An amazing natural and geological attraction will again reopen to the public after being closed for nearly six years. The Providence Mountains State Recreation Area (SRA) is a large patch of desert wildlands surrounded by the Mojave National Preserve and managed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation. The Providence Mountains SRA is home to the beautiful Mitchell Caverns, and was closed in 2011 because of budget constraints and infrastructure that needed repair.
Mitchell Caverns is located in the Providence Mountains State Recreation Area, which is a parcel of wildlands surrounded by the Mojave National Preserve and accessible via the Essex Road exit of Interstate 40. Photo courtesy of California Department of Parks and Recreation.
The State announced recently that repairs were complete and the area and its caverns would be accessible again to the public beginning on November 3rd. Initially, the parks hours will be limited to daytime from Friday to Sunday, with tours of the caverns offered at 11AM and 2PM on those three days each week.
The Providence Mountains State Recreation Area.
If you're visiting the Mojave National Preserve, you can easily work the Mitchell Caverns into your trip (on the days that the State Recreation Area is open) . Enter the Mojave National Preserve via the Essex Road exit of Interstate-40, and drive north on Essex Road until you reach the Providence Mountains SRA and Mitchell Caverns parking lot. Although entrance to the Mojave National Preserve is free, there is a $10 per-vehicle fee to enter the SRA.