Barstow, incorporated in 1947, is a city in the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County and is an important transportation hub, It is also home to the Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow and is the closest city to Fort Irwin National Training Center which is approximately 37 miles to the northeast.

As a transportation hub the following major highways go to and from Barstow:

• Interstate 15 (I-15) originates in the Greater Los Angeles area, heads north through Riverside and San Bernardino, and then northeast through Victorville before it reaches Barstow. It then heads northeast through the Mojave Desert to Las Vegas, Nevada and beyond into Utah. It is a heavily trafficked interstate.
• Interstate 40 (I-40) originates in Barstow and heads east through the Mojave Desert all the way to Needles, California and then beyond into Arizona where it goes through Kingman and Flagstaff before heading to New Mexico and Texas.
• California State Route 247 originates in Barstow and heads south to Lucerne Valley and then east and southeast to Yucca Valley where it intersects with Interstate 63 which goes through Morongo Valley, on its way to the Coachella Valley.
• California State Route 58 is a major east-west interstate highway that runs west from Barstow where it crosses California State Route 14 near the community of Mohave Before heading to Tehachapi and then Bakersfield in Kern County. California State Route 14 is a major north-south interstate that connects to Lancaster, Palmdale and the Santa Clarita Valley.

 

 

Barstow Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center

The Barstow Chamber of Commerce is a voluntary organization of businesses and professionals with a mutual interest in promoting commerce and tourism throughout the High Desert region. The chamber's goal is to assist businesses and organizations in marketing their products and services. The Barstow Chamber offers numerous networking opportunities and an excellent membership directory. Members comes from Barstow, Victorville, Hesperia, and the surrounding areas.

 

Barstow Harvey House

The Barstow Harvey House, completed in 1911, also known as the Barstow Station and Harvey House Railroad Depot, is a historical building originally constructed as a Harvey House Hotel and Santa Fe Railroad Deport. The building currently houses city offices, the chamber of commerce and visitor center and two museums. It also serves as an Amtrack Station.

 

Western American Railroad Museum

The Western American Railroad Museum, established in 2001, is railroad museum located on the east side of the Harvey House Railroad Depot in Barstow. The museum displays all types of railroad artifacts, artwork, uniforms, tools, and memorabilia inside. The outdoor part of the museum displays locomotives, rolling stock, and all types of equipment.

 

Mojave River Valley Museum

The Mojave River Valley Museum, established in 1964 in the Mojave Desert city of Barstow, is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the scientific, historical, and cultural heritage of the Mojave Desert. The museum is over 4000 square feet including an excellent gift shop, book store, and restrooms. Archives, including historic newspapers, go back to 1911 and the photo collection contains over 20,000 photos. Memberships are available and welcome. Meetings are held monthly. Admission is free.

 

Fort Irwin National Training Center

Fort Irwin National Training Center, also referred to as Fort Irwin NTC, and Fort Irwin, is a major military training center for the United States Army, consisting of 7.1 square miles of desert, in the Mojave Desert. The High Desert military center is approximately 37 miles northeast of Barstow in the Calico Mountains of San Bernardino County.

 

Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex

The Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex, also known as the Goldstone Observatory, is a satellite ground station located within Fort Irwin just north of Barstow in the Mojave Desert. The facility, established in 1958, is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Its purpose is to track and communicate with interplanetary space missions. The station is one of three satellite communication stations in the NASA Space Communications and Navigation program's Deep Space Network.

 

Bitter Spring - Camp Bitter Springs

Bitter Spring is a spring located within Fort Irwin National Training Center in the Mojave Desert, San Bernardino County. Bitter Spring was a water and food source for the Native Americans that lived in this region of the desert for hundreds of years. In 1859, Camp Bitter Springs was established by the U.S. Army. Soon afterwards, hostilities broke out between the Army and Native Americans. The camp was abandoned in 1860 and is now part of Fort Irwin.

 

 

Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow

The Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, constructed in 1942, is a large United States Marine Corps Supply and maintenance facility in the Mojave Desert just east of Barstow and a major employer in the Barstow area. Its primary mission is to rebuild and repair ground combat and combat support equipment and to support other Marine installations on the West Coast of the United States including the Air Ground Combat Center

 

 

Joshua Trees

Joshua Trees are not actually trees. They are large succulent plants that are native to the California Mojave Desert, which includes the Barstow Region , Antelope Valley, Joshua Tree National Park, California City, Newbury Springs, and the Morongo Basin. Joshua Trees are commonly referred to as yucca palms. Joshua Trees were named for Joshua of the Bible by 19th century Mormon settlers who thought the outstretched limbs guided them along their journey. Joshua trees have a single trunk and grow three to five feet tall height branching. They commonly reach height of 20 to 60 feet.

