Wee Thump Joshua Tree Wilderness Area - Summary Page

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This page last updated on 06/12/2017

(Fig. 01)

(Fig. 02)

Directions: From the Stratosphere Casino head northeast on Las Vegas Blvd about 3 miles and bear right to merge onto US-515/93/95 south towards Boulder City. Follow US-93/95 for 17 miles and then merge onto US-95 South (Veterans Memorial Hwy) toward Searchlight/Laughlin/Needles. When you reach Searchlight, about 36 miles, turn right, west, onto NV-164 (known at the Joshua Tree Highway) towards Nipton. The trailhead and the Wee Thump East Road is located on the right (Fig. 02), about 8.2 miles west of Searchlight.

Description: First, it must be noted that the large sign shown in (Fig. 01) that once stood at the entrance to the Trailhead (TR) and the Wee Thump East Road (Fig. 02) has been vandalized by locals and no longer exists. "Wee Thump" is Paiute for "ancient ones."
                         
The Southern Nevada area has been in a drought for the past 15 years. Even though rain and snowfalls fluctuate year to year, on average over the past 16 years water tables throughout the state have been dropping like a rock. As a whole the desert is a harsh environment of mostly sand and rock where the evaporation rate far exceeds precipitation. Even though plants and animals have special adaptions to deal with harsh conditions such as extreme heat, cold and lack of water for long periods, the drought is finally reaching a point where many are near the end of their life cycles. I have evidenced many cacti which can go years without proper watering are beginning to just dry up and die. Wildlife levels, do to a scarcity of adequate plant-life to feed upon, have noticeably fallen over the same period. In spite of all this, there is the ever enduring Joshua tree, that is in fact, not a tree.
                           
It's a tree-like succulent that is actually a member of the agave family. For more information on the Joshua Tree check out the following page ... Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia). It is impossible to estimate their age as their trunks are filled with fibers instead of the growth rings found in typical trees. Its primary pollinator is the yucca moth that nurses its large, soccer ball-sized flower with its cream-colored petal. It appears to be a malformed peculiarity with gangling and odd shaped branches that seem to point in no particular direction. It is found in mostly Mojave Desert ecozones.
                                   
At first glance, this flat, gently sloped alluvial plain between Searchlight NV and Nipton CA appears rather plain and boring; however, it offers a wide variety of plant life and occasionally, for the patient, glimpses of birds, lizards and other desert animals. Wee Thump Joshua Tree is a relatively small (6,050 acres) wilderness area that was established to protect a forest of dense, old-growth Joshua trees. The wilderness area is relatively flat, sloping gently from west to east at elevations ranging from about 5,000 to 4,100 feet, in a roughly triangular valley (Fig. 02) between the McCullough and Highland ranges and the north shoulder of the New York Mountains, just west of Searchlight, NV. The area lies on the bajada below the South McCullough Mountains.  The bajada, composed entirely of outwash materials from the McCullough Mountains, dominates the local geology. Alluvial soils are deep and well sorted, with few rocks of any size in the wilderness area. The soils appear to be coarse-grained decomposed granite, but they are the decomposition products of metamorphic rocks.

There are several places along the highway between Searchlight and Nipton where one can spend hours visiting this and other areas looking for rocks and snapping pictures of Joshua trees, the  Prickly Pear Cactus, the  Buckhorn Cholla, the Mojave (Banana) Yucca, Blackbrush, the Creosote Bush (Larrea tridentata and a variety of other low-growing desert shrubs. The Joshua trees in this area were some of the largest I've ever seen. The only place on earth in which they live is the Mojave Desert. The area is also known for a diverse community of Mojave desert life, including kit fox, great horned owl, the gilded flicker (which is known to occur in Nevada only at this location) and the federally threatened desert tortoise.

