• Providence Mountains

    Mojave

    National Preserve California

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  • Kelso Depot Visitor Center will be closed two days per week

    Effective May 8, 2013, Kelso Depot Visitor Center in Mojave National Preserve will be closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The Visitor Center will remain open Fridays through Tuesdays from 9 am to 5 pm. More »

Desert Light Gallery at Kelso Depot

Mitchell Caverns

Mitchell Caverns at Providence Mountains State Recreation Area, part of the California State Park system.

Guss Louis Vopalensky

Mitchell Caverns: Hidden Treasure
The Photography of Guss Louis Vopalensky

Exhibition: April 20 - July 21, 2013

Since the turn of the last century, transcontinental railroads have promoted rail travel to national parks by producing framed prints and advertising art that depicts the beauty of these national treasures. The tradition of close ties between the railroads, art, and national parks continues at the Desert Light Gallery in Kelso Depot Visitor Center.

Guss Louis Vopalensky is a commerical photographer living in Victorville California. He has spent over 20 years photographing the California Desert. In the 1990s and again in 2009, Vopalensky spent several days photographing Mitchell Caverns, a part of Providence Mountains State Recreation Area located within the boundaries of Mojave National Preserve.

Although Mitchell Caverns is currently closed due to California state budget cuts, Vopalensky's photography provides us a glimpse into the cavern's hidden treasures.

Did You Know?

photo of deer hunters

Park or preserve?
Like other parks with the designation of "national preserve," Mojave National Preserve is managed under the same guidelines as national parks. The main difference is that hunting is allowed in national preserves, but not in national parks.