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Cow Camp Corral Road
Backroads Around Las Vegas, Desert National Wildlife Refuge
Cow Camp Corral Road
Cow Camp Road
Cow Camp Road at Cow Camp Corral Road (view NE)

Overview

Cow Camp Corral Road is a short side road off Cow Camp Road that runs up into a box canyon the base of the Sheep Range. This road provides access to an historical corral and camping opportunities, plus hiker access to Cow Camp Spring and destinations beyond.

The 0.6-mile road is fairly smooth and is fine for 2WD high-clearance vehicles in good weather. The road is a bit sandy, but has a firm base.

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

Link to map.

Cow Camp Road
Cow Camp Corral Road

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about the desert ... Cow Camp Corral Road generally is a good dirt road, but it runs out into wild and remote country. There are no services or developments of any kind. Cell phones don't work. Bring water and food, a good spare tire, a shovel, tools, a tow rope, bailing wire (I learned the hard way) and anything else that you might need to survive a night stuck out in the desert.

While out there, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. Also, this road leads to remote country, so be sure to bring the 10 Essentials. This is a wildlife refuge, so pay extra attention to respecting the land.

Cow Camp Road
Cow Camp Corral Road

Location

Cow Camp Corral Road is located on the Desert National Wildlife Refuge and starts about 1-3/4 hours northwest of Las Vegas. To get there, drive out Corn Creek Road to the Information Kiosk (Table 1, Site 106) at Corn Creek Field Station.

Continue east on Corn Creek Road for about 100 yards to a T-intersection with a large directional sign (Site 0731). Note that the sign incorrectly states the distance to Cow Camp Road is 12 miles.

Turn left onto Alamo Road and drive north for 8.7 miles to the signed intersection with Cow Camp Road (Site 0992). For details of Alamo Road, including road conditions, see the Alamo Road page.

Turn right onto Cow Camp Road (Site 0992) and drive northeast towards the mountains. Pass through a gap in the Black Hills and continue past a fenced camping area to a fork in the road (Site 0993) where Cow Camp Corral Road angles right.

Cow Camp Road
Cow Camp Corral Road

The Road

Cow Camp Corral Road (Site 0993) departs Cow Camp Road to the right in a gravel wash with a firm base. Cow Camp Corral Road runs to the east-northeast, then enters a box canyon and angles more to the north, arriving shortly at a turn-about at the end of the road (Site 0994) and adjacent to the historical corral.

The area is quiet and secluded as it sits in the bottom of a shallow canyon at the base of the Sheep Range, which juts abruptly out of the desert floor. The old corral remains in fairly good condition, and the watering troughs reveal the presence of a spring nearby. The pour-over in the cleft behind the corral normally is dry, but a stout route leads up the cliffs to Cow Camp Spring.

Cow Camp Road
Cow Camp Corral Road
Cow Camp Corral Road
Entering the box canyon (view N)
Cow Camp Corral Road
Corral in the distance (view N)
Cow Camp Corral Road
Turn-about at the end of the road (view N)
Cow Camp Corral Road
Parked by Cow Camp Corral (view N)
Cow Camp Corral
Cow Camp Corral and campfire ring
Cow Camp Corral
Cow Camp Corral
Cow Camp Corral
Watering trough; thoughtful cattlemen included a wildlife drinker
Cow Camp Corral Cow Camp Corral
Cow Camp Corral Cow Camp Corral
Cow Camp Corral
View down box canyon towards Spring Mountains
Cow Camp Corral
Jeep at Cow Camp Corral campsite

Table 1. Highway Coordinates Based in GPS Data (NAD27; UTM Zone 11S). Download Highway GPS Waypoints (*.gpx) file.

Site Location UTM Easting UTM Northing Latitude (N) Longitude (W) Elevation (ft) Verified
0106 Corn Creek parking area 647225 4033632 36.43844 115.35745 2,814 Yes
0731 Corn Creek Rd at Mormon-Alamo Rd 647307 4033624 36.43836 115.35654 2,814 Yes
0992 Alamo Rd at Cow Camp Rd 643589 4046289 36.55306 115.39564 3,547 Yes
0993 Cow Camp Rd at Fork 650517 4049638 36.58217 115.31761 5,128 Yes
0994 Cow Camp Corral Parking 651250 4049944 36.58481 115.30937 5,239 Yes
1339 Rock Shelter Camp 649381 4049292 36.57923 115.33038 4,814 GPS
1340 Cow Camp North Fork End 651215 4050587 36.59062 115.30963 5,412 GPS

Happy Hiking! All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate.
copyright; Last updated 121013

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