I-15 (South) Goodsprings, Nipton and Mojave National Preserve

This page last updated on 05/02/2019

(Fig. 01) Click to Enlarge The area of I-15 south of Las Vegas covers a vast, large area. Especially if you include the northern portion of the Mojave National Preserve. Therefore, this section will include my pages for all of the sites and mines around Goodsprings, Nevada, the town of Nipton California and the Mojave National Preserve (Fig. 01). The area surrounding Goodsprings probably contains more than 75 mines that all belonged to the Goodsprings Mining District, seen by the green shaded area in (Fig. 02). (Fig. 02) Click to Enlarge The area is split by Sandy Valley Road which runs from Goodsprings, west to the town of Sandy Valley. Unfortunately, once you leave the main roads, there are relatively few areas to explore that don't require a 4WD vehicle. Even though the scale of the map in (Fig. 02) is not detailed enough to pinpoint the many mines found in the areas noted below, you will find detailed location maps on each of the linked pages. Clicking the titles below will provide more photos and detailed descriptions.

Goodsprings: Generally, the term 'ghost town' is associated with a boom-town of the American West that, because the economic activity that once supported it has ceased to prosper, has become deserted or abandoned, yet still contains visible remains of what it once was. Once a thriving mining town and the recognized center of the Goodsprings Mining District, with a peak population of nearly 1,000 inhabitants, it now has a population of less than 230 residents. With only a handful of reminders that hearken back to its "glory" days, many falling into further decay with each passing year, Goodsprings can be truly classified as a modern day ghost town. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography

Goodsprings Mining District: Generally speaking, the Goodsprings district is located west, north and south around the town of Goodsprings, covering an area of approximately 100 square miles. With over 75 mines and several hundred prospects in the southern end of the Spring Mountain Range in the south western part of Clark County, Nevada, it was the largest mining district in the state.

Goodsprings Mining District (South). This portion of the Goodsprings Mining District, located at the southern end of the Spring Mountain Range, south of Goodsprings along the west side of NV-161, is filled with dozens of prospects, mines, shafts and adits, many of which are 400 to 500 feet up on steep mountain sides. Due to the difficulty in reaching some of these locations, many of them still have remains and equipment that hasn’t been picked clean. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography

Yellow Pine Mines: In 1901, the Yellow Pine Mining Company was formed, which consolidated ownership of most of the area mines and built a mill in Goodsprings. Because of this large consolidation, this general area was often referred to as the Yellow Pine Mining District, however, it was just a area within the Goodsprings Mining District. In 1911 the company built a rail line to Jean to reduce the costs of shipping out the ore from its mines and mill. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography

Rainbow Quarry & Aztec Tank: About seven miles north of town on the Goodsprings Bypass Road you bear left onto Potosi Mountain Road and travel about a half mile and bear right onto Pauline Mine Road. Traveling along the base of the large red sandstone outcrop this road takes you to the the Aztec Tank, Contact Mine, and Pauline Mine and an active sandstone quarry. At an elevation of around 5,000 feet, the drive across the desert here provides colorful scenery and great views of the Potosi Range. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography

Mount Potosi: At 8,515 feet, Mount Potosi is a notable peak in the Spring Mountains located about 14 miles behind the town of Goodsprings. Besides being the home of 7 full power FM broadcasting stations it is most notably known for being the crash site that killed actress Carole Lombard and 22 others on January 16, 1942. Its summit is easily reachable from service road that runs along its ridges from the southern portion of the range, making it an easy option for a hike. The entire length of this road offers stupendous views in every direction. Hiking, Rock-hounding, Birding and Photography

Sandy Valley Road - Nevada: There are literally dozens of old mine sites, shafts and adits located along this 10-mile road, many reachable by less than an hours hike. The ore deposits for this area fall into two primary classifications; gold-copper and lead-zinc. Clicking this link will take you to a page with nearly a half-dozen links to mine hikes in this area. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography

