Welcome to Barstow, California! We hope you enjoy the desert community made famous by Hunter S. Thompson’s, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and John Steinback’s, The Grapes of Wrath.

Once a small mining center and railroad town in California's Mojave Desert, Barstow is located at the junction of 3 major highways. It is centrally located in the western Mojave at the entrance to the Mojave National Preserve and is home of the U.S. Army National Training Center, Marine Corps Logistics Base, NASA's Goldstone Deep Space Network and Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad Yards.

Located in the high Mojave Desert of Eastern California, Barstow is dry year round. Summertime temperatures can be extreme, exceeding 100 °F, while winter temperatures can be cold, and may drop below freezing. Dress appropriately and carry plenty of water.

With the construction of the modern Interstate Highway system Barstow's future of growth was assured, as I-40 and I-15 converged at the city limits with State Highway 58, making it the transportation hub of the western Mojave Desert.

Barstow is a great starting point when touring the western Mojave Desert. Outdoor explorers, amateur geologists and hikers enjoy nearby Rainbow Basin and Owl Canyon Campground, Afton Canyon, Kelso Dunes, and many other adventures, including Calico Early Man Site, historic Harvey House Depot, Calico Ghost Town, a restored silver mining town and the great water park complex at Lake Dolores.