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East Mojave Heritage Trail

Updated: Feb 4

The East Mojave Heritage Trail is an epic 700+ mile adventure through some of the lesser traveled areas within the East Mojave Desert and Mojave National Preserve. While the Mojave Road seems to get all the glory in these parts, the much longer EMHT is action packed with geological wonders and interesting history and sights around just about every corner.



Route Overview


Trip Length & Season

Adventure Rating: Baja

Trip Length:  7-14 days, approximately 740 miles

Season: October through May, but late winter to early spring tends to bring mild temps with more greenery and desert blooms. Summer travel is not advised as desert temps can exceed 110F.

Digital Maps & GPX Files

Download Digital Mapping Files

If you need help working with digital mapping and GPX files, please check out our FAQ section.

Technical Ratings & Terrain

Avg Technical Rating:  2-3

Peak Technical Rating: 4

Typical Terrain:  Graded dirt and gravel roads, sandy washes, narrow trails and two track, and rocky jeep tracks.

Recommended Vehicle / Moto / Adventure Vans

Recommended Vehicle: Stock 4x4

Recommended Moto: A mid-weight bike or dual is recommended given some of the moderate terrain with sizable sections of sandy washes and trails.

Adventure Vans: While a Sprinter 4x4 can manage the vast majority of the route, there are sections that are off camber, narrow, and some small ledges that may prove difficult for Sprinter and Transit vans to navigate. Because of this, the EMHT is not deemed suitable for Sprinters and Transit vans.

Fuel, Provisions, and Recommended Gear

Fuel Seg 1

Needles to Searchlight 140mi, Searchlight to Primm 45mi Fuel Seg 2

Primm to Baker 100mi, Baker to Ludlow (seg3) 160mi

Fuel Seg 3

Ludlow to Amboy 30mi, Ludlow to Fenner 130mi

Fuel Seg 4

Fenner to Vidal Junction 95mi, Vidal Junction to Needles 85mi Provisions: Provisions can be obtained in the same general vicinity as fuel. Gear: no specialized gear is recommended for this adventure.

Alternative Routes

n/a

Camping Recommendations

The Mojave National Preserve has attracted folks seeking solace in the desert for decades. There are quite literally hundreds of fantastic camp sites along the route. Some of our favorite places to camp include: Segment 1

  • Goff's School House (fee)

  • OX Ranch Corral / Piute Corral

  • Caruthers Canyon

Segment 2

  • Curtis Cabin

  • Riggs cabin vicinity

  • Cree camp

  • New Era mines & cabins vicinity

  • Aiken Mine

  • Cinder cone lava fields

Segment 3

  • Granite Pass vicinity

  • Kelso dunes

  • Wild Horse Canyon Road near Hole-in-the-wall

Segment 4

  • Brown's camp vicinity

  • Pyramid Butte vicinity

  • West Well Archeological site vicinity



Discovery Points & EMHT Mailboxes

EMHT Mailboxes

When the East Mojave Heritage Trail was officially introduced to the public, the trail had one mailbox per segment. These mail boxes were used by the BLM and later NPS to monitor traffic on the EMHT. Into do the 4 mailboxes along the EMHT, the old Mojave Road Mailbox #2 has been relocated to Goffs Schoolhouse. We've provided the approximate locations of these three mailboxes in our GPX files for subscribers. Please be sure to sign in if you're lucky enough to find one of these mailboxes.

  • EMHT Mailbox #1 (segment 1)

  • EMHT Mailbox #2 (segment 2)

  • EMHT Mailbox #3 (segment 3)

  • EMHT Mailbox #4 (segment 4)

  • Mojave Road Mailbox #1 (Mojave Road)

  • Mojave Road Mailbox #2 (Goffs Schoolhouse)


Discovery Points The entire East Mojave Heritage Trail contains over 100 discovery points curated by OTG, many of which are referenced in the 4 volume EMHT Guide Books by Dennis Casebier. If you'd like a detailed guide of the EMHT, we highly recommend purchasing a subscription that contains the specific locations of each discovery point, recommended camp sites, EMHT mail boxes (approximate locations) and other interesting points of interest.


Segment 1

  • S1/DP1 - Colorado River

  • S1/DP2 - National Old Trails Monument

  • S1/DP3 - El Garces Train Depot

  • S1/DP4 - Sacramento Mountains

  • S1/DP5 - Eagle Pass

  • S1/DP6 - Flattop Mountain

  • S1/DP7 - Bigelo Cholla Garden Wilderness

  • S1/DP8 - Mojave Bus

  • S1/DP9 - Goffs Schoolhouse Museum

  • S1/DP10 - Goffs Railway Depot

  • S1/DP11 - Leiser Ray Mine

  • S1/DP12 - Fort Piute

  • S1/DP13 - Piute Corral

  • S1/DP14 - The Penny Can Tree

  • S1/DP15 - Dunbar (site)

  • S1/DP16 - Lanfair (site)

