Mojave Road Deep River Crossing Detour

Spring 2019: Recommended Alternate Route for Afton Canyon River Crossing

April 19, 2019. Mojave River, Afton Canyon, Deep Water Crossing. [Photo By John Marnell] 

From time to time the water level in two places along the Mojave Road within Afton Canyon has become deeper than some people are comfortable driving through. There have been reports of the water running as high as 30+ inches. These two crossings are described in the Mojave Road Guide as at miles 120.5 and 121.5 – a quarter mile south of the BLM Campground.

Coming from the east, you can follow the below directions thus avoiding these potential problem areas. Those driving the Mojave Road from west to east would simply reverse the instructions. The historical and cultural significance as well as the special beauty of Afton Canyon can be enjoyed but may require a bit of backtracking. A PDF of the road log is available for download here.

A map of the above route is available for download here.

MOJAVE ROAD CLOSED OVER PIUTE RANGE: NEW DETOUR AVAILABLE

As of April 19, 2016, the National Park Service has closed the Mojave Road between Mile 27.0 and 30.5 in the Mojave National Preserve. This closure is due to a washout on the old underground telephone cable road connecting Piute Valley with Lanfair Valley. No date has been set for completion of repairs to the road.

The National Park Service recommends a 29-mile bypass on their Web page.

The Mojave Desert Heritage and Cultural Association, the publishers of the official Mojave Road Guide, have developed an alternate 14.2-mile detour for Mojave Road travelers who would prefer a shorter, more historic and scenic route. A PDF with a map and road log is available for download on the home page of their Web site, www.mdhca.org.

Road Conditions in the East Mojave

Severe weather has hit the East Mojave over the past couple days, so before you travel out there, you might want to confirm with Caltrans that roads are open. Currently, Highway 95 is closed from the junction of the I-40 to the Nevada state line.

Some of the roads in the Mojave National Preserve are damaged. Here's the information provided on the MNP Current Conditions page right now:

Updated: August 26, 2013

Call for updates: 760 252-6108 (every day) or 760 252-6100 (Monday through Friday)

A severe thunderstorm yesterday evening washed debris onto paved roadways and damaged dirt roads. Rangers are assessing roads this morning. Travel on dirt roads within Mojave National Preserve is not advised at this time.

Paved Roads 

Black Canyon Road - Closed. Pavement is washed out in many places.
Essex Road - Closed. Road is heavily impacted with mud and debris.
Ivanpah Road - Travel is not recommended.
Kelbaker Road - Open. San Bernardino County is performing emergency storm repairs through Friday, August 30.
Kelso-Cima Road - Open. San Bernardino County is performing emergency storm repairs through Friday, August 30.
Lanfair Road - Travel is not recommended.
Morning Star Mine Road - Open
Zzyzx Road - Open to all vehicles.

Dirt Roads 

Kelso Dunes Road - Open to all vehicles.
Black Canyon Road - Travel not recommended.
Cedar Canyon Road - Travel not recommended.
Lanfair Road - Travel not recommended.
Ivanpah Road - Travel not recommended.
Mojave Road - Travel not recommended.
Aiken Mine Road - Open. High clearance vehicle recommended.
Wildhorse Canyon Road - Travel not recommended.

When traveling to the preserve via I-15 or I-40 check Caltrans' Highway Information Service for up-to-the-minute road conditions 1-800-427-7623.

Campgrounds and Visitor Services 

Essex and Black Canyon Roads leading to the Hole-in-the-Wall Information Center and both campgrounds are severely damaged. Travel is not recommended. 

Mid Hills Campground is open. Please conserve water.
Hole-in-the-Wall Campground is open.

Information centers: Kelso Depot Visitor Center open Friday through Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Wedensday and Thursday. Hole-in-the-Wall Information Center is open Saturdays, 9 am to 4 pm.

Soda Dry Lake Still Passable

Since this is prime time for trips on the Mojave Road, we'd thought we'd report that although it rained recently, we are hearing that Soda Dry Lake is not yet impassable (as of the first weekend of November). But conditions may change with more rain in the forecast, so caution is advised if you're heading out there. Safe journeys!

Volunteer Maintenance

The following is a portion of a post about a volunteer project organized by the South District of the California Association of 4 Wheel Drive Clubs to repair washouts over the Piute Range (as seen in the slideshow in our 9/24/2005 post). We certainly appreciate their efforts to maintain the Mojave Road for everyone to enjoy.

Mojave Road Project April 25-27 Conservation Project

The South District of CA4WDC will host a conservation and rehabilitation project April 25 - 27 on the Mojave Road in conjunction with the National Park Service.

The project will be on the portion of the Mojave Road that goes around Piute Hill to the south following the old AT&T Underground Telephone Cable Route. The road, as it approaches the top of Piute Hill, has several small washouts and two very large ones that need to be filled in. The project will be to rebuild the water bars that have been washed out and to place gabions in the two washed out areas. This corrective maintenance will be done to prevent further washouts and keep the road from being closed because of safety concerns.

The work will consist of digging ditches to channel excess water off the road during storms to prevent the accumulation of water at the culverts, cleaning out the culverts, building water bars to direct water into the culverts and filling in the two badly eroded and washed out areas. The alternative to fixing the road is closure.

The National Park Service manages the Mojave Road in this area. Park Superintendent Dennis Schramm and South District Vice President Harry Baker have entered into an agreement to have their two organizations work together to repair the washouts.

The park service will provide the equipment and supplies needed to repair the road and the South District with help from others in the Off Road community will provide the manpower. The project will entail throwing a lot of rocks! Basically we'll be moving rocks from a stockpile area and filling in gabions and building water bars.

Click here to access the complete post.