The road starts off of U.S. 95 at the Corn creek turn off and runs all the way to U.S. 93 This trail is pretty well traveled and can be done with a high clearance two wheel drive but four wheel drive is recommended.
The day before we headed out to run this trail it had rained a good amount and the snow level had dropped down to about 5500 feet overnight so we weren't sure if we would encounter snow on the trail. as we headed out to start the run we could see there where still some showers in the area as it would turn out the snow line was just low enough that we did encounter about an inch of snow in the higher elevations of the trail which reached to about 6500 feet in elevation. The rest of the trail was damp so traction was high and dust was low. The perfect combination for any off road adventure in the desert.
There are a few primitive camping areas along the trail the first that we explored was Pine nut camp area its on side trail from Mormon wells road and is very well marked. This trail isn't nearly as well traveled as norman wells road but was a relatively easy run for a stock trailblazer. the only issues i had were the ruts in the road made for the center of the road to be peaked most of the run i had to place my tires on ether side of the ruts so not to drag the bottom of my stock TB.
The trail up to Pine nut went thru a yucca forest and and turned to pinyon and junipers as we slowly climbed in elevation up to the primitive camping area at around 5500 feet in elevation. The trail dead ends at a cliff over looking a valley below and Sheep peak about 3 miles away. After we got out stretched our legs bait while enjoying the light snow flurries and a few thrown snowballs later we decided to head back down to the main trail.
Back on the main trail the next area along the way is Peak-a-boo canyon. the road follows the was at the bottom of the canyon and provides great views of the rock walls as you dive thru.
We continued up the trail until we reached Desert pass camp ground. This is another primitive camping area that is on the main road. this camp area has a primitive restroom and is situated at around 6500 feet with tall pine tress and a few dedicated camping areas. i will be visiting this area next summer to escape the heat of the vegas valley!!.
From desert pass you start your way back down the other side of the pass. this is where the road can be a lil tricky. it is subject to flash flooding and it seems that just about every summer the road washes out. The BLM does maintain this road but you should check with the corn creek office to see if the road is open open or not. (don't rely on the website for up to date road info as it currently says the road remains closed passed dessert pass yet it is very open right now) The road had been freshly graded but you could clearly see where it had been washed out from last summers thunderstorms. As you continue down the road you leave the wooded area and return back into yucca and joshua tress with desert scrub there are some incredible desert vistas as you climb out of the wash heading north to the end of the train at U.S. 93
All in all it was a great day of off-roading although the road is very rough in places there was nothing serious that my stock trailblazer couldn't handle with ease you just have to watch out for the ruts and larger rocks on th trail. so if you find yourself in vegas and looking for a nice easy day run with some beautiful scenery i would suggest Mormon wells Rd.