  • S1/DP17 - Rock Spring House

  • S1/DP18 - Rock Spring Petroglyphs

  • S1/DP19 - New York Mountains

  • S1/DP20 - Caruther's Canyon

  • S1/DP21 - Easter Island Rock

  • S1/DP22 - Tin Camp

  • S1/DP23 - Castle Mountains National Monument

  • S1/DP24 - CA-NV Stateline

  • S1/DP25 - Searchlight

  • S1/DP26 - Searchlight Historic Museum

  • S1/DP27 - Nipton Historical Village

  • S1/DP28 - Ivanpah Solar Farm

  • S1/DP29 - Old Ivanpah (site)


Segment 2

  • S2/DP1 - Coliseum Mine

  • S2/DP2 - Curtis Cabin

  • S2/DP3 - Clark Mountain

  • S2/DP4 - Kelly Field

  • S2/DP5 - Kingston Peak

  • S2/DP6 - Coyote Holes

  • S2/DP7 - Valjean (site)

  • S2/DP8 - Silurian Lake Playa

  • S2/DP9 - Riggs (site)

  • S2/DP10 - Riggs Cabin

  • S2/DP11 - Jake's Cabin

  • S2/DP12 - Silver Lake Mines

  • S2/DP13 - Silver Lake Cemetery

  • S2/DP14 - Baker

  • S2/DP15 - Zzyzx

  • S2/DP16 - Soda Lake Playa (Mojave River Sink)

  • S2/DP17 - Cree Camp

  • S2/DP18 - Hytens Well

  • S2/DP19 - Wanderer Mine

  • S2/DP20 - Wanderer Mine Crack

  • S2/DP21 - Toltec Turquoise Mine (West Camp)

  • S2/DP22 - Turquoise Mountain

  • S2/DP23 - Valley Wells Smelter

  • S2/DP24 - Mountain Pass Mine

  • S2/DP25 - Squalor Camp / Kokoweef Inc Mine

  • S2/DP26 - Standard Mine

  • S2/DP27 - Riley's Grave

  • S2/DP28 - Greer Camp

  • S2/DP29 - J. Riley Bembry Cabin

  • S2/DP30 - New Era Mines

  • S2/DP31 - Evening Star Mine

  • S2/DP32 - Hartman Mine

  • S2/DP33 - Mojave Cross

  • S2/DP34 - Cima Volcanic Dome

  • S2/DP35 - Cow Cove Petroglyphs

  • S2/DP36 - Cima Cinders Mine

  • S2/DP37 - Mojave Phone Booth Memorial

  • S2/DP38 - Cinder Cone Lava Fields

  • S2/DP39 - Aiken Mine

  • S2/DP40 - Lava Teepee

  • S2/DP41 - Mojave Lava Tube


Segment 3

  • S3/DP1 - Rocky Ridge

  • S3/DP2 - Devil's Playground Dunes

  • S3/DP3 - Crucero Lake (Playa)

  • S3/DP4 - Tonopah & Tidewater RR Berm

  • S3/DP5 - Mojave Megaphone

  • S3/DP6 - Crucero (site)

  • S3/DP7 - Broadwell Lake Playa

  • S3/DP8 - Old Murphy General Store

  • S3/DP9 - Ludlow Cemetery

  • S3/DP10 - Siberia Crater (Dish Hill)

  • S3/DP11 - Bagdad (site)

  • S3/DP12 - Lance Corporal Jason Rother Memorial

  • S3/DP13 - Amboy Airfield

  • S3/DP14 - Roy's Sky Motel & Cafe

  • S3/DP15 - Route 66 pavement sign

  • S3/DP16 - Amboy Crater

  • S3/DP17 - Orange Blossom Mine

  • S3/DP18 - Budweiser Spring

  • S3/DP19 - Granite Mountains

  • S3/DP20 - Boulders Viewpoint

  • S3/DP21 - Kelso Dunes

  • S3/DP22 - Kelso Depot Visitor Center

  • S3/DP23 - Kelso Chinese Cemetery

  • S3/DP24 - Vulcan Mine

  • S3/DP25 - Mitchell Caverns

  • S3/DP26 - Fountain Peak

  • S3/DP27 - Providence Ghost Town

  • S3/DP28 - Bonanza King Mine

  • S3/DP29 - Silver King Mine

  • S3/DP30 - HITW Visitor Center

  • S3/DP31 - Hole in the Wall


Segment 4

  • S4/DP1 - Fenner

  • S4/DP2 - Camp Clipper Air strip

  • S4/DP3 - Piute Mountains Wilderness Area

  • S4/DP4 - Burning Shoe Wash

  • S4/DP5 - Little Piute Mountains

  • S4/DP6 - Old Woman Mountains

  • S4/DP7- Goldstar Mines / Sunflower Springs

  • S4/DP8 - Lucky Jim Mine

  • S4/DP9 - Brown's Camp

  • S4/DP10 - Turtle Mountains

  • S4/DP11 - Pyramid Butte

  • S4/DP12 - New American Eagle Mine

  • S4/DP13 - West Well Archaeological Site

  • S4/DP14 - Chemehuevi Mountains


Land Managers & Other Resources

Land Managers

Other


We highly recommend purchasing Dennis Casebier's 4 volume guidebooks series for the East Mojave Heritage Trail. The guidebooks can be purchased online from the Mojave Desert Heritage & Cultural Association.

