The former Goffs Campsite is located in San Bernardino County, California, approximately 4.25 miles north of Interstate 40 and 2 miles south of Goffs, California. Goffs is a community located next to a railroad along Historic Route 66.
Military use of the property began in 1942 after the Army approved the creation of the Desert Training Center. The Desert Training Center, later renamed the California-Arizona Maneuver Area, comprised camps, airfields, depots, ranges, and maneuver areas covering approximately 18,000 square miles in California, Arizona, and Nevada. Goffs Campsite, also known as Goffs Army Ammunition Depot #4 and Rifle Range, served as a storage and supply point for training activities. In addition, Goffs Campsite contained a rifle range, a pistol range, and several ordnance and explosives burial sites.
Army improvements at Goffs Campsite included administrative and warehouse buildings, sheds, a rifle range, and 10 ammunition igloos. Field depots and encampments were located at the railroad station and highway crossroads. Additionally, a sand/gravel landing strip associated with Goffs Campsite was located 2 miles east of the campsite. Military training continued until May 1944, when the Army ceased training operations and transferred the property to the Department of Interior.
Land within the Goffs Campsite property is owned and managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The land is undeveloped desert and is used for livestock grazing. Land use is not expected to change in the near future.
The former Goffs Campsite is located between the Piute Mountains to the east and the Fenner Valley and the Mojave National preserve to the west. The Mojave National Preserve is used by visitors for recreational activities such as off-highway vehicle driving, camping, hiking, and sight-seeing.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began investigating the former camp and maneuver area in 1993 through the Formerly Used Defense Sites, or FUDS, Program. The Goffs Campsite FUDS property has been divided into two projects: (1) Goffs Butte OE Disposal Areas and (2) Rifle and Pistol Ranges. This website provides information on both projects.