 

 

Barstow Community College

Barstow Community College (BCC) is a two-year public community college in Barstow which is in the Mojave Desert region of San Bernardino County. The main campus is in Barstow with a second campus located at the U.S Army National Training Center at Fort Irwin. The college offers the Associate of Arts degree, the Associate of Science degree and numerous vocational programs and certificates. BCC serves Barstow, Baker, Yermo, Newberry Springs, and the surrounding communities.

 

Rodman Mountains Wilderness

The Rodman Mountains Wilderness, consisting of 34,264 acres, is located in a remote uninhabited area the Mojave Desert midway between Lucerne Valley and Barstow which is the closest city. The wilderness is home to bighorn sheep, golden eagles, ravens, and falcons. Wildflowers cover the area every spring.

 

 

Yermo, California

Yermo, founded in 1902, is an unincorporated town in the Mojave Desert and San Bernardino County located about 13 miles east of Barstow and just south of the Calico Mountains, midway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, Nevada. Yermo is the location of the 1,859 acre industrial annex and storage site of the Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow. Yermo is a census designated place and was originally named Otis.

 

 

Old Woman Meteorite

The Old Woman Meteorite is on display at the Desert Discovery Center in Barstow, California. It is the second largest meteorite ever found in the United States. The meteorite was discovered in 1975 in the Old Woman Mountains in San Bernardino County which is in the Mojave Desert Region. It is 38 inches long, 34 inches high, and 30 inches wide. Made mostly of iron, nickel, chromium, and cobalt, it weighs 942 pounds. The Old Woman Mountain range is about 25 miles long and 15 miles wide. The highest point rises to 5,325 feet.

 

Calico Mountains

The Calico Mountains of California are a mountain range in the Mojave Desert located in both San Bernardino County and Inyo County. The mountains are located in a northwest southeast direction and are just north of Barstow and Yermo. Calico Peak is the highest point at 4,491 feet in elevation. The Fort Irwin Military Reservation is nearby and the Calico Ghost Town, a major tourist attraction, is located at the western edge of the mountains just north of Interstate 15.

 

Rainbow Basin

Rainbow Basin is a 1,961 acre National Natural Landmark notable for its beautiful and unique rock formations and fossil beds. The Rainbow Basin is located about eight miles north of Barstow in the Mojave Desert within San Bernardino County. Camping is not permitted but the area is otherwise open to the public. Camping is permitted in the nearby Owl Canyon campground.

 

Calico Early Man Site

The Calico Early Man Site, also known as the Calico Mountains Archeological District consists of approximately 900 acres in the central Mojave Desert about 16 miles east of Barstow near the town of Yermo. Many ancient artifacts have been found at the site including various types of stone tools, fossils of mammoths, sabertooth cats and other rare animals. Approximately 18,000 years ago, the site included a 91 square mile large freshwater lake with sandy beaches. The site is not open to the public.

 

Calico Ghost Town

The Calico Ghost Town is a former mining town, founded in 1881 in the Calico Mountains of San Bernardino County in the Mojave Desert of Southern California. It was founded a silver mining town and is a Calfironia Historical Landmark and major tourist attraction. Located just north of Interstate 15, the town is about three miles northeast of Barstow and about three miles north of Yermo. At its peak, Calico had over 500 silver mines and a population exceeding 1,200.
Bernardino

Fishponds - Mojave

Fishponds is one of the locations where the Mojave River rises to run on the surface of its course through the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County. The site of the ponds is in the eastern section of Barstow. Fishponds was named after the Mohave tui chub fish that are found only in the Mojave River. Note that the fish term is spelled Mohave, while the river term and region is spelled Mojave.

 

Camp Cady

Camp Cady, a California Historical Landmark, was established in 1860 as an Army base camp to protect California settlers against attacks by the Paiute People who lived in the area for hundreds of years. The camp was abandoned after the Paiute were deemed pacified by the federal government. The camp site, including some ruins near Yermo, is now a California Historical Landmark. Camp Cady is located about 20 miles east of Barstow in the Mojave Desert.

 

 

Solar Energy Generating Systems

Solar Energy Generating Systems (SEGS) is a concentrated solar thermal plant in the Mojave Desert approximately 14 miles northwest of Barstow. The facility covers 1,600 acres and was commissioned in 1984. It has 936,384 collectors and produces 354 megawatts.