Trip Notes: The purpose of this page is to act as a summary by providing links with pictures and descriptions of my various hiking visits to this spot over the past several years. Obviously, the primary focus here are the Joshua Trees. For more information on the Joshua Tree check out the following page ... Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia). The trip notes below provide information and pictured from each of my previous visits.
                                         
10/22/2016 Trip Notes: My most recent visit was with my friend Jim Herring, who had never been here before. Because this was my third visit, I didn't take very many pictures. On today's visit we drove about half way into the wilderness, further than I had hiked on my previous visits (Fig. 03). As you can see from (Fig. 04), with Jim standing in front of it, we did encounter some very large trees.
                                                   

(Fig. 03)

(Fig. 04)

(Fig. 05)

10/06/2011 Trip Notes: The link found here actually provides pictures and descriptions of two visits to "Wee Thump" in 2011. Even though there isn't  lot to photograph here, it is just the stark the beauty of these wonderful old Joshua Trees against the backdrop of the surrounding mountains. The solitude of this desert plateau has lots of desert grasses, almost making you feel like you are in the grassy plains of the mid-west. Depending upon the time of year when you visit, and the amount of recent rain can provide you will a variety of interesting and colorful vegetation scattered about the landscape. Click here for pictures and descriptions of these two visits ... Wee Thump Joshua Tree Wilderness Area - 10/06/2011 Trip Notes.

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Slideshow Description: The slideshow above contains 49 pictures that were taken inside the Wee Thump Wilderness Area and at various stops along the "Joshua Tree Highway".

Joshua Tree (Yucca Brevifolia)

{Click on an image to enlarge, then use the back button to return to this page} This page last updated on 06/12/2017 (Fig. 01) Picture Notes: The Joshua Tree in (Fig. 01) was taken on 02/24/2011 on a trip to the Wee Thump Joshua Tree Wilderness Area located 8 miles west of Searchlight on route 164, also known as the Joshua Tree Highway. "Wee Thump" is Paiute for "ancient ones."  At first glance, this flat, gently sloped alluvial plain between Searchlight and Nipton appears rather plain and boring; however, it offers a wide variety of plant life and occasionally, for the patient, glimpses of birds, lizards and other desert animals. After spending a couple of hours wandering the area I came upon this Joshua Tree, which without any doubt in my mind is one of the largest I have seen. Then on a subsequent visit in 2016, I captured this picture of my hiking partner Jim Herring standing in front of yet another large Joshua Tree in the Wee Thump Joshua Tree Wilderness Area. The picture in (Fig. 03) was taken near Barstow California, while exploring the site of the June 8th, 1966 crash site of the XB-70 VALKYRIE. (Fig.02)

Description: Joshua Tree (Yucca Brevifolia). Though it is not actually a tree, the Joshua tree is a giant yucca plant--Yucca Brevifolia--the short leaved yucca. The Joshua tree, the largest of the yuccas, grows only in the Mojave Desert. Natural stands of this picturesque, spike-leafed evergreen grow nowhere else in the world. Its height varies from 15-40 feet with a diameter of 1-3 feet. They grow 2 to 3 inches a year, takes 50 to 60 years to mature and they can live more than 150 years. In bloom, the Joshua tree features clusters of creamy white flowers. Its bell-shaped blooms, 1.25 to 1.5 inches large, each with 6 creamy, yellow-green sepals, crowded into 12 to 18 inch, many-branched clusters with an unpleasant odor. The trees bloom mostly in the spring, although not all of them will flower annually. The fruit is elliptical and green-brown. Six-celled, 2.5 to 4 inches, and somewhat fleshy, it dries and falls soon after maturity in late spring revealing many flat seeds.  Like most desert plants, their blooming depends on rainfall at the proper time. They also need a winter freeze before they bloom. Once they bloom, the trees are pollinated by the yucca moth, which spreads pollen while laying her eggs inside the flower. Joshua trees (and most other yuccas) rely on the female pronuba Moth (Tegeticula) for pollination. No other animal visiting the blooms transfers the pollen from one flower to another. In fact, the female yucca moth has evolved special organs to collect and distribute the pollen onto the surface of the flower. She lays her eggs in the flowers' ovaries, and when the larvae hatch, they feed on the yucca seeds. Without the moth's pollination, the Joshua tree could not reproduce, nor could the moth, whose larvae would have no seeds to eat. Although old Joshua trees can sprout new plants from their roots, only the seeds produced in pollinated flowers can scatter far enough to establish a new stand. It is difficult to determine the age of these plants since they don't have "growth rings" like real trees, but many are believed to surpass 700 to 1000 years in age. Yucca brevifolia is endemic to the Southwestern United States with populations in western Arizona, southeastern California, southern Nevada, and southwestern Utah. This range mostly coincides with the geographical reach of the Mojave Desert, where it is considered one of the major indicator species for the desert. It occurs at altitudes between 1,300 and 5,900 feet.  Considered ugly by many, these trees come in a wide variety of shapes. The plant was supposedly named by the Mormons who thought it resembled the biblical Joshua welcoming them with upturned arms. (Fig. 03)

