West Powerline Wash Road

Located less than one hour southeast of Las Vegas, West Powerline Wash Road is a narrow, straight-through, bumpy dirt road that is easily one of the most spectacular roads you will find in southern Nevada. It features incredible geologic formations, dense stands of teddy bear cholla cacti, enormous barrel cacti, and gorgeous views of the Eldorado Mountains. This trail does not have any major obstacles, but the road is rough and slow the entire way, with small, brick-sized protruding rocks, teeth-chattering washboards, and shallow ruts and washouts. The eastern half of the trail might be mentally challenging for those not comfortable with shelf roads.

Beginning at Highway 95, the trail travels under the thin shadow of high-voltage powerlines across a washboard road through the Mojave Desert. Around 5 miles, the trail begins gaining elevation and enters an area known as "Knob Hill," where you encounter enormous rock formations appearing like giant piles of potatoes. Several spurs in this amazing wonderland of rocks dart off to epic dispersed camping spots with fantastic views back down into the valley you came from. As the road continues east, it narrows to a single-lane road, 1.5 vehicles wide, with plenty of pullout opportunities as it weaves along the edge of the Ireteba Peaks Wilderness. Twisting and turning, climbing and falling, the road snakes its way through the scenic mountains, offering jaw-dropping views of jagged peaks, the Colorado River, and Lake Mojave. You will cross many washes and cling to the edge of numerous hillsides as the trail drops an incredible 3,000 feet in just under 10 miles. The trail enters the Lake Mead National Recreation Area and comes to an end at a connection with Aztec Wash, just a couple miles west of the Colorado River.

This trail is suitable for any high clearance vehicle and drivers at any skill level. Expect the trail to take 2-4hrs of travel, one direction, and an additional 1-2hrs to return to Highway 95 via Aztec Wash.