Pathfinder III
- 3,472
- First Name
- John
- Last Name
- Hampton
- Member #
30740
- Service Branch
- Air Force
Southern Nevada
- Thread starter Outlandish_Rigs
- Start date
Expedition Master III
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOME IDEAS:
Route 160 to Goodsprings (Blue Diamond Rd) , turn off at(Pit toilet area below Mt Potiesi-South side of Hwy ) ......or Goodsprings to Sandy Valley via rte 59 ? (dirt road) past their volunteer fire department and the back way pass to Sandy Valley. Also there are multiple trails in Jean Roach dry lake area that can test your vehicle.....sand, silt (after a major race), rocks, etc. These are not far away or time consuming from Vegas. Depending on which area you choose, you can see wild horses or maybe bighorn sheep if your in the right place and right time. Also it is possible to see some red tailed hawks overhead, depending on the season.
***A caveat*** I would mention to all, is that during the colder months of the year, the desert tortoises are hibernating, but once spring and summer come along, you must watch out for them along the trails, as they can be mistaken for rocks. Years ago the BLM spent a considerable amount of money fencing an area just south of Sloan, where people go to shoot. They later then released many into the surrounding desert, so there are many more in the dry lake area than their once was. When I was doing vehicle testing in the area years ago, the BLM started mandating spotters when issuing commercial permits........be careful and observant.
On the East side of the valley you can depending on which trail you take make your way to the Eldorado valley/dry lake area below Boulder City, or in the SE end past the back power line road, make your way on a trail into the back of Nipton CA.
When heading South from Vegas, the first turn off past SLoan and the shooting area is called 'haul road' which goes East to a corporate gypsum mine, so watch for big trucks on the main road. On the South end of the valley, is 'ranch road' which leads to a rock and gravel operation, so again watch for haul trucks.
PS,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,On my Instagram page) ........@Desertrunner_LV,........... are some pics of me, and friends with happy dog staging and riding along different trails in the dry lake valley
Last edited:
Pathfinder III
- 3,472
- First Name
- John
- Last Name
- Hampton
- Member #
30740
- Service Branch
- Air Force
we cut our teeth in the Desert Preserve area just north of vegas off the 95. Valley of Fire is to the east of us. there are some trails up near and around Mt Charlston. Not sure if these are south enough for you. we picked up a Delorne Topo Atlas for Nevada and just started picking out trails to explore. Mwilson920 is our unofficial trip planner, if your ever interested in a group outing. Also GAIA GPS is pretty helpful in planning and tracking routes. feel free to reach out with any other questions or trail suggestions.
