Kelso Depot

This elegant mission-style depot served as the main water and crew stop for steam locomotives hauling freight between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. Built in 1924, it’s been beautifully restored with period furnishings, railroad artifacts, and exhibits on Mojave Desert ecology. The depot restaurant once fed hundreds of railroad workers daily — now it houses interpretive displays and blessed air conditioning.

Located right on Kelso Cima Road between the dunes and Cinder Cone. The visitor center is staffed sporadically, but the building is always worth seeing from outside. Decent cell signal here. The old rail yard foundations and water tower remain visible behind the depot. Free entry, clean restrooms, and a good place to cool off if you’re running the Mojave Road in summer heat.

1920s railroad depot with desert history exhibits