California Photo Scout

Kelso Dunes at sunset

Pure randomness determined the name of Kelso and the giant dune field southwest of town. Randomness also seems to govern the dune field and much of the desert around it, as patterns emerge from the sand and weather determines if you will have a good day in the field or not.

Amidst one of the least hospitable and least visited places in California, the Mojave National Preserve, Kelso Dunes and Kelso Depot are the most prominent and most visited feature. Unlike most other large dune fields, no ATVs tear up the beautiful landscape.

Desert photography is special. The feeling of vast emptiness lets you concentrate on light and form without introducing distractions while the clean air and the unforgiving landscape introduce a sense of purity that eventually shows in your pictures. You can forget the life outside the desert, the busy schedules you left behind and enjoy the moment like nowhere else. Unrushed and alone, you become one with your camera.

How to get there

Take Kelbaker Road north from I-40 about 28 miles east of Ludlow and 29 miles west of Fenner or take Kelbaker Road south from I-15 in Baker. The turnoff to the Kelso Dunes is about 16 miles north of I-40 and 7 miles south of the Kelso junction. You can pick up a park map at the visitor center in Kelso or at the Hole in the Wall Visitor Center. The spur to the dunes trailhead is about 4 miles. It is a dirt road well suitable for 2 wheel drive cars.

Gasoline is very expensive anywhere near Mojave. Barstow offers somewhat reasonable prices, but you should fill up in Bakersfield (CA), Las Vegas (NV) or Kingman (AZ), depending on where you come from and only get as much as you need to get back there. There is no gasoline inside the Mojave Preserve. The stations in Needles and Fenner are very expensive.

GPS position

Trailhead Parking: N34° 53.535’ W115° 41.946’

How to photograph Kelso Dunes and Kelso Depot

Kelso Dunes and railroad tracks

I approached Kelso from the north on Kelso-Cima road. The dunes are visible for miles. Although I had the sun ahead of me, I decided to try a photograph from the train tracks that run parallel to the road. I had planned to photograph in the dunes during sunset on an overcast day, hoping for good cloud formations. Unfortunately, this put me at this spot at the wrong time. If you find yourself in a situation where you have trouble capturing the entire dynamic range, you can set up an HDR photograph or you simply expose for the highlights and brighten the shadows a bit in your RAW converter.

Union Pacific Railroad xing

Kelso Depot

I snapped a couple of railroad pictures, when a friendly park ranger pulled over to advice me that I was about to trespass on railroad property. Apparently, the railroad forbids standing on or walking alongside a railroad track. You must pass it quickly. Next time you find yourself near a photogenic railroad track, see that you stay away from it far enough while composing your shots.

We headed to Kelso Depot next. The historic Union Pacific Railroad building now serves as a visitor center and boasts a museum, bookstore, and cafe. The stylish yellow building fits perfectly into the desert landscape and the availability of water even lets trees grow. Stop for a few shots of the depot and visit the museum if you have time.

I headed into the dunes to look for a good spot to photograph the sunset. The clouds towards the west looked promising. I did not follow the main path to the top of the largest dune and kept to the left, following rogue footprints. The Kelso Dune Field is larger than I expected. There were also more people here, which meant I had to walk a long distance to find ground without footprints. From a distance, I saw a couple on a dune. The diagonal line greatly helped the composition and the size of the couple helps to understand the enormous size of these dunes. Make the best of other people on the dunes by using them in your compositions.

Dune Hikers

The ripples in the sand usually look best in direct sunlight during the morning or afternoon (see Guadalupe Dunes post). Since the sun hid behind thick clouds, I focused on the fine grasses and sparse plants that grow here instead. The muted pastel colors of the fading day were perfect for this. Use a wide-angle lens to emphasize the foreground and get enough depth of field for the distant mountains. Get low on your knees or belly to offer a much more interesting perspective.

I found a place that did not have any tracks and set up for my sunset shot. I decided against a classical curvy dune view and found a depression instead. This way I could play with shots in all directions and I could climb as far into the ditch as I wanted to hide much of the background, or do the opposite if I wanted more background.

Then I mounted a wide-angle lens and found a few pleasing spots before finally attaching it to the tripod. Unlike most of my colleagues, I prefer to keep the camera in my hand as much as possible to avoid tripod exhaustion. It is far easier to compose without it, by getting high, low and walking around, but I knew that I needed to expose for the sand differently than for the much brighter sky, making a tripod a necessity. Retaining a large depth of field with little light also calls for a tripod.

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

Sunset is clearly the best time. Sunrise photography will be difficult, since it will be tough to find a good spot in the dark. The ripples on the sand will be too washed out during the day.

Time required

I underestimated the hiking distance into the dune field. Although I arrived over one hour prior to sunset, I still struggled to get into position 20 minutes before sunset. I would have preferred more time to stake out a better position. I think you should plan at least 3 hours, preferably longer, if you wish to hike to the top of the largest dunes.

Equipment

• tripod
• cable release
• wide-angle lens
• normal lens
• split ND filter
• CP filter
• flashlight / head lamp
• handheld GPS unit
• cell phone
• water and snacks
• zip log bags and a brush to keep the equipment clean from sand
• large memory card (avoid replacing it, since you could get sand blown into your camera)
• superzoom lens (may not be a bad idea to avoid sand in your camera during lens switching)

Fees

There is no entrance fee for the Mojave Desert.

Difficulty Getting There

I completely underestimated the hiking distance. Fortunately, I always carry a small flashlight on all of my photography adventures and a larger one for sunset shoots. This really saved me, as it got completely dark when I made my way back. Don’t get caught in the dunes without a flashlight. I simply followed the breadcrumb trail on my GPS back to the car. You should have a handheld GPS unit too, since you could become disoriented in the dark in a dune field without one.

I did have cell phone reception in the dunes, so it may not be a bad idea to bring one for safety as well.

Close Locations – Mojave NP

• Mitchell Caverns Natural Preserve
• Hole in the Wall scenic Detour
• Cinder Cone, Lava Beds, Lava Tube
• Evening Star Mine
• Cima
• Ivanpah (Ghost Town)
• Clark Mountain

Close Locations – outside Mojave NP

• Calico (Ghost Town)
• Rainbow Basin NP
• Red Rock Canyon State Park
• Randsburg (Ghost Town)
• Joshua Tree National Park
• Death Valley National Park
• Lake Havasu City (Nevada)

Useful Resources

More of my Desert photos

Kelso Depot on Desert USA

Kelso Dunes on Desert USA

Mojave NP official site

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