand fields seem to go on forever.

Return to the trailhead (Wpt. 01) by running and rolling down the steep south face of the tallest dune, then wander back among the dunes to the trailhead, which is always visible from high points in the dunefield.