Overview

The Scanlon Ferry Road is located out at the far end of the Gold Butte Region, northeast of Las Vegas. The road, which runs from the historic Gold Butte Townsite to the historic Scanlon Ferry site at edge of Lake Mead, traverses some spectacular country and the oh-my-god Scanlon Dugway. This is an historic land with a whole lot of grand scenery.

The northern portions of the road are passable in a 2WD high-clearance vehicle, but farther along, it becomes 4WD only.

Link to Scanlon Ferry Road Map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ... this is a wild and remote area without services of any kind (no restrooms, no water, no gas, no food). Bring what you need to survive. Be prepared and be self-reliant. A BLM Ranger patrols the area, but it is a big place. Someone will find you eventually if you stay on a main road, but be prepared to survive alone for a day, or even two or more days if you get off the main road.

While out, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. Also, this is a remote area, so be sure to bring the 10 Essentials.

Getting to Scanlon Ferry Road

The Scanlon Ferry Road and the infamous Scanlon Dugway are located out in the Gold Butte Region northeast of Lake Mead, about 2.5 hours northeast of Las Vegas.

From Las Vegas, drive out Interstate 15 to about five miles before Mesquite (Exit 112). Drive south on the paved Gold Butte Road (details) to Whitney Pocket, then continue south on the unpaved Gold Butte Road (details) to Gold Butte Townsite. In total, it is 44.9 miles from Interstate-15 to Gold Butte Townsite.

See also the Gold Butte Area overview map.

The Road

The Gold Butte Road ends at the Gold Butte Townsite (Site 100), or more specifically, at the turnoff to Red Bluff Spring and the Gold Butte Backcountry Byway. Passing the Townsite, the main road continues to the west as Scanlon Ferry Road.

At 4.0 miles west of the townsite, the road forks (Site 110). A sign says "Overton Arm" with an arrow to the right, and "Jeep Trail" with an arrow to the left. Turn left onto the "Jeep Trail," and get ready for the drive to get more interesting.

The road runs up over a ridge and drops into Cataract Wash to the south. The road follows the wash up and over a saddle, then down into Willow Wash where it passes an old corral (Site 120) made with railroad ties on the east side of the road.

The road runs up over another saddle, then drops into Rattlesnake Wash and Twin Springs Wash (Site 130), where it passes Lakeside Bay Road (Road 121). Lakeside Bay road runs down Twin Springs Wash, while Scanlon Ferry Road (now signed Road 116) runs up the wash.

In Twin Springs Wash, the road deteriorates quickly because flash floods over the years flushed away any signs of the old road, and few people come here to pound out the road. To this point, the road is barely passable in a 2WD, but soon 4WD is necessary.

The road passes Turkey Spring on a rock wall above the wash. A bit of green on the cliff reveals the presence of moisture on the surface, but in historic times, this probably provided the teamsters and their mules a shady place for a rest and a drink of cool, fresh water.

Just past the canyon that holds Twin Spring, the road forks (Site 140). What appears to be the better road continues up Twin Springs Wash, but the Scanlon Ferry Road turns to the right, bearing to the southeast into a narrow canyon.

About 0.3 miles up the narrow canyon (Site 150), the road turns abruptly to the left and runs northeast up a side canyon, soon revealing a graded road. According to the USGS topographic map, the historic road runs up the narrow canyon. However, the wash-outs soon become nearly impassable, while the graded road (not marked on the topographic map) is in good condition.

The graded road heads generally southeast and climbs out the top of the canyon, crosses a saddle, and drops into a broad, shallow valley. The graded road crosses a broad, sandy wash (Site 160) and continues southeast to Windmill Mine; however, the road to Scanlon turns and runs down the sandy wash for about 0.3 miles to rejoin the historic road in the canyon bottom (Site 170) on what now is an obvious road.

After rejoining the historic road, the Scanlon Ferry Road runs generally south, then west and up onto a sharp saddle (Site 180) with a grand view down into the Lake Mead region. On the saddle, space is available to park 2-3 vehicles without blocking the road. This is the Scanlon Dugway trailhead.

Park here if you intend to hike, otherwise lock in the hubs, put your rig in 4-low, and ease over the edge. The road is narrow, steep, and covered with loose gravel and rocks. For details of the next 2 miles, see the Scanlon Dugway hike description.

The road passes through the Lakeshore Mine area, then continues to the edge of Lake Mead. Below the mine, the road deteriorates considerably.

End of route description.