Overview

Joe May Road is a side road off Alamo Road that runs from desert flats up to the mouth of Joe May Canyon on the west flanks of the Sheep Range. The road is bumpy and gets rougher the farther out you go, but is a fine high-clearance vehicle road in good weather. An old corral marks the Joe May Canyon trailhead, and the end of the road is the trailhead for Black Gate Canyon.

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 the desert... Joe May 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 probably work, but don't count on it. 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

Joe May 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 can get credit for your visit (use a false name if you don't want the government tracking 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 (Site 731). Turn left onto Alamo Road and drive north for 3.1 miles to the signed intersection with Joe May Road (Site 780).

The Road

From Alamo Road at Joe May Road intersection (Site 780), Joe May Road turns to the right and runs northeast towards the Sheep Range. At 3.9 miles out, the road passes old corrals and the Joe May Canyon trailhead. At 4.1 miles out, the road ends at the Black Gate Canyon trailhead. There are undeveloped campsites near and at the end of the road.

This road once was graded, but it is not maintained in years, so it is getting rough.

At the end of road, looking north up Joe May Canyon.

Jeep at end of the road.