The Mojave National Preserve and Cima Road

by Cliff & Ilene Bandringa | Images by SnapShots West

One of the best ways to see large swaths of pristine Mojave Desert landscape is to take a drive into the Mojave National Preserve via the pavement of Cima Road. It is a great day trip from Las Vegas or a side trip for travelers going to L.A. It’s also a good way to get a quick peek into what the Mojave National Preserve has to offer.

From the I-15 freeway, we’ll take you on this short tour to the small desert town of Cima. Along the way, you’ll see countless Joshua trees, a large variety of desert plants, a well-maintained hiking trail, the ruins of old buildings, a small portion of what used to be a large cattle ranch from the late 1890s, a historic memorial, and maybe a tortoise or two.

The first half of Cima Road, which slowly climbs a unique geologic formation called Cima Dome, passes through what was once the largest concentration of Joshua trees anywhere. Tragically, in 2020, a fire devastated this area, and now, much of what you see is a darkened landscape with silhouettes of burnt Joshua trees.

The appropriately named Dome Fire was started by lightning on August 15, 2020, and because there were many other fires going on at the same time, this fire was given a low priority. It burned for almost two weeks and covered 43,200 acres.

Because we traveled, hiked, and photographed this area extensively before the fire, we are now able to create a “before and after” video that shows what the desert vegetation looked like both before and after the destruction. Be sure to watch this video (details at the conclusion) to get a good sense of what was and now is. Although the damage from the fire was extensive, only about one-third of the area we’ll talk about in this tour was destroyed. The remaining two-thirds of the lovely desert scenery were untouched and are still there to enjoy.

Our tour begins at the Cima Road exit on I-15. From the off-ramp, reset your trip meter to zero, and head south. Soon you’ll be climbing a very gradual hill as you watch the Joshua trees around you become thicker and thicker. At about the seven to eight-mile mark, you’ll begin to see the fire damage, first on one side of the road, and then on both sides. At the 10-mile mark, look for a well-defined dirt road that leads to the right (west). This is the road to the historic Valley View Ranch.

The remains of what was once a huge cattle ranch are located 1.7 miles west on this dirt road. A few decades ago, it was common to see thousands of cattle roaming around the desert here. Since we were not able to visit the ranch compound, we don’t know if the historic structures survived the fire.

Continuing south on Cima Road, at 11.3 miles from I-15, you’ll see a small parking lot on the right. This is the trailhead to Teutonia Peak. It is one of the few maintained hiking trails within the preserve, but for the next few years, it will probably be closed due to restoration efforts. When it is open, this three-mile round-trip hike offers stunning views of the surrounding desert landscape.

Just across the street and south of the parking lot, you’ll find the Mojave Cross. This is a memorial site that was erected by World War I veterans back in the 1930s. Recently, this small cross made the national news when a landmark lawsuit was taken all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. The issue was regarding the existence of religious symbols on federal lands, and the court’s decision was to allow the cross to stay.

At 17.5 miles, the small town of Cima is reached. There are numerous ruins of old wooden buildings scattered all around. Unfortunately, each time we pass by here, more and more of those old buildings have disappeared. Cima means “summit” in

Spanish. The townsite marks a summit on the Union Pacific railroad tracks here and was a turnaround point for helper locomotives.

A very short distance east of Cima is a rural railroad crossing. This leads to a dirt road that will take you to an unusual gold mine named the Death Valley Mine. This mine was actively worked up until the 1990s, and so far, all of the ruins are still in great shape. The road also passes by many great specimens of Mojave Desert flora and cacti.

Complete your tour of Cima Road by either returning to I-15 or continuing south on what’s now Kelso Cima Road to the Mojave National Preserve Visitor Center at Kelso Depot. Continue on that road to I-40. If you have more time, a whole day can be spent driving the backroads in the preserve to explore the various points of interest. See our blog (details below) for more trip ideas in the preserve, or purchase our comprehensive on-guide of the Mojave National Preserve.V

See what a drive up Cima Road looks like, along with before and after pictures of this special Joshua Tree forest, by searching for “Cima Road in the Mojave National Preserve” on YouTube. Learn about what there is to see here and in the Mojave National Preserve at www.BackRoadsWest.com/blog.

by Marsha Sherwood

The 2022 Virgin Valley Junior Golf program was a big success! This year, we welcomed two great teachers to our team, Patrick Moore and Kathy Cho, who led our clinics and tournaments. Our amazing community came through as well with many volunteers to fill the need. We appreciate them all and are always looking for any volunteers we can get. Whether it’s teaching the game or herding children, we are always grateful for the help.

Our awards banquet was to be held at the rec center with a pool party where the Mesquite Firefighters would be grilling up burgers and dogs. Mother Nature had other plans, however, and the banquet was held at the senior center. Several awards were given out, with the most memorable one given to seven-year-old Beckett Davis, who got a hole-in-one at Falcon Ridge Golf Course during tournament play!

We finished with almost 60 members and are looking forward to many more in our 2023 season. Virgin Valley Junior Golf is a nonprofit organization for our local youth. It offers three weeks of summer instruction from golf professionals followed by six tournaments. Junior Golf is designed to teach our youth not only the game of golf but also the integrity that is a big part of the game. The benefits that our youth gain from being involved are numerous, including math skills, good sportsmanship, independence, and many more. It is a team sport as well as an individual sport. Kids also have the opportunity to earn college scholarships.

Virgin Valley Junior Golf never turns any child away. Sponsor money is used to cover tuition, the purchase of awards, the banquet dinner, and much more. We do everything in our power to make it available to any youth that shows an interest. We also help provide golf equipment, such as golf balls, tees, and clubs. Golf is a major part of our community. By keeping our youth involved in sports, we help them build a brighter future and become valuable members of our community.V

If you would like to be a sponsor, or for more information, please contact Laura Petersen at lpetersen@mesquitegaming.com or Marsha Sherwood at msherwood@mesquitegaming.com.