Jawbone Station

Jawbone station is located at the entrance of Jawbone Canyon at Highway 14. Friends of Jawbone runs the visitor center under agreement with the BLM and everything they sell helps them rent tractors, buy signs and work on trails.

The west side of Highway 14 south out of Redrock canyon may seem like an out of the way place for a book store and wildlife mini museum. Jawbone Station Visitor Center is on the eastern edge of the Jawbone open area and it is a popular spot for people who are familiar with the Cantil area. Jawbone station is open every day from 8 to 5 and their number is (760) 373-1146.

The main room is full of items for sale including books on local history and wildlife. There are some really good children’s books too. The visitor center is tended by two friendly and informative ladies, Robin Mallow and Erika Sosenik. They also sell maps of the off road vehicle riding trails in the area. Jawbone Station is a small part of the Bureau of Land Management holdings in our desert. The BLM administers 264 million acres of America's public lands. These hard working people manage and protect our desert so it will be available for our use today and for our grandchildren’s grandchildren in the future.

Maintaining our public lands is no easy task and this is where the organization Friends of Jawbone helps tremendously. The group has many volunteers who help maintain off road vehicle trails, post signs and block illegal trails to help manage and protect our desert. The annual Moose Anderson Days event brings in volunteers from all over Southern California. The activities include litter removal, invasive tamarisk eradication, trail repair, 4x4 tour and a poker run. The volunteers fill large dumpsters with the things that don’t belong in the desert during the two day event.

Fortunately for us Friends of Jawbone does much more for our desert than I have room to write on this page. This group is committed to keeping areas open to all responsible land users and they back it up with hard work. Visit their site and see how you can be a part of the fun and accomplishment at the annual Moose Anderson Days event or by becoming a member of Friends of Jawbone. Come to the visitor center and see much more than I can show in these photos.

Friends of Jawbone Mission Statement:

"The Friends of Jawbone provides a forum for users of public lands in and around Jawbone Canyon to promote the preservation, multiple use, and restoration of all public lands, local, state and federal.

To support and develop projects to improve, protect and maintain existing trails and to promote understanding, education and cooperation between all users of public lands."

Robin has taken a lot of time creating many of the displays and reminds off-roaders to ride responsibly.

Resident tortoise Mr. Bob is over 100 years old and has his burrow just outside the visitor center. Paleontologists tell us his family has been around for millions of years and he depends on you to protect their habitat. Stay on the trail so Bob's family can thrive.