Sloan Canyon Petroglyph Site: The 48,438 acre Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area is located only a short distance south of Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada in the northwestern portion of the McCullough Mountain Range. It surrounds an additional area that has been designated as the North McCullough Wilderness Area. The centerpiece of this area is the Sloan Canyon Petroglyph Site, one of the most significant cultural resources in Southern Nevada. Its 318 recorded rock art panels contain more than 1,200 individual petroglyphs. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography Nipton, California - Summary Page: A previous owner once billed Nipton as, “The Gateway to the Mojave Desert”. Nipton is a privately owned, unincorporated town in San Bernardino County, California, on the northern edge of Mojave National Preserve, west of Searchlight, Nevada, with a population of nearly 20 people. Originally constructed in 1910 and refurbished in 2004, the adobe hotel, built in the Spanish Territorial style with a wrap-around-covered porch is advertised as a ‘bed & breakfast’. There are also several "eco-cabins" designed to provide a comfortable camping experience in the natural desert environment.There is also a trailer park, a small general store & gift shop, and a café that is open on most days. Now under new ownership, Nipton is now billed as "Magical Nipton". For pictures and a description of this "rebirth" click here ... Magical Nipton - 04/12/2019 Trip Notes.  Photography                                                    Mojave National Preserve - Summary Page: The Mojave National Preserve is a United States National Preserve located in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, USA, between Interstate 15 and Interstate 40. At 1,600,000 acres, it is the third largest unit of the National Park System in the contiguous United States. Its natural features include the Kelso Dunes, the Marl Mountains and the Cima Dome, as well as volcanic formations such as Hole-in-the-Wall and the Cinder Cone Lava Beds. The preserve also encloses the Providence Mountains State Recreation Area and Mitchell Caverns Natural Preserve, which are both managed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Click here for pictures and a description of the Mitchell Caverns ... Providence Mountains State Recreation Area.  Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography

NV 167 – Lake Mead Northshore Road (LMNRA)

This page last updated on 04/293/2019

(Fig. 01) Click to Enlarge Daytrips Bordering Lake Mead's Northshore Road and the Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LMNRA): As you can tell from the map in (Fig. 01) the Northshore Road does not offer anywhere near the number of views of Lake Mead as the south shore drive, however, it provides unbelievable views of exposed rainbow-colored layers of rock in every direction. There are literally dozens of excellent hiking and birding opportunities along Lake Mead’s Northshore Road (NV 167), located on the north-western side the vast 1,495,665 acre Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LMNRA). The locations noted below range from short stops of between 1/2 to one hour, up to all-day hikes. By combining some of these into a single daytrip, one can make several drives here without ever having to repeat any stops. Click on the titles below for more pictures and full descriptions of each area.

Lower Las Vegas Wash. Las Vegas Wash is a 12-mile plus tributary that channels more than 150 million gallons a day of storm water, urban runoff, shallow groundwater and highly-treated wastewater through various valley wetlands and into the Las Vegas Bay at Lake Mead.  Near its terminus at Las Vegas Bay, the wash is called the Lower Las Vegas Wash as it passes under the man made Lake Las Vegas through two 7 foot pipes and under NV-167 on its way to Lake Mead. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography

Lava Butte & Rainbow Gardens. Composed of Dacite, an igneous volcanic rock, Lava Butte is part of a geologic wonder called Frenchman’s block that may have been a volcanic dome formed over 13 million years ago.The dark outer coating on these iron oxide rocks is desert varnish. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography Gypsum Cave: Located in Sunrise Mountain, less than 20 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Gypsum Cave is a six-room limestone cave that is considered to be among the oldest aboriginal sites in North America. The cave measures 300 feet long (deep) by 120 feet wide. Its rooms are filled with dry, dusty deposits. Gypsum Cave is significant because it has yielded artifacts related to early human occupation and information about the region's ancient ecosystem. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography

Bowl of Fire. The Bowl of Fire lies within the 48,000-acre Muddy Mountains Wilderness Area on the west side of NV-167. This is an area of brilliant-red Jurassic-Age sandstone outcrops surrounded by gray limestone mountains. The dark pink sandstone is most common and generally forms the uppermost parts of the region, though there is a line of red cliffs that rises higher to the northeast. These outcrops are separated by open land of sand dunes and dry washes, some of which are lined by patches of very nice, smooth, banded sandstone. A geologic wonder. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography Northshore Summit Trail: To find this location begin looking for hiking and photography signs just past the 20-mile marker while driving north on Northshore Road. At 20.5 miles, the parking area for this trail is on the left side of the road. The round-trip loop trail climbs 200-feet from the parking area to the top of a distant bluff and offers a small taste of the many beautiful geologic wonders of this region. This trail is too short by itself to constitute a daytrip, however, combined with other stops such as the Redstone Loop Trail/Picnic area and Rogers Spring, etc, it can still make for a nice daily outing. Hiking and Photography

Redstone Loop Trail. This is a scenic area where the bright red sandstone outcrops contrast with the gray limestone mountains. This is short 1.6 mile walk is a loop that surrounds several red sandstone outcroppings and ends up back at the trailhead. Because this trail is so short, it really doesn’t warrant a trip by itself, however is a great place for a picnic stop to or from a longer hike. Hiking and Photography

