Mojave Desert Ultimate Adventure - Afton Canyon / Spooky Canyon / Travelers Monument / and More!!!

Follow me on Instagram: Jeff_Palma03

Facebook Group: Whatzs Overland
Instagram: Whatzs.Overland

Follow Kuya Rod on Instagram/Youtube
‪@k9projectworks‬

I would like to thanks Members of Whatzs Overland for coming on this event and Philippines Off Road 4x4 Southern California for joining the event

Known locally as the Grand Canyon of the East Mojave for its dramatic geological formations, the Afton Canyon Natural Area/Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) is part of the Mojave Trails National Monument. The ACEC encompasses approximately 41,500 acres, of which about 23,600 acres are public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Barstow Field Office.

Afton Canyon is one of only three places where the Mojave River flows above ground year-round in the Mojave Desert. Its water has provided food and habitat for humans and wildlife since prehistoric times. The area is popular for birdwatching, hiking, hunting, vehicle touring, rockhounding, horseback riding, stargazing, photography, natural history study and camping.

The Mojave Road is an east-west route, roughly 150 miles long, that traverses the desert between the Colorado River and the Mojave River near Wilmington, Los Angeles, CA. Most of the Mojave Road is within the boundaries of the Mojave National Preserve. The road enters the park near Piute Spring on the east side and on Soda Dry Lake near Zzyzx on the west.

The Lava Tube at Mojave National Preserve basaltic lava tube feature in the Cima Dome Volcanic Field. A short, rocky hiking trail leads from a primitive parking area, to a skylight in the tube, where a ladder leads hikers into the lava tube. Access requires a high clearance from Aiken Mine and Kelbaker Roads

The Aiken Cinder Mine is in the Mojave National Preserve, it began operations in 1948, mining cinder cone (volcanic rock). The abandoned mine has been closed since 1990, when they essentially just left everything behind. Most of the mining equipment (what hasn’t been pieced off by vandalism) is still around: tractors, diesel engines, massive conveyor belts, shakers, weigh stations, scales, etc. They mined just over 9 million tons of cinder, of which almost 8 million tons are still left on-site in piles. Of the 1+ million tons that was sold and went to market, the majority was used for various construction projects on the Las Vegas strip. Definitely a cool area to explore. Just off the main mine area is a small volcanic arch, next to the ruins of an old stone house.

Travelers Monuments is large pile of traveler-curated rocks by the dry lakebed is a longstanding tradition on the Old Mojave Road.