"These famous Mojave Desert caverns are named after Jack and his wife Ida Mitchell, who moved to the area from Los Angeles in 1932 after losing nearly everything in the Great Depression. Jack Mitchell was obsessed with two limestone caverns tucked deep in the desert wilderness, and the couple spent the bulk of their golden years building trails and infrastructure to draw tourists to them."
"Today, the caverns are managed by California State Parks, with the Mitchell Caverns Natural Preserve located inside the Providence Mountains State Recreation Area - which itself is entirely surrounded by the roughly 1.6-million-acre Mojave National Preserve. The state recreation area boasts " the oldest known rocks of the State Park System," with some of the outcroppings on the rocky slopes in view from the caverns area dating back to 1.7 billion years ago."
The road to Mitchell Caverns is paved but rough, with potholes and washouts that slow vehicles. Jack and Ida Mitchell moved to the area in 1932 after losing most possessions in the Great Depression and developed trails and infrastructure to attract tourists, carving access routes by hand. The caverns are named for the Mitchells and formed about 12 million years ago, preserving features from a wetter era. Mitchell Caverns Natural Preserve lies within Providence Mountains State Recreation Area, itself surrounded by the Mojave National Preserve; some nearby rocks date to 1.7 billion years. Tours are guided, limited to weekends and holiday Mondays, cost $20, and last around two hours.
Read at SFGATE
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