Patterson Pass Road

Patterson Pass Road is a scenic high-desert dirt road in Lincoln County’s Schell Creek Range. Topping out at 7,400 feet elevation, it winds through pinyon-juniper woodlands and sagebrush hills between peaks like Mt. Grafton (10,997 ft) and Mt. Montezuma (9,121 ft). The trail delivers sweeping valley views and serves as an excellent trailhead for the Silver State OHV Trail network — the first Congressionally designated off-highway vehicle trail in the United States. This extensive system spans over 250 miles of backcountry routes across Lincoln County, connecting mountain ranges, high passes, and scenic basins for memorable multi-day adventures.

The route combines wider graded dirt sections with narrower, occasionally rocky two-tracks. Nearby BLM-managed Patterson Pass Campground offers about a dozen campsites with fire pits, picnic tables, shade structures, and restrooms at no fee, while dispersed camping is available on public lands. The area carries mining history from silver discoveries in the Patterson district around 1869 and early 20th-century operations by companies like the Lake Valley Mining Company.