Overview | Lovell Canyon Roads | Lovell Canyon, Nevada
Lovell Canyon Road: Paved, Maintained, Main Thoroughfare
Lovell Canyon Road, the main road spanning the 12-mile stretch from lower -to-mid-
Lovell Canyon, is paved and well maintained.
Lovell Canyon Road will get you within 1/4th-mile of the canyon’s main trailhead area providing access to:
The above trails provide access to upper
Lovell Canyon and the route starting points for the high ridgelines and peaks in upper
Lovell Canyon.
The unpaved but well graded
Lovell Summit Road will get you from upper
Lovell Canyon Road to the trailheads in just 1/4th-mile. If you do not like to take your car off asphalt roads, there is a good-sized parking area at the intersection of upper
Lovell Canyon Road and
Lovell Summit Road. The 1/4-mile walk up
Lovell Summit Road goes fast.
Unpaved Tributary Roads to Lovell Canyon Road
There are many unpaved tributary roads to
Lovell Canyon Road. High-centered or 4WD vehicles are recommended. Don’t think of driving
Rocky Gap Road without a very good 4WD vehicle or ATV. Landrovers with experienced drivers and ATVs often successfully traverse this route to
Red Rock Canyon.
I’ve listed some of the most significant roads in
Lovell Canyon and the access they provide in the details below.
There are many great dispersed campsites along all the roads in
Lovell Canyon.
Directions to Lovell Canyon Roads | Lovell Canyon, Nevada
Take
Hwy 160 from
Las Vegas toward
Pahrump. The highway ascends over a “hump” (the
Potosi Mountain area). There’s a saying around here, “
Over the hump to Pahrump”. Well, you’ve just traveled over that hump. Around 4-5 miles from the point where the highway begins to descend toward
Pahrump there is a well-marked sign on the right for
Lovell Canyon Road.
Views Along Lovell Canyon Road
Lovell Canyon Road is a beautiful stretch passing through a
Joshua tree forest that soon becomes populated predominately with
junipers and
pines. There are ridges and meadows and many camping pull-outs along the way. This stretch reminds me a lot of the high desert area around
Bend Oregon. Very open and majestic. All the while you’re looking up at the
Spring mountains with
Griffith Peak standing prominent. The road has very little traffic and would make a great bike, walking or running route. In fact, what an awesome backdrop for a marathon (pretty easy to add 2 miles to the 24-mile out and back stretch)!
Details | Lovell Canyon Roads | Lovell Canyon, Nevada
Lovell Canyon Roads and the Wilderness Routes They Access
Lovell Canyon Road
Access 3 main campgrounds:
Access multiple dispersed campsites
Trailhead access to
Lovell Canyon’s 4 main upper canyon trails via
Lovell Summit Road:
The above trails provide access to the following:
Additional Access:
Rainbow Spring Road
Salt Grass Road
Rocky Gap Road
CC Springs Road
Lovell Summit Road
- Multiple dispersed campsites
- Trailhead access to Lovell Canyon’s 4 main upper canyon trails:
- Access to private camping opportunities:
