Providence Mountains State Recreation Area, Recreation area in Mojave Desert, California

Providence Mountains State Recreation Area lies on the east side of the Providence Mountains within Mojave National Preserve. Approaching it, visitors see tilted layers of grey Paleozoic limestone. The park base sits at 4,300 feet, while Edgar Peak rises to 7,162 feet. The site contains Mitchell Caverns Natural Preserve.

The area was among 48 California State Parks proposed for closure in January 2008 by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger during a deficit-reduction program, and it shut temporarily in January 2011. It stayed closed nearly seven years while major infrastructure upgrades were made, then reopened with Mitchell Caverns on November 3, 2017. Its visitor center occupies a stone dwelling built in 1934.

The visitor center occupies a stone dwelling built in 1934, the same year the state acquired the site. From the center, access to Mitchell Caverns is by guided tour only; the caverns were named for Jack and Ida Mitchell, who ran tours through them from the 1930s until 1954. The campground at the site is closed.

Reach the area at the north-western end of Essex Road, off Interstate 40 (the Needles Freeway). The visitor center occupies a historic 1934 stone dwelling. The campground is currently closed, and the park shut temporarily in January 2011 before reopening on November 3, 2017.

The visitor center occupies a stone dwelling built in 1934, and the park's base elevation is 4,300 feet. Edgar Peak, the range's high point at 7,162 feet, rises about 3 km east of the site. The park closed in January 2011 and reopened on November 3, 2017, after nearly seven years of infrastructure work.