Wee Thump Joshua Tree Wilderness Area - 10/06/2011 Trip Notes

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This page last updated on 06/12/2017

10/06/2011 Trip Notes: Though I enjoy walking this area for the beauty of these wonderful old Joshua Trees against the backdrop of the surrounding mountains, there really isn't a lot to photograph. One interesting thing to note is that these are not trees, but rather a really big Yucca plant. Click here for more info ... Joshua Trees.  One unusual feature of this area, unlike may of the desert plateaus that I have visited, is that this desert plateau has lots of desert grasses, almost making you feel like you are in the grassy plains of the mid-west. I can only assume that this is due to the fact that this area gets a lot of rain; in fact on today’s trip I noticed that everywhere I walked was very soft as a result of heavy rainfalls over the previous couple of days. Though Wee Thump Joshua Tree is a relatively small wilderness area, encompassing only a little over 6,000 acres, it contains thousands of old-growth Joshua trees on a relatively flat plain that slopes gently from west to east at elevations ranging from about 5,000 to 4,100 feet. At one point I came upon a flock of 20-25 birds that took off as soon as they heard me approach, making it impossible to get any pictures. Wildlife in this area are not accustomed to human intervention and usually flee at the slightest sound. If you take the time to pay careful attention during a hike of this area and its many small washes, you will find a variety of interesting and colorful vegetation scattered about the landscape. Below are a few shots of today’s sightings. I need to thank Kathy Pool, one of our hiking group members, for helping me to identify some of these flowers. The one on the top right is [ Fringed Aamaranth ] The one on the middle left is [Rattlesnake Weed] (Remember, clicking on an image will allow you to view it full-size.)                                   02/24/2011 Trip Notes: On this date I traveled with the rock hounds from the Heritage Park Senior Facility to the Wee Thump Joshua Tree Wilderness Area and along what is called the Joshua Tree Highway. Even though I had driven past this spot at least four times in the past eight years, this was the first time I actually took the time to visit and really enjoyed the stop.

Though many people don't realize it the Joshua tree is not actually a tree, but rather a giant yucca plant--Yucca Brevifolia--the short leaved yucca. These yuccas may grow as high as 40 feet and the trunks may reach 4 feet in diameter. In bloom the Joshua tree features clusters of creamy white flowers. It is difficult to determine the age of these plants since they don't have "growth rings" like real trees, but many are believed to surpass 700 to 1000 years in age. Considered ugly by many, these trees come in a wide variety of shapes. The plant was supposedly named by the Mormons who thought it resembled the biblical Joshua welcoming them with upturned arms.

A relatively short distance from the main entrance, shown above, you will find the remains of cattle herding pen. There is also an old windmill that was used to pump water into a tank that drained into a drinking trough for the cattle. It appears that years ago this was a major roundup area for free-range cattle.

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Slideshow Description: The slideshow above contains 49 pictures that were taken inside the Wee Thump Wilderness Area and at various stops along the "Joshua Tree Highway". Click here to return to the Summary Page ... Wee Thump Joshua Tree Wilderness Aarea - Summary Page

Pine Spring & McCullough Spring

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(Fig. 01)

(Fig. 01A)

* The map above was taken from a Mineral Land Assessment Report (MLA 11-87) titled "Mineral Resources of the Sough McCullough Mountains Study Area, Clark County, Nevada" by Terry J. Close and published by the Bureau of Mines - United States Department of Interior.

Directions: Both of these spring locations boarder the eastern edges of the South McCullough Wilderness Area between the McCullough Range and the Highland Range (Fig. 01*). Though it can be entered from US-95 on the northern end, we decided to enter from Nipton Road (NV-68) on the southern end. From the Stratosphere Casino head northeast on Las Vegas Blvd about 3 miles and bear right to merge onto US-515/93/95 south towards Boulder City. Follow US-93/95 for 17 miles and then merge onto US-95 South (Veterans Memorial Hwy) for 36 miles to Searchlight. In the center of Searchlight, turn right and head west on NV-68 (a.k.a. as Nipton Road and The Joshua Tree Highway) towards Nipton, California. Driving past the Wee Thump Joshua Tree Wilderness Area, the "Parking & Staging Point” on (Fig. 01A),  is located on the right, about 16 miles west of Searchlight. The view in (Fig. 01) is a view south towards Nipton Road with Crescent Peak (5,994 feet) on the left.

