[1] The park was created to preserve a wide variety of geological and cultural features including several titular trails - the Old Spanish Trail, the World War II-era Desert Training Center and Route 66.

[3] The most visited area in Mojave Trails National Monument is Amboy Crater, a dormant cinder cone volcano, which was a popular sight for travelers in the heyday of U.S. Route 66 from the 1920s to the 1960s.

[3] Another area with developed recreation facilities is Afton Canyon, one of only two places where the 140-mile long Mojave River continuously flows above the ground.

[3] One of the most remote areas in the monument consists of the nearly pristine Cadiz Dunes, which are orange-pink in color and almost entirely unvegetated.

[3] Cultural resources in Mojave Trails National Monument include 105 miles of historic U.S. Route 66, between Needles and Ludlow, California, the longest remaining undeveloped stretch of Route 66, as well as some of the best preserved sites from the World War II-era Desert Training Center.