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Crystal Wash Main Road
Backroads Around Las Vegas
Crystal Wash Main Rock Art Site Access Road
Crystal Wash Main Road

Overview

Crystal Wash Main Road provides access to the Crystal Wash Main Archeological Site and Shepherds Camp. The road is a fairly good, 2WD, two-track road that should be suitable for a carefully driven sedan during dry conditions. Rocks in the road are small, but some probably should be moved by people driving sedans.

The BLM and Lincoln County opened this area to the public, and Lincoln County printed a brochure with information about the site (including GPS coordinates) as part of their Get Primitive tourism campaign. Download the brochure from Lincoln County or snatch a copy here.

Link to map.

Crystal Wash Main Rock Art Site Access Road

Location

Crystal Wash Main Road is located along Highway 93 beyond the Pahranagat Valley, about 110 miles north of Las Vegas.

From town, drive north on Interstate 15 to US Highway 93 (Table 1, Site 0674). Exit onto Highway 93 and drive north past Alamo and Ash Springs to the intersection of Highways 93 and 318 (Site 0677). Continue on Highway 93 for 4.06 miles to a large gravel parking area (Site 1099) on the left (north) side of the road. Look for a white trash barrel.

Crystal Wash Main Road

From the left side of the gravel parking area (Site 1099), the narrow dirt access road runs due north a few tens to yards to the highway fence line and a cattle guard (Site 1100).

Crystal Wash Main Road

Passing over the cattle guard, the road forks. Crystal Wash Main Road stays left and heads northwest and away from the fence.

In about 100 yards, the road arrives at a T-intersection (Site 1101). Crystal Wash Main Road stays right and runs as a two-track road for about 0.6 miles to a parking area (Site 1102), which is just before reaching the broad, sandy wash in the bottom of the valley. The sign-in register is adjacent to the parking area. Park here; this is the Crystal Wash Main Archeological Site trailhead. A spur road to the right runs a few yards into a sandy wash. It is likely that driving down the wash is illegal.

Shepherds Road

At the T-intersection (Site 1101) 100 yards past the cattle guard, continue straight onto Shepherds Road, a fairly good road, to an old shepherd's long-term campsite that may have been in use from the 1040s to the 1960s. The road continues past the historic camp area to a large bladed area that is big enough to park 25 RVs.

Crystal Wash Main Road
Approaching the fence and cattle guard (view N)
Crystal Wash Main Road
Fenceline and cattle guard (Site 1100; view N)
Crystal Wash Main Road
Staying left past the cattle guard
Crystal Wash Main Road
Approaching Shepherds Camp Road intersection (view NW)
Crystal Wash Main Road
Crystal Wash Main Road (view N from Shepherds Camp intersection)
Crystal Wash Main Road
Crystal Wash Main Road stays left at minor side road (view N)
Crystal Wash Main Road
Crystal Wash Main Road (view NW)
Crystal Wash Main Road
Crystal Wash Main Road with few rocks (view NW)
Crystal Wash Main Road
Crystal Wash Main Road with few rocks (view NW)
Crystal Wash Main Road
Crystal Wash Main Road (view NW)
Crystal Wash Main Road
Approaching Crystal Wash Main Trailhead (view N)
Crystal Wash Main Road
Crystal Wash Main Trailhead (Site 1102; view N)
Crystal Wash Main Road
Crystal Wash Main Road continues to the wash (view N)
Crystal Wash Main Road
The first petroglyph site is on boulders beyond the sign (view NE)
Crystal Wash Main Road
Sign-in register and Site #1 boulder (view NE)
Crystal Wash Main Road
Brochures inside the sign-in register (view NE)
Crystal Wash Main Road
Note on the inside lid of the sign-in register (view NE)
Crystal Wash Main Road
Crystal Wash Main Archeological Sites are down the wash (view SW)

Staying left (straight) onto Shepherds Camp Road

Crystal Wash Main Road
Approaching Shepherds Camp Road intersection (view NW)
Shepherds Camp Road
Shepherds Camp Road approaching Shepherds Camp (view NW)
Shepherds Camp Road
Shepherds Camp Road at Shepherds Camp can-dump (view NW)
Crystal Wash Main Rock Art Site Access Road
Shepherds Camp Road at Shepherds Camp (view NW)
Crystal Wash Main Road
Shepherds Camp (view from Shepherd Camp Parking)
Shepherds Camp Road
Shepherds Camp Road beyond Shepherd Camp (view NW)
Shepherds Camp Road
Shepherds Camp Road beyond Shepherd Camp (view N)
Crystal Wash Main Road
Shepherds Camp Road ends at turn-around (view N)
Crystal Wash Main Road
Alternative trailhead for Crystal Wash Main Arch Site (view N)
Crystal Wash Main Road
Alternative trail to Crystal Wash Main Arch Site (view NNW)
Crystal Wash Main Road
Alternative trail to Crystal Wash Main Arch Site (view NNW)
Crystal Wash Main Road
Hiker on alternative trail to Crystal Wash Main Arch Site (view NNW)

Returning to the Highway

Crystal Wash Main Road
Crystal Wash Main Road at T-intersection (view SW)
Crystal Wash Main Road
Shepherds Road at T-intersection (view SE)
Crystal Wash Main Road
Exiting to the cattle guard; highway in background (view S)
more to come
More to come ...

Table 1. Highway Coordinates based on GPS data (NAD27; UTM Zone 11S). Download Highway GPS Waypoints (*.gpx) file.

Site Location UTM Easting UTM Northing Latitude (N) Longitude (W) Elevation (ft)
1099 Hwy 93 at Crystal Wash Main Road 662802 4157102 37.54839 115.15708 4,225
1100 Crystal Wash Main Cattle Guard 662791 4157152 37.54885 115.15719 4,211
1101 Crystal Wash Main at Fork 662717 4157197 37.54926 115.15802 4,204
1102 Crystal Wash Main Trailhead Parking 662487 4158033 37.55684 115.16044 4,137
1103 Shepherds Camp 662645 4157238 37.54965 115.15882 4,198
1104 Shepherds Camp Road End 662560 4157488 37.55191 115.15974 4,181

Happy Hiking! All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate.
copyright; Last updated 200807

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