(Fig. 02)

Area Description: The South McCullough Wilderness Area is a fairly large (44,252 acre) wilderness area that includes most of the southern part of the north-south trending McCullough Range and the large bajada to the southwest. The terrain is a north-south orientated, ridge of rugged 1.7 billion year old metamorphic rock deeply cut by canyons on the east and west sides. The base of the mountains are about 3,300 feet on the west side and 4,500 feet on the east side. Its many soft, rugged and rounded peaks and ridges include McCullough Mountain (7,026 feet). The lower elevation of Paiute Valley is dominated by typical Mojave Desert Scrub (Creosote Bush, Mojave Yucca, Banana Yucca, and other low-growing shrubs). Climbing to the higher elevations the vegetation is dominated by blackbrush, Joshua trees and more yucca. The higher elevations are dominated by singleleaf pinyon pine, Utah juniper, and a wide variety of cholla, pricklypear, barrel and hedgehog cactus species.

02/27/2015 Trip Notes: Today, Harvey and I decided to explore the area around the south eastern portion of the South McCullough Mountains, with the goal of locating the McCullough Spring (Fig. 01A). From the staging area we headed north towards the Powerline Road, which then runs northeast along the edge of the Wee Thump Joshua Tree Wilderness Area. On our way to McCullough Spring we decided to search out Pine Spring.

Pine Spring: About five miles from our staging point (Fig. 01A), we located the cross roads of Pine Spring Road and Wee Thump North Road on the northern boundary of the Wee Thump Joshua Tree Wilderness Area (Fig. 01A). Heading west on this unmarked road, it begins to climb towards the foothills of the South McCullough Range (Fig. 03). At about about 1.5 miles out, the north fork (Pine Spring Road, proper) runs out to Pine Spring, while the south fork runs another 1.5 miles to a trailhead at the edge of the wilderness area. Not knowing which road to take at the time, we ended up taking the south fork and followed it about 1.5 miles to the end. The road in this area is rocky and a bit washed out. At the base of a hill, the road curves to the northwest and runs up a sandy wash. The area was filled with singleleaf pinyon pine and Utah juniper and a variety of cactus (Fig. 04). When we reached the end, we climbed a few of the nearby ridges and were rewarded with some wonderful scenic views (Fig. 05). Not finding the spring, we finally headed back to the fork in the road and took the fork to the right. In addition to the spring, there is a watering trough and a small horse coral. Unfortunately, even though this was the correct road to the spring, we didn’t take it far enough, and as a result never did locate the spring. We did see two feral cows, several jackrabbits, some roadrunners, and several other birds while driving along this road.

(Fig. 03)

(Fig. 04)

(Fig. 05)

Trip Notes Continued: After looking at a more detailed map while creating this page, I estimate that we were less than a quarter of a mile from Pine Spring. I also learned that this road takes you to a trailhead for climbing McCullough Peak. Maybe we can find this spring and make the 6-mile R/T hike to McCullough Peak on a future visit. Having spent considerable time looking for the spring, we finally headed back to the Powerline Road and headed north for about eight miles until we reached the intersection of the the unmarked McCullough Spring Road. (there was a large cairn at the entrance) and a BLM marker that indicated that the road ended in about 3.5 miles.

