Overview

The Gass Peak Road, is a bumpy dirt road that runs south from the Mormon Well Road west of the Sheep Range, then turns and runs east up a broad valley between major ridge lines in the Las Vegas Range. The road usually is a high-clearance road, but when maintained, it can be driven in a sedan; call the refuge headquarters for current conditions. Gass Peak Road provides access to Gass Peak, Gass Spring, and Quartzite Mountain. This is a nice road for a drive in the desert or an easy way to get away from town to camp out in the desert, but it is wild and remote country.

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

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert... the Gass Peak 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 work along the west end of the road where you can see town, but don't count on calling for help farther out. 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.

Location

The Gass Peak Road is located on the Desert National Wildlife Range and starts about 45 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 should lead to more funding for things like grading roads).

Continue east for about 50 feet to a T-intersection with a large directional sign. Turn right onto Mormon Well Road, and follow it south and then east for 4.3 miles to the Gass Peak Road turnoff (), which is to the south (right).

The Road

The Gass Peak Road initially runs southeast along the west toe of Fossil Ridge, which is one of the major ridges in the Las Vegas Range.

Within a minute or two (0.33 miles), the road passes a large, traditional campsite off to the left. This primitive campsite has been used for years, but other than the large parking area and large fire ring, is relatively pristine. This is a good place for a quick get-away from town with a view of the city lights at night.

Continuing, the road runs southeast for about 2.5 miles (from Mormon Well Road) to the bottom of a broad valley and crosses the main wash. The road winds around and turns to the northeast, running along the south side of the main wash for the duration. Most of the road along this section is reasonably good, but there are a few rough patches and a few patches of loose gravel.

At about 7.95 miles from Mormon Well Road, the Gass Peak Road passes a traditional campsite about 200 feet south of the road. A spur road leads to the campsite, so it is conveniently off the main road. This is a nice "wilderness" campsite with no sights or sounds of civilization.

Another 0.15 miles down the main road, Gass Peak Road intersects with Gass Peak Spring Road. This road is ungated, but it is marked "Service Road Only." This road intersection is the trailhead for the Gass Spring and Gass Peak hikes.

Continuing east for another 0.45 miles (about 8.6 miles from Mormon Well Road), the road forks. The fork to the left is Quail Spring Road, which runs about 1.4 miles to a parking area and the trailhead to Quail Spring Guzzler and Quartzite Peak. This road is a bit rough, and it might be worth stopping about 1 minute or so short of the parking area in a wide spot at the top of a steep hill.

The other fork continues east, then bends to the south. After only a short ways, however, it is obvious that the road is deteriorating, and shortly thereafter, it is only a jeep or ATV trail (although ATVs are illegal in the wildlife refuge, and I've seen rangers waiting at this point to ticket riders.