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All the United States California San Bernardino County The Mojave Desert Mailbox
AO Edited

The Mojave Desert Mailbox

The most isolated mailbox in America lets desert travelers record their passing.

San Bernardino County, California

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Andrew K
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The Mojave Mailbox   heather vescent/CC BY-SA 2.0
Mojave mailbox.   heather vescent/CC BY-SA 2.0
Old Mojave Road.   heather vescent/CC BY-SA 2.0
Solar powered happiness   cleanplate / Atlas Obscura User
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Gnome Shrine   cleanplate / Atlas Obscura User
Surfboard at Mojave Mailbox   cleanplate / Atlas Obscura User
The Mojave Mailbox.   easydistance
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About

Your butt may be sore from the rough road, but if you stop to have a picnic around mile marker 74 on the Old Mojave Road, you will find one of the least accessible mailboxes in the United States.

A popular destination for off-road enthusiasts, this isolated mail post is sure to offer a unique experience for those looking to see some of the rarer spots in the whole country. Surrounded by scrub brush and the sweltering high desert, the Mojave Mailbox sits on the Old Mojave Road (previously known as the Mojave Trail) that runs through the middle of the Mojave National Preserve in southeastern California. The Mojave Road is a long and desolate dirt road that takes two to three days to cross in the best of conditions, so without a high clearance vehicle and four-wheel drive, the mailbox is almost completely inaccessible.

The thick steel mailbox and its tall American flag were put in place in 1983 by the Friends of the Mojave Road, a conservation group and historical society who were looking to add a place for travelers to mark their passing on the unmaintained dirt road. In addition to the countless stickers and graffiti on the outside of the box, there is a book inside it where you can sign your name and leave any comments you like and check out who else has braved the desert passage. 

No one collects mail from the Mojave mailbox, but at least anyone intrepid enough to try and strike out across the desert on their own can now be remembered.  

Related Tags

Roadside Attractions Deserts Postal

Know Before You Go

Start at either of these points and head towards the other: 35.046280,-114.627890(Mojave Road) 34.974380,-116.540800(Mojave Road)

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Added By

easydistance

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Rachel, velellavelella, Molly McBride Jacobson, EricGrundhauser...

  • Rachel
  • velellavelella
  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • EricGrundhauser
  • cleanplate

Published

January 16, 2014

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Sources
  • http://www.mojave-road.com/mojave-mailbox.htm
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mojave_Desert
  • http://www.overlandnomads.com/2012/06/the-mojave-road-day-2-140-miles-the-hard-way/
  • http://www.mdhca.org/
The Mojave Desert Mailbox
Mile Marker 74
Old Mojave Road
San Bernardino County, California
United States
35.1854, -115.69284
Get Directions

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