Permits & Papers



Adventure Badges: EMHT Decals and Patches are now available to purchase at the MDHCA store.

Route Details

The East Mojave Heritage Trail was developed in the 1980s as an alternate overland route to the better-known (and much shorter) Mojave Road by Dennis Casebier. Even back then, the Mojave Road was seeing a reasonable amount of vehicle traffic. Casebier's goal with the East Mojave Heritage Trail was to disperse vehicle traffic throughout the East Mojave region while also introducing travelers to its lesser-visited areas. As he did with the Mojave Road, Casebier created a series of guidebooks—one for each of the four segments of the EMHT—containing detailed information about the region’s past, mining history, railroads, industrial developments, quirky stories, geology, flora, and fauna. We highly recommend purchasing the guidebooks given the wealth of information they contain. However, it's important to note that the current iteration of the East Mojave Heritage Trail has been revised and updated to bypass wilderness boundaries that were implemented after Casebier’s guidebooks were published.


The four segments of the East Mojave Heritage Trail largely sit within the 1.5 million acres of the Mojave National Preserve. The route visits well-known locations like Kelso Dunes, as well as many places off the beaten path. Given the length of the trail and the existence of Casebier’s guidebooks, OTG’s route guide provides a general overview of what to expect while exploring the EMHT. We encourage all travelers to purchase the guidebooks to gain the most informative experience. The East Mojave Heritage Trail is broken down into four distinct segments:

  • Segment 1: Needles to Ivanpah – 173 miles

  • Segment 2: Ivanpah to Rocky Ridge – 199 miles

  • Segment 3: Rocky Ridge to Fenner – 211 miles

  • Segment 4: Fenner to Needles – 155 miles


Each segment has a unique character and history. Segments 1 and 2 are rich with mining history. Segment 2 also features volcanic landscapes like the cinder cone lava fields. Segment 3 showcases unique geological features such as Kelso Dunes, Hole-in-the-Wall, and Mitchell Caverns. Segment 4 tends to focus on the natural and geological history of the East Mojave. Needless to say, there’s something for everyone along the EMHT—whether you're into stargazing, hiking, exploring local flora and fauna, spelunking, or learning about early pioneers and the Indigenous peoples who once called this part of the Mojave home.

We spent hours poring over the four guidebooks, translating the wealth of information from Dennis Casebier into over 100 discovery points. These points lead to locations such as old townsites, mining camps and cabins, caves, lava fields, unique geological formations, and strange desert oddities—like the Mojave Megaphone. We’ve also included a number of discovery points that aren’t mentioned in Casebier’s guidebooks but are relevant to telling the story of the East Mojave. We hope you enjoy the research and hard work that went into developing the most complete digital mapping file available for the East Mojave Heritage Trail!

The nearly forgotten East Mojave Heritage Trail was recently resurrected by Billy Creech, who spent countless hours exploring the desert to create an updated version of the EMHT. With its rebirth, the EMHT is poised to become one of North America's iconic overland routes. Rebirth of the East Mojave Heritage Trail Dennis Casebier spent years exploring the desert and writing his Mojave Road and East Mojave Heritage Trail guidebooks. He was aware of the possibility that wilderness research areas could cut off vehicular access to parts of the EMHT—which is exactly what happened shortly after the guidebooks were published in the early 1990s, making through-passage impossible on certain segments. Aside from a handful of desert rats, history buffs, and off-road misfits who still traveled the EMHT, the route was largely forgotten. That is, until Billy Creech came across the guidebooks and began exploring the original tracks, researching, and developing new routes to bypass wilderness areas and trail closures.

Hailing from Southern California and now based in southwest Idaho, Billy grew up enjoying the outdoors. His first remote exploration trip was in the ’80s, when he joined his girlfriend’s family in their Scout on a trip to Death Valley. A certified Master Diver, he has worked in water search and rescue and is now a corporate supply chain strategist and planning professional. His passion for outdoor exploration, hiking, and camping evolved into overland exploration and eventually scientific expeditions. He is happiest when exploring remote areas—sharing skills, enjoying nature, meeting people, and making new friends while cooking over an open fire and swapping stories.

Billy is an elected member of The Explorers Club and is considered a subject matter expert on exploration, particularly in desert environments. He holds an MBA from Cornell University, serves as the President of the Board of Directors for the Mojave Desert Heritage & Cultural Association, and is a published author and poet. He is also a frequent guest on various exploration podcasts and a two-time recipient of the Mojave Road Wagon Master Award.


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Terms of Use: Should you decide to travel a route that is published on Overlandtrailguides.com, you do so at your own risk. Always take the appropriate precautions when planning and traveling, including checking the current local weather, permit requirements, trail/road conditions, and land/road closures. While traveling, obey all public and private land use restrictions a


nd rules, and carry the appropriate safety, recovery, and navigational equipment. The information found on this site is simply a planning resource to be used as a point of inspiration in conjunction with your own due-diligence. In spite of the fact that this route, associated GPS track (GPX and maps), and all route guidelines were prepared under diligent research by Overland Trail Guides, the route accuracy and current conditions of roads and trails cannot be guaranteed.



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