Mojave or Death Valley?

[astroflashjones]

Hey OB, we'll be taking a roadtrip to Joshua Tree in November and there''ll be a couple extra days to explore. I haven't been to the area before and we were thinking about checking out either the Mojave or DV. Not really interested in doing any difficult wheeling but would really like to get off the beaten path. If you had to pick, which would you choose (or is there a third option I should be considering)?
Thanks!

 

[Talby420]

Hey OB, we'll be taking a roadtrip to Joshua Tree in November and there''ll be a couple extra days to explore. I haven't been to the area before and we were thinking about checking out either the Mojave or DV. Not really interested in doing any difficult wheeling but would really like to get off the beaten path. If you had to pick, which would you choose (or is there a third option I should be considering)?
Thanks!

I don't mean to intrude but about 30 minutes west is a little town up in the mountains called Idyllwild off the 243. I think the mountains called San Jacinto but the town is really cool and there are some really cool camping spots off the beaten path. Black mountain was always a favorite. Just check for road closure because the sometimes shut down the truck trails. Hope this helps. Black Mountain (San Bernardino), San Bernardino National Forest - Recreation.gov. There are some non campground spots around there too.

 

[janders]

Oh man, both DV and Mojave are great. We love both of them. There will likely be less people in Mojave but DV is big enough that you can pretty easily find your own spot. If you go to Mojave, stop into the Kelso Depot and talk to the rangers there. They squared us away on some good campsites and hikes. Kelso Dunes are badass at sunset. Hole in the Wall was a cool hike with some interesting petroglyphs. There's a neat lava tube you can climb down into. Sections of the Mojave road are fun to run. We actually ran the powerline road through Foshay Pass and it was kinda cool.

If I was in your shoes, I might look at Anza Borrego too.

 

[pokerdawg]

You can't go wrong with either. Old Mojave Road appears to be closer to JT. As somebody else said, Anza/Octillo Wells is great place to explore and it's extremely close to JT.

 

[astroflashjones]

Thank you for all the suggestions. Looks like I have some new destinations to add to the list!

 

[KrelleKryl]

+1 for Idyllwild - massively underrated and a lot of fun little trails with great camping. (both Mojave + DV are far from JT and you really need several days to enjoy both).

 

[Dorian]

The Mojave is much closer to Joshua Tree than Death Valley. Both are beautiful.

It would really help to know where you are driving back to when you finish your trip. The Mojave Road is a fantastic two day trip that you could start near Barstow, CA and finish in Bullhead City, AZ not far from Hoover Dam. It's about 130 miles all off-road with nothing too difficult.

You also have the Bradshaw Trail which starts next to the Salton Sea (close to Joshua Tree) and also heads east to the Arizona border just south I-10. Also a good two day trip with some great side trips into some canyons and old mines along the way.

Death Valley would be great home is heading towards Oregon or Washington.