Topic: Mojave Road Winter Deal

[FixItGuy]

Just snapped a few pics... Was too busy having fun to remember to capture all the really good moments  .
Randy's Jack Rabbit tartar and Number Two's heat seeking ember of death were a few of the uncaptured highlights.

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[Kjswa]

Looks awesome!! I really want to get out there before summer. Going to start searching for maps...

[steve c]

Looks like fun, guys!

[JFanaselle]

Looks like you guys had an amazing time. I'm still really bummed out that I missed this one.

Looks awesome!! I really want to get out there before summer. Going to start searching for maps...

This is the most accurate and up to date map of the preserve:

http://www.amazon.com/Mojave-National-Preserve-Recreation-Harrison/dp/0981834469/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453138550&sr=8-1&keywords=mojave+preserve+map

This one is also pretty good, but the Tom Harrison one is more recently updated and is a little easier to use, per most of the reviews:

http://www.amazon.com/Mojave-National-Preserve-Geographic-Illustrated/dp/1566953839/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1453138550&sr=8-2&keywords=mojave+preserve+map

I would also highly recommend the Back Country Navigator app for Android devices. The app is like $10 or $15 and you download the maps for your region of travel before you depart. They're stored in the memory of the device so even when you don't have data access, you can see your location on the maps (GPS still works without data, it's just that most software requires a live connection to a database to display maps). Some maps are free, some cost money. Most of the maps available for this area are old topography maps (and they're free), so I would still recommend purchasing one of the newer paper maps and studying your route thoroughly.

[SCUBA_Dale]

Javier going deep in the river


Mike and I crossing the river

[Kjswa]

Looks like you guys had an amazing time. I'm still really bummed out that I missed this one.

This is the most accurate and up to date map of the preserve:

http://www.amazon.com/Mojave-National-Preserve-Recreation-Harrison/dp/0981834469/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453138550&sr=8-1&keywords=mojave+preserve+map

This one is also pretty good, but the Tom Harrison one is more recently updated and is a little easier to use, per most of the reviews:

http://www.amazon.com/Mojave-National-Preserve-Geographic-Illustrated/dp/1566953839/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1453138550&sr=8-2&keywords=mojave+preserve+map

I would also highly recommend the Back Country Navigator app for Android devices. The app is like $10 or $15 and you download the maps for your region of travel before you depart. They're stored in the memory of the device so even when you don't have data access, you can see your location on the maps (GPS still works without data, it's just that most software requires a live connection to a database to display maps). Some maps are free, some cost money. Most of the maps available for this area are old topography maps (and they're free), so I would still recommend purchasing one of the newer paper maps and studying your route thoroughly.

Would you recommend getting the trail guide book?

[Celt]

The guidebook has interesting facts and information. Much of that you can learn from looking through the internet. I have the Tom Harrison map and it's very simple to read and navigate off of. It additionally lists several points of interest on it.

[Jayrat]

I bought this
it was recommended By Toro last year.
http://www.amazon.com/Mojave-Road-Guide-Adventure-Through/dp/0914224379/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357196426&sr=8-1&keywords=mojave+road+guide

[Kjswa]

Where's the best place to call or check online for current trail conditions? Specifically how deep the river crossing is.

[JFanaselle]

Celt tried to call the BLM and the Mojave Preserve for conditions at the river crossing and over Soda Lake and my understanding is that it was a horrible failure. Both agencies said they don't regularly patrol the areas and don't provide any conditions information.

You can monitor the Mojave River level using the NOAA/National Weather Service monitoring station data at this link: http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=vef&gage=mjrc1

Based on the experiences of everyone during this winter trip, it seems that this river monitoring station doesn't directly reflect the depth at the crossing itself - the crossing seems to be a little more spread out and shallow, which is a good thing.

I found good luck going to YouTube and searching for "Mojave River," "Mojave Road," "Afton Canyon," and a few other key words, then filtering the results to show you videos loaded within the past 24 or 48 hours, or the past week. There are a surprising number of people who travel through these areas and post videos of their trip almost immediately. It's a good way to get a visual of the conditions on recent trips.

[Celt]

While it's certainly not inclusive here is some good info to start with: http://www.nps.gov/moja/index.htm

[SCUBA_Dale]

Here are some photos of the trip...compliments of #2.

[SCUBA_Dale]

More Pics

[SCUBA_Dale]

And then some more...

[SCUBA_Dale]

Even More!