Overview | Lonesome Wash Upper Entrance | Eldorado Wilderness, Nevada

Where is the Lonesome Wash?

Lonesome Wash is a wild, remote canyon that crosses through the heart of Nevada’s Eldorado Wilderness from its upper West end to the banks of the Colorado River. With tall peaks and ridges on either side, fresh wild animal footprints and vast fields of cacti glowing in the sunlight this strip of untouched wilderness is a time warp into the distant past. All this is located about 20 miles South from Henderson, Nevada.

Adventure Route Summary

This 13-mile loop adventure begins on Nelson Hwy 165, heading East for a couple miles across a beautiful stretch of desert with views of Boulder City, the River Mts., Railroad Mts., McCullough Wilderness and, of course, the wild peaks and ridges of the Eldorado Wilderness. After a steep 1,000ft descent into Lonesome Wash and crossing a long boulder field, you’ll begin descending the broad, wide-open gradual sandy wash to within 5 miles of the Colorado River. Then, ascend a long, gradual gully summiting just West of Mohave Overlook before looping back over a series of ridges to the starting point at Hwy 165. Due to its distance from access roads, you’ll feel you’re the first to set foot here.

Lower Lonesome Wash to the Colorado River

This adventure makes it through Upper Lonesome Wash to about 4 miles “as the crow flies” from the Colorado River. The total distance from the turn-around point to the Colorado River is likely around 6 miles. It’s possible to get all the way to the Colorado River in a day and here are two strategies:

1. Access Road Strategy: Start at the Mohave Overlook and take the descent gully where I exited the wash down to the wash for the final stretch to the Colorado River. You’d need to drive a high-centered vehicle or 4WD taking wilderness roads “E” and “F” from Hwy 95. See the map on this page for directions – wilderness road approach is in purple. From Mohave Overlook, follow the descent gully into Lonesome Wash, then descend Lonesome Wash to the Colorado River. The part on foot would be an out-and-back adventure totaling around 13 miles.
2. Walk/Run the Route: Begin at the start point on Hwy 165, round the North base of the intervening hills to the East, connect with wilderness Road “F” and take that road to the Mohave Overlook. Finally, follow the route from the Mohave Overlook to Lonesome Wash and the Colorado River. The terrain along this route with an exception of the initial slope into the descent gully below Mohave Overlook is mostly well fitted for rapid progress on foot (walk/run). You’re looking at a marathon distance, but it would be spectacular! 

Best Time of Year for a Lonesome Wash Adventure

Stick to late Fall through early Spring. Mid-Summer temperatures rise to a very dangerous 120 degrees and above. Bring at least 6 liters of hydration, especially if you plan to attempt an out-and-back to the Colorado River in a day. In that case, be familiar with the area and have advanced wilderness navigation skills and experience.

Trailhead Directions | Lonesome Wash Upper Entrance | Eldorado Wilderness, Nevada

The Eldorado Wilderness is South of Las Vegas. Take Interstate 11 South toward Hoover Dam. Just after the Railroad Pass exit, take a right onto exit 14 to Hwy 95 toward Searchlight. Then, take a left onto Hwy 165. You’ll soon see well-placed, attractive interpretive signs for the Eldorado Wilderness and Nelson Hills. There is an Eldorado Trailhead, but you want to park at a wide spot by the road a couple miles before the trailhead.

Narrative Guide | Lonesome Wash Upper Entrance | Eldorado Wilderness, Nevada

Getting Your Initial Bearings

Navigation by sight on a clear day is my bomb-proof approach. GPS can fail you in the wilderness, but it’s a good back-up. The two work well together. 

Standing at the start point on Hwy 165, notice that across the road just to the West are the Nelson Hills. These will help guide you back to the start point. But they may disappear when not in line of sight, so also be aware of the string of mountains to the North including (from West to East) the North McCullough Wilderness with Black Mountain as its high point, the Railroad Mountains, the River Mountains and Boulder City. I point these out in the video from a number of changing perspectives during this adventure. As you make some initial distance from the start point, look back to see the South McCullough Wilderness and McCullough Mountain to the right of the Nelson Hills. These will be visible even when you’re in a gully and the Nelson Hills disappear.

Now look forward to see, from North to South Pilot Cone, Pilot Mesa, Peeper Benchmark Peak, and the closer, long relatively flat ridgeline I call the Lonesome Wash Overlook Mesa. At the South end of that Mesa (where it sharply descends to the right), is the descent slope into Lonesome Wash. That’s your initial target! Further to the South (to your right) are the high points in the Eldorado Wilderness including Lonesome Peak, the highest point.

Hwy 165 to the Lonesome Wash Descent Slope

You can make the 2-mile stretch from the start point to the edge of the Lonesome Wash descent slope relatively flat and fast by keeping to the left of the intervening hills. To do this, set your initial course to arrive at the base of the Lonesome Wash Overlook Mesa ridgeline near the center of that ridgeline. There are a few shallow intervening gullies, but if you stray to the right toward the intervening hills, those gullies are deeper and will slow you down. You want to streamline your approach so you can save time to get as far toward the Colorado River as possible.