(Fig. 06)

McCullough Spring: As this road leaves the left side of the Powerline Road, it heads north west. At about a mile and a quarter the road splits. We ended up taking the road to the right as highlighted in yellow on (Fig. 02) for about another two miles. Figure 06 was a pit-stop we made for a snack on the way up to the spring. After the split, the road heads north as it begins to climb through the foothills of the McCullough Range, providing the views shown in (Figs. 07 & 08). On the way we encountered two groups of cattle roaming the hillside along the road (Figs 09 thru 11). The largest group we near the large coral (Figs.12 & 13) just before the spring. There was a large trough in one end of the coral that was filled with fresh running water that was fed from an underground pipe (Fig. 14). On the left side of the road, between the coral and the spring, there was an active beehive (Fig. 15). A short distance beyond the coral we located McCullough Spring. Flowing right out of the base of a not too tall cliff Fig. 16), this year-round spring flows into a manmade pool, spilling over the side and eventually disappearing beneath the sandy wash several feet beyond (Fig. 18). Driving several hundred feet up the wash from the spring we climbed up a small hill which provided a nice view looking back towards the area of the spring (Fig. 19). Had we known at the time that if we continued riving this wash it would lead us back to the beginning of the intersection that we first encountered (Green route shown in (Fig. 02), we would have returned this way. Unfortunately we didn’t know this was a round trip loop. The last two pictures (Figs. 20 & 21) are a few of the views we had on the way back to the Powerline Road. All-in-all these mountains provide a rugged, rocky landscape filled with a wide variety of beautiful trees and desert flora.

(Fig. 07)

(Fig. 08)

(Fig. 09)

(Fig. 10) (Fig. 11)

(Fig. 12)

(Fig. 13) (Fig. 14)

(Fig. 15)

(Fig. 16)

(Fig. 17) (Fig. 18)

(Fig. 19)

(Fig. 20)

(Fig. 21)

US-95 (South) Towards Searchlight & Laughlin

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This page last updated on 05/02/2019

(Fig. 01) Click to Enlarge

Daytrips Bordering US-95 South:  Between Boulder City and Searchlight, this highway corridor runs between the McCullough Mountain ranges to the west and the Eldorado and Iritiba Mountains that parallel Colorado River to the east. After Searchlight, to the east, it follows the rugged Newberry Mountains and the southern area of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area as it continues to follow the Colorado River to the Davis Dam at Laughlin, Nevada. As you can see from the map in (Fig. 01), we have hiked and explored numerous sights along this nearly 90-mile stretch. From exploration of the Eldorado Mine at the Techatticup Mining Camp, to the Joshua Trees in the Wee Thump Joshua Tree Wilderness area, down to the amazing petroglyphs at Grapevine Canyon inside the Bridge Canyon Wilderness Area, just to name a few. Clicking the titles of each of these sites below will take you to pages with pictures and full descriptions for each of these hiking locations.    

Keyhole Canyon: Keyhole Canyon is an amazing archaeological area with many petroglyphs and a few pictographs. Keyhole Canyon cuts into a ridge of hard granitic rock that appears to have jutted right out of the desert just yesterday. In most petroglyphs sites, the rock art is fairly close to the ground, but here they are unusual because so many are very high on the cliffs. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography

Techatticup Mining Camp: The Techatticup mining camp was established in 1861. There is a general store, an old barn filled with antiques, and a variety of old mining camp buildings in various stages of restoration.    The notorious Techatticup Mine became the oldest, richest and most famous gold mine in Southern Nevada. Along with others in the area, it produced an estimated 250 million dollars in gold, silver, copper and lead. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography

Nelsons Landing & Place Cove: The area referred to as Nelson’s Landing is located about 10 miles beyond the town of Nelson on the northern shore of the Colorado River. Nelson's Landing is most noted for a flash flood that washed a group of campers into Lake Mohave in 1974. The entire landing was destroyed and nine people died when a wall of water and debris, reported to be about 40 feet high, reached the river. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography

Highland Range Crucial Bighorn Habitat Area: The Highland Range is located west off of US-95 as it heads south through the Eldorado Valley, south of Boulder City. The mountains and valleys in this 10-mile long range provides some of the best landscape views in southern Nevada. Not only does the metamorphic rock in this area provides a wide variety of color, the washes and alluvial plains that lead to mountain ridges in this area are filled with scattered yucca, Cholula and barrel cacti. Because this area is hard to reach without a four-wheel drive vehicle and therefore is seldom hiked, if provides one of the most peaceful and tranquil hiking experiences one could ask for. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography

Ireteba Peaks Wilderness Area: The Ireteba Peak Wilderness Area is 32,745 acres and contains Ireteba Peak, the highest point on the El Dorado Mountains at 5,060 feet. Named for Ireteba, a Mojave Indian guide for the Joseph Ives expedition to this region in 1858, Ireteba Peaks are high, rocky, rugged, and very beautiful. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography

