Overview

The Mormon Well Road is a long, rough, graded dirt road that runs across the Desert National Wildlife Range from Corn Creek to Highway 93. The road runs across the desert and over the mountains through some spectacular country, including towering limestone cliffs; broad, flat valleys; and narrow, winding canyons. The road runs through several desert vegetation life zones, starting in the very dry (stunted) Mojave Desert Scrub Zone and climbing to the Yellow Pine (Ponderosa Pine) Zone. The variety of life zones provides different habitats for birds and other wildlife. There are no structures or services of any kind, but the road passes near an old corral (on the National Register of Historic Places) that was built by Mormon pioneers. Please help preserve Nevada heritage by treading lightly on this delicate land.

Link to map.

For general information on camping, hiking, regulations, other issues, and the natural history of the Wildlife Refuge, see the Desert National Wildlife Range -- Area Overview page.

Watch Out

The Mormon Well Road is long and rough. A high-clearance vehicle is required if the road is dry, and a 4-wheel-drive (4WD) might be needed if the road is wet or washed out. There are no services. If you go out there, take at least 1 gallon of water per person, some food, and expect to be the only people out there. Be prepared to break down and spend a night waiting for help to find you. Your cell phone probably won't work.

The road is graded occasionally, and for the most part can be driven at about 25 mph, but there are some rocky spots and tight turns that seem to sneak up on you. In particular, the road starting into Yucca Forest and near Sawmill Canyon always seem to be a bit rough. The Sawmill Canyon Road is 4WD only.

Location

The Mormon Well Road is located on the Desert National Wildlife Range, starting about 30 minutes northwest of Las Vegas. To get there, drive out to the Information Kiosk (Table 1, Site 106) at the Corn Creek Field Station. Sign the visitor register so the Refuge will get credit for your visit (use a false name if you don't want the government to track your movements, but visitor records will lead to more funding for things like road grading). Continue east for about 50 feet to a T-intersection with a large sign. The Mormon Well Road starts here and runs south (right), while the Alamo Road starts here and runs north (left).

The Road

From the Corn Creek T-intersection (mile 0.0), the Mormon Well Road runs south (right) to curve (mile 0.3) where the road turns hard to the east (left) and starts up the bajada towards the mountains. The road quickly passes the Corn Creek Picnic Area (notice the grove of cottonwood trees to the left) and runs straight up the bajada towards Yucca Gap, the gap in the mountains between the Sheep Range (left) and Fossil Ridge (right).

Just before getting into Yucca Gap, the road passes Gass Peak Road (Wpt. 884; mile 4.35), which cuts off to the right. The Mormon Well Road continues straight through Yucca Gap and heads out into the Yucca Forest, a broad, gently sloping valley.

The road gradually bends to the north and starts running up along the southeastern edge of the Sheep Range. About 8.9 miles out, the road cuts right, crosses a large wash (mile 8.9), then cuts back left and resumes heading northward. The road to this point should be suitable for a carefully driven sedan, but the hillside past the wash might be a problem.

About 0.2 miles past the wash, the road cuts right again and heads eastward (mile 9.1). The Yucca Peak and Long Canyon hikes start at the large parking area on the outside of this curve (Site 883).

Just beyond the parking area, the road turns south and starts the process of cutting across a series of deep, narrow gullies that sometimes are not suitable for sedans, but after climbing out of the last gully (mile 10.1), the road resumes heading eastward through the Yucca Forest (Site 96) on a good dirt road.

The Mormon Well Road passes Pine Nut Road (Site 424; 14.3 miles out) and continues into Peek-a-Boo Canyon (Site 108; 14.9 miles out), a deep, narrow limestone canyon with ledges and caves. The road runs up the wash, but it is suitable for 2WD high-clearance vehicles (depending on conditions). Peek-a-boo Canyon winds around, but the road generally trends northeast until breaking out of the top of the canyon into sagebrush flats. Sagebrush flats are uncommon this far south, but the elevation (over 6,000 feet) and environmental conditions combine to form suitable habitat for this species here.

The road passes service roads to the east (closed to the public) and continues north to a forested saddle (Site 648; mile 25.3) in the Yellow Pine (Ponderosa Pine) vegetation zone. This is the high point on the road (6,700 feet), and from here, the road starts down into the canyons.

Just beyond the saddle (mile 25.5), the pine trees shade picnic tables at the Mormon Pass Campground. The camp area has several campsites with picnic tables, fire pits, and vault toilets. Two sites are located on a spur road to the west (before the first outhouse), and the remaining sites are located along the main road.

From Mormon Well Spring (Site 630), the road continues north. The canyon gets narrower and the road get a bit rough before getting to Sawmill Canyon (mile 30.9). Two roads run west to a gate in Sawmill Canyon, both of which require 4WD because of deep, loose gravel.

There are a couple of side roads along the Mormon Well Road that lead to interesting hikes and more campsites. Gass Peak Road (4.5 miles out) leads into the valley between Fossil Ridge and the Las Vegas Range (Gass Peak is the highest point in the Las Vegas Range). This road generally is suitable for high-clearance vehicles, but there are washes with deep gravel that might be a problem. About 8.1 miles out, a service road leaves the Gass Peak Road and runs south towards a spring; this is the Gass Peak trailhead. Another 0.4 miles out, the Quail Spring Road branches off to the north. This road leads about 1.4 miles to a gate at the Quartzite Mountain trailhead. The Gass Peak Road continues east and bends to the south; it might run all the way back to town, but I've not driven this part of the road.

Sawmill Canyon Road (30.9 miles out) runs west for about 0.4 miles to a gate. This is a 4WD-only road because of deep, loose gravel at the gate. Driving along, the road is fine until it drops into the wash and you realize that you are in loose gravel. At that point, in a 2WD you have to keep going to prevent getting stuck, but then you get to the gate, and it is all over. I got stuck here, the most stuck I have ever been in Nevada, but Liz helped dig and push us out. I've been back in 4WD vehicles, and it didn't seem so bad, so maybe the conditions depend on recent rains.

The Mormon Well Road is great place to get away from it all, but remember that this is wild and remote country -- you could be the only person out there for a long time.