Once you reach the base of the Lonesome Wash Overlook Mesa, turn right onto a road that will take you along the base of the mesa ridgeline to near the Lonesome Wash descent slope. Soon you will need to angle to the left off of the road and head for the very South edge of the Lonesome Wash Overlook Mesa ridgeline where you will find the beginning of the descent slope.

Note that your first big obstacle will be the sunrise, blinding your forward view! Every reference point I’ve mentioned will be a silhouette in that blinding sunlight!

Lonesome Wash Descent Slope to Lonesome Wash at the Base of Peak 3510

The descent slope into Lonesome Wash is steep, but not horrible. It will slow you down as you carefully weave your way downward through the volcanic rocks and boulders. It’s all a steep class 2 walk, though from above you might expect a vertical barrier. There is no vertical barrier on the slope. Once the slope begins to level off a bit, you’re in a boulder garden stretch, navigating lots of large boulders. You can do both this stretch and the slope above without facing any exposure to a fall. Just be sure to make every foot placement secure and test every rock and boulder for stability before trusting it with your weight. 

The stretch from the beginning of the descent slope to the base of Peak 3510 is the slowest stretch of the day.

Base of Peak 3510 to This Adventure’s Turn-Around Point

At the base of Peak 3510, the large ridge and peak on the right side of Lonesome Wash, the wash opens to a broad, flat, relatively firm surface with a very gradual decline. You can cover a lot of ground rapidly from this point to the turn-around point. In fact, if you’re not spending time video-documenting the adventure as I did, you could make it much closer to the banks of the Colorado River. This wide-open stretch in the wash is my favorite. Majestic high points surround the wash on either side. There are the cliffs of the Lonesome Wash Overlook Mesa to your right (North) and Lonesome Peak and Peaks 3510 and 3320 to your right (South). Beautiful wide, broad canyon washes lie between these high points to your right, inviting future adventures.

But the real magic of this stretch is its remote, isolated feel. Nobody ventures here due to its distance from any access roads. You may feel as if you were the very first human to set foot in this wilderness. The only tracks in the sandy gravel are wild animal tracks from the night before.

Be watching to your left as you pass the West end of the Lonesome Wash Overlook Mesa. Now the heights to your left (North side of the wash) are more broken up. Soon you’ll arrive at one of the most amazing sights in the wash: The vast fields of Teddy bear Cholla Cacti glowing golden in the sunlight! Note where this spectacular field of cacti begins. Look up to your left (North) to see a wide gully leading upward toward the heights above. This is your exit gully leading toward the Mohave Overlook.

On this day I descended further into Lonesome Wash, through more vast fields of glowing Teddy bear Cholla before turning around to return to the exit gully. At the turn-around point the Colorado River did not seem too far distant. The terrain beyond the Colorado River in Arizona with the distinctive Malpais Flattop Mesa seemed so close. And the hills to the right (South) of Lonesome Wash with their glowing fields of Teddy bear Cholla were incredibly magical and inviting! You could easily camp here and spend a few days exploring, provided you brought enough water!

Exit Gully Toward Mohave Overlook

Return up Lonesome Wash to where the Teddy bear Cholla cacti fields began. Then take a right (North) up a wide wash toward the hills above and the Mohave Overlook. Be careful not to brush against the cacti which spread to a height of about 5 feet. Any touch causes the ends of the cacti to dig into your clothes and skin, clinging to you as their way of propagating. Where they fall, they grow into a new plant. Thus, the vast fields. The exit wash ends with a slope less than a quarter-mile West of the Mohave Overlook.

Mohave Overlook to the Start Point on Hwy 165

Once above the wash and just West of the Mohave Overlook, it’s just a matter of navigating through three intervening ridges and canyons back toward Hwy 165. This is where your reference points become an important guide. Peeper Benchmark Peak is to your right. You want to navigate in a direction directly West (to the left) of Peeper Benchmark. Soon other reference points come into view. There is Boulder City, the River Mountains and Railroad Mountains to the North. You’re heading away from Peeper Benchmark Peak and parallel to River Mountains and Railroad Mountains and the North McCullough Wilderness  with Black Mountain as its high point, which will soon appear. At high points on the intervening ridges you can see McCullough Mountain in the South McCullough Wilderness, and below, to the left are the Nelson Hills, the left side of which marks your start point on Hwy 165. Try to minimize elevation changes as you navigate the three intervening ridges and canyons. Once you’ve descended the slope of the last intervening ridge, its a quick, flat mile back to your start point!   

Summary

Congratulations! You’ve just spent a magical day of immersion in such a remote wilderness, creating life memories while growing your wilderness navigation skills! You’ve experienced the very heart of Nevada’s Eldorado Wilderness and most likely come away with plans for many more future adventures in this spectacular area!