It’s a beautiful early-December day as we drive into California’s Mojave National Preserve during a two-week journey through the Southwest. Over the years, we have frequently traveled along the preserve’s fringes, but nearly always during the summer when temperatures in the desert were unbearable, at least for us. This can be a tough environment to visit, let alone live. When the weather cooperates, as it was this December, the Mojave is stunningly beautiful.

Mojave National Preserve is wedged between Interstates 15 and 40 in southeastern California, with the northeast corner about 50 miles southwest of Las Vegas. At 1.6 million acres – three times the size of Great Smoky Mountains National Park — it is one of the largest units of the National Park Service in terms of size, but with a remoteness and lack of visitor facilities making it one of the less heavily visited units managed by NPS.

Our only previous exploration of the preserve was in October 2015 when the temperature was in our comfort zone. Unfortunately, we had limited time and spent only a couple of hours in the park. The rugged and unusual landscapes combined with a short visit to the park’s visitor center convinced us a return was warranted. This time we set aside a full day to explore the preserve. Our goal was not only to explore different areas of the national preserve, but to spend more time at one of the National Park Service’s most delightful visitor centers.

Today’s Mojave Desert, once an ancient sea, is 25 thousand square miles of some of the driest land in the U.S. Located mostly in southern California, with smaller sections in Nevada, Arizona, and Utah, the desert averages two to six inches of precipitation annually. The area supported some ranching, but most economic activity centered around mining for iron, copper, gold and silver.

The preserve’s wide range of elevation, from 800 feet in the northwest near the town of Baker, to 8,000 feet at Clark Mountain in a separate northern section, results in significant variation in temperature, vegetation and wildlife. In July, normally the preserve’s hottest month, the average high temperature ranges from 109 degrees at low elevations to 90 degrees at elevations of 4,000 feet. The range drops to 62 and 50, respectively, during December.

Bighorn sheep can sometimes be spotted in the higher elevations where pinyon and juniper trees grow. Lower elevations are dominated by creosote bush, brittlebush and hedgehog cactus. This portion of the park serves as home to roadrunners and the desert tortoise.

The preserve’s 165 miles of paved roads and 70 miles of dirt roads allow visitors without four-wheel drive vehicles access to diverse areas of the park. Those with four-wheel drive vehicles can enjoy a significantly expanded area.

Wanting to view 1,500-foot Cima Dome, home to the world’s largest concentration of Joshua trees, we entered the preserve from the north on Cima Road, a paved motorway heading south toward Kelso, locations of the main visitor center. Five miles south of Cima, we turned east on Cedar Canyon Road to explore the central portion of the preserve and gain an excellent view of historic Mojave Road that was used by pioneers. After several miles of increasingly rough road, we turned back and headed to Kelso.

The Kelso NPS visitor center is in a beautifully restored 1920s railroad depot. We spent several hours exploring numerous exhibits after viewing an excellent 18-minute video on the national preserve. During our visit, two large Union Pacific freights passed directly in front of the old depot.

Departing Kelso, we drove south past the impressive Kelso Dunes that rise to 700 feet at the base of the Granite Mountains. A four-mile road provides access to the sand dunes. The mountains themselves offer the most impressive landscape in the preserve. The paved road has a 55 mile per hour speed limit, but the view here is fascinating and we took our time with frequent stops for photos.

David and Kay Scott are authors of “Complete Guide to the National Park Lodges” (Globe Pequot). Visit them at mypages.valdosta.edu/dlscott/Scott.html. The Scotts live in Valdosta, Ga.

If You Go

Location: The preserve is in southeastern California about 50 miles southwest of Las Vegas. It is an easy day trip from either Las Vegas or Barstow, Calif.

Fees: There is no charge for visiting the preserve.

When to go: Spring and fall are the best times to visit. Summers are brutal.

Facilities: No lodging or gasoline are available within the preserve. Snacks only can be purchased at the Kelso Depot. Drinking water is available at the visitor centers and campgrounds.