Even the hot desert has cool places

This fabulous view is looking east toward the Colorado River from the Providence Mountains. Photo by Jerry Bunin

In the summer, when daytime temperatures in the Mojave National Preserve soar above 100 degrees, visitors to Mitchell Caverns enjoy a constant 65 degrees.

The spectacular Mitchell Caverns are part of the Providence Mountains State Recreation Area, which is completely surrounded by the Mojave preserve.

The 5,900-acre recreation area includes weathered rhyolite crags topping 7,170 feet, creosote and cactus covered valleys and hillside forests of pinyon pines, junipers and scrub oaks.

Lucky hikers can spot antelope, bobcats, wild burros, shy bighorn sheep, coyotes, gray fox and the normal desert assortments of snakes, lizards and rodents.

Park headquarters at 4,300 feet on the eastern slope of the Providence Mountains overlooks 300 square miles of visually striking desert terrain. The view alone is worth the trip.

Ranger led tours of the caverns - which have stairs, railings and lighting - begin daily from park headquarters and will remind visitors of New Mexico's more famous Carlsbad Caverns.

A staglagtite hangs from the ceiling in the Mitchell Caverns. Photo by Jerry Bunin

The Mitchell Caverns were created by rainwater seeping into and slowly eroding the limestone. Then the seeps formed stalactites, stalagmites and similar fascinating formations decorating the cavern walls.

Archeologists have found evidence that the Chemehuevi Indians lived inside the caverns on a seasonal basis for 500 years.

The caves are named for Jack Mitchell, who made a fortune in real estate in Los Angeles and invested in the Mojave before being bankrupted early in the Depression.

Mitchell and his wife Ida were attracted by big mineral strikes in the Mojave and the tourist potential of the caves, then known as the Crystal Caverns.

After their financial lost, they moved to the Mojave and lived in the cave while building tourist accommodations out of stone and building a road to the caverns for visitors.

Their stone buildings are now park headquarters.

The Mitchells improved trails into the caverns and led candlelight tours as Jack electrified visitors with tall tales of bottomless pits, ghosts and lost treasures during the 1 1/2 mile walk.

He named the two main caves El Pakiva for The Devil's House and Tecopa after a Chemehuevi chieftain. More serious spelunkers can make special arrangements to explore the Winding Stair Cave.

The state purchased the caverns and Providence in 1954.

Park visitors can camp at six improved sites or make open campsites in the wilderness areas.

Day hikers can enjoy three improved trails, including the self-guiding, half-mile Mary Beal Nature Trail, named after a Riverside librarian sent by her doctors for medical reasons to live in the desert.

She is credited with identifying and cataloging hundreds of wildflowers and plants found in the unique Mojave region where three great deserts collide.

Providence Mountain is located off Essex Road, the same route travelers take from Interstate 40 to reach the two improved campgrounds inside the Mojave National Preserve.

More information about the Mitchell Caverns and Providence recreation area is available by writing Providence Mountains State Recreation Area, P.O. Box 1, Essex, 92332 or calling (619) 389-2303.