NPS Photos
Kelso Depot Visitor Center
Information, exhibits, orientation film, art gallery, bookstore, restrooms, water, picnic area.
Click here (PDF, 273 KB) to view and/or print an informative brochure about Kelso Depot.
Hours of Operation
Kelso Depot is open Thursday - Monday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Christmas Day.
Entrance Fee
Free
Phone
760 252-6108
Location
From I-15: Exit Kelbaker Road at Baker, Calif. Continue 35 miles southeast on Kelbaker Road to Kelso, Calif.
From I-40: Exit Kelbaker Road (about 29 miles east of Ludlow Calif., or 28 miles west of Fenner, Calif.). Continue 22 miles north on Kelbaker Road to Kelso, Calif.
Exhibits
Originally opened in 1924 as a train station, Kelso Depot was renovated and reopened in 2005 as the Visitor Center for Mojave National Preserve. Former dormitory rooms contain exhibits describing the cultural and natural history of the surrounding desert. The baggage room, ticket office, and two dormitory rooms have been historically furnished to illustrate life in the depot in the first half of the twentieth century. A 20-minute orientation film is shown in the theater.
The Desert Light Gallery features rotating fine art collections by local artists, focusing on the cultural history and natural splendors of Mojave national Preserve. Click here for information on the current exhibition.