Rogers Spring. Rogers Spring is a hot spring which is caused by geothermal activity deep within the ground at the base of the hills. This super heated water comes up and then forms several pools within the area of Rogers Spring that eventually flow into Lake Mead.There are many unusual fish and turtles that live in the pond. Though there is a small trail that leads up the hill behind the spring, this is another of those places that really doesn’t warrant a trip by itself, however is a great place for a picnic stop to or from a longer hike. Hiking and Photography
Lovell Wash and the Anniversary Mine/Narrows. Lovell Wash, a tributary of Callville Wash, cuts into a ridge in the Gale Hills at the south edge of the Muddy Mountains. This area, once home to a borax mining operation, provides some very interesting geology, ancient petroglyphs, Mojave desert flora and one of Nevada’s best slot canyons. This land was laid down as sheets of mud in the bottom of some vast playa lake where ancient animals once roamed. The mud turned to stone, and tectonic activity jumbled the area and turned the lake bed on edge. You can see several mountain-sized ridges of sedimentary materials (sandstone, limestone, and mudstone of various colors including purple, red, green, yellow, and gray) that have been steeply tilted up; some nearly vertically. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography

Cottonwood Springs:This roadside pullout provides access to Cottonwood Spring, Hamblin Peak, Razorback Wash South, Razorback Wash North, and Pinto Valley to the south, and the Bowl of Fire (Southwest) to the north. With an elevation of only a little over 100 feet, this easy Cottonwood Spring hike is a 2.10 mile out and back trail. This peaceful hike follows a wash down to a spring and a couple of cottonwood trees*, from which the spring got its name

Valley of Fire State Park. Valley of Fire is Nevada's oldest and largest state park, comprising more than 46,000 acres. The valley derives its name from the many red sandstone monoliths and formations found throughout the park. There are several sites within the park that contain many fine examples of 3,000 year-old rock art (petroglyphs) left by the ancient peoples that once roamed the area. Ancient trees are represented throughout the park in the form of petrified wood. The 10.5 mile Valley of Fire Road that runs through the park was designated as a Nevada Scenic Byway on June 30, 1995. Hiking and Photography

Callville Bay. Callville was originally established in 1864 by the Mormons as a steamboat port on the Colorado River. There was a large warehouse, a landing, a post office and a corral. In October of 1866 the steamboat Esmeralda delivered 100 tons of freight. However, after the transcontinental railroad was completed in northern Nevada in 1869, its use as a supply route via the Colorado was eventually abandoned.  Today, with over 860 boat slips, Callville Bay Marina is not only the largest on Lake Mead, it is the largest inland marina in the U.S. Unfortunately, our present eight-year drought has caused lake levels to recede to the point that the boat bay is struggling. Hiking and Photography

St Thomas, Nevada. St. Thomas, Nevada, is a ghost town in Clark County, Nevada, located in Mopa Valley near where the Muddy River flows into the Colorado River. St. Thomas was purchased by the US Federal Government and was finally abandoned as the waters of Lake Mead submerged the town. It is now located within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Due to a 10 year drought that has lowered the water level in Lake Mead by as much as 80 feet, the towns remaining foundations, walls, and grated cisterns and numerous alkali-crusted trails branching in all directions lie exposed and ready for exploration. The ruins of St. Thomas are protected by the National Park Service as a historic site. Hiking and Photography

Lost City Museum. The Lost City Museum is located in Overton, Nevada and operated as one of the six Nevada State Museums by the Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs. It was built by the National Park Service in 1935 and houses an extensive collection of Virgin Anasazi artifacts from Pueblo Grande de Nevada. The museum was on the ruin of an actual Virgin Anasazi pueblo and offers a reconstructed Anasazi building that is open to visitors. A later extension was actually built on top of some ruins in order to protect them.  It was established as a place to move the artifacts from Pueblo Grande de Nevada which was going to be partially covered by the waters of Lake Mead as a result of building the Hoover Dam. Once the dam was finished, about five miles of sites had been inundated or undercut by the water. Photography

Logandale Trails Recreation Area. (LTRA) is the grouping of more than 200 miles of recreational trails, suitable for a variety of OHV types, as well as hiking and horseback riding, in the spectacular landscape that exists between the township of Logandale and Valley of Fire State Park. It is located between the Overton Ridge and the Weiser Ridge in the north Muddy Mountains. Its southern boundary is the Overton Wash, just north of the Valley of Fire State Park. OHV Riding, Hiking, Biking, Horseback Riding and Photography