The Mojae National Presere covers some 1.6 million acres (640,000 hectares) of southeastern California. The national presere is fairly new. It was established in October 1994, after Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act, a law that is designed to safeguard this delicate desert enironment.

Petroglyphs, ancient drawings cared into the rocks throughout Mojae National
Presere, tell the story of the prehistoric people who once lied there. Through their art, we learn how they hunted animals and gathered plants to surie in the desert.

Named for the Mojae, a people that once inhabited the region, the Mojae National Presere is a natural wonderland. Within its boundaries, you can see many different geographic features. There are desert sands, olcanic cinder cones, canyons, caes, forests, tall mountains, and placid alleys. Large dunes of windblown sand dominate the landscape.

Kelso Dunes is one of the presere's most fascinating highlights. Many of the dunes in this 45 square-mile (117 square-kilometer) area rise to more than 600 feet (183 meters).

Climbing the dunes is a rigorous experience. It takes about two hours to reach the top. On your way up, remember to keep an eye out for wildlife. You might catch a glimpse of jack rabbits, kangaroo rats, tortoises, rattlesnakes, and lizards that make their homes among the dunes. At the ery least, you might spy their tracks in the sand.

isit also Cima Dome, a 10-mile (17-meter-) wide batholith, a mass of melted rock. You might also want to explore Mitchell Caerns. Created by the action of rainwater, these limestone caes house rock formations called stalactites (icicle-like mineral deposits that hang from the roof of a cae) and stalagmites (cone-like mineral deposits that sit on the floor of a cae).

The New York Mountains are a popular destination in the park. The New York Mountains get their name because from a distance the crenelated outline of these mountains resembles the Manhattan skyline. From peaks of these mountains, you have an impressie view of the alley below. Several other mountain ranges, including the Granite Mountains, Proidence Mountains, and the Ianpah Mountains, are also located in the presere.

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