Cottonwood Cove. Cottonwood Cove is situated at the banks of Lake Mohave on the Nevada-Arizona border in Clark County, Nevada, just 13.5 miles east from the center of historic Searchlight, NV. Lake Mohave is approximately 67 miles long and is backed by the Davis Dam about 26 miles downstream at Laughlin, NV. Part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area administered by the U.S. National Park Service, it is the site of the Cottonwood Cove Resort and Marina. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography

Wee Thump Joshua Tree Wilderness Area: Wee Thump Joshua Tree is a relatively small (6,050 acres) wilderness area established to protect a forest of dense, old-growth Joshua trees."Wee Thump" is Paiute for "ancient ones."  At first glance, this flat, gently sloped alluvial plain between Searchlight and Nipton appears rather plain and boring; however, it offers a wide variety of plant life and occasionally, for the patient, glimpses of birds, lizards and other desert animals. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography

Walking Box Ranch: Walking Box Ranch, located 7 miles west of Searchlight in the Mojave Desert off of Nipton Road, was founded in 1931 by Rex Bell and Clara Bow as a working 400,000 acre ranch. The ranch covered 160 acres at the time it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 30, 2009 and includes four buildings. Over the years, Rex and Clara entertained many notable Hollywood figures, including Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Errol Flynn, and Lionel Barrymore. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography

Crescent Peak Mine Road: The Crescent Peak mine is located about 12 miles west of the town of Searchlight, along the west flanks of Crescent Peak. It was extensively worked by the native Americans of the area long before the arrival of European emigrants, and has since been home to an extensive turquoise mining and stone processing community. Crescent peak is the prominent pyramid shaped peak on the northeast end of the New York Mountain range on the south side of Nipton Road just east of the town of Nipton, CA. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography

Crescent Peak District and Nippeno Mine. The Nippeno Mine is located in a valley on the north-west flank of Crescent Peak off of Nipton Road, about eight miles east of Nipton, California. Filed circa 1900, this claim became one of the largest mines in the Crescent Peak District. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography Nipton, California: Billed 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 60 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 five "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. Photography                                                    Christmas Tree Pass. Christmas Tree Pass is a 4WD road that leads over a pass of the Newberry Mountains in southern Nevada. This scenic drive is roughly fifteen miles in length and is a very enjoyable ride offering some fine sweeping views into Arizona and the Colorado River valley down below. Once you reach the western side of the pass you are presented with sprawling views of the Mojave Desert. The pass gets its name from the scatter of pinyon and juniper trees along the route, some of which people have decorated with cans, bottles and shiny pieces of metal. Other than some very unique geologic rock formations, the only special attraction here are the hundreds of petroglyphs found at Grapevine Canyon on the south eastern end of the road. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography

Spirit Mountain Wilderness Area: The Spirit Mountain Wilderness Area, located in the rugged Newberry Mountains, contains 33,518 acres in the southern area of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Partly bordered by Christmas Tree Pass road, it is wedged between the Bridge Canyon Wilderness Area to the southwest and the Nellis Wash Wilderness Area to the north. With an elevation of 5,639 feet, Spirit Mountain is the center of creation for all Yuman speakers, and is sacred to several Native American tribes of the region. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography

Bridge Canyon Wilderness Area: Located off of Christmas Tree Pass Road, within the boundaries of the Bridge Canyon Wilderness Area, Grapevine Canyon is a narrow, sometimes sandy trail that runs between the Volcanic Mountains and Grapevine Hills into Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.  The Grapevine Canyon site contains some of the best petroglyphs in Nevada for both quantity and quality. There are hundreds of articulate and pronounced images, many appearing as if they were etched only yesterday. This area also contains Sacatone Canyon and the Granite Outcrops. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography

Colorado River Heritage Greenway Park & Trails: With several accompanying picnic areas, restrooms and drinking facilities, this new park has more than 9 miles of trails for bicyclists, pedestrians and equestrian riders. With two main trailheads (entrances), one off of Casino Drive and NV-163 and the other at the end of Davis Dam Road off of NV-163 just north of Laughlin. Hiking, Rock-hounding, Birding and Photography