The Fenceline Road backcountry 4x4 route in Southern Nye County has numerous minor and moderate sized washes to negotiate as you cross the alluvial fan created by erosion of the Spring Mountains to the east over millions of years. Great views of Charleston Peak, the Pahrump Valley, and all the way to Telescope Peak in Death Valley National Park some 70 miles away can be viewed on the usually clear days.
The trail is generally hard packed rock and sand, and the wash crossings can be very steep and even impassable depending on vehicle and driver skill. Grades exceed 30 degrees on the most difficult of wash crossings, but there are bypasses suitable for any stock 4x4 vehicle with high ground clearance
Be sure to keep your eyes open for Desert Tortoise as this is an area where BLM has released several of these endangered reptiles.
This route is an excellent trip for inexperienced drivers wanting to gain experience with wash crossings and associated hill climbs
Trail Difficulty and Assessment
Exclusive for our All-Access Members
Easily identify whether the trail is stock friendly
or not.
View 14 specific concerns along the trail such as
height and width restrictions.
Upgrade from free to our All-Access Membership and get
every detail, waypoint, photo, and more on every single
trail guide.
When you are an All-Access member, our trail guides
come with a short video of the author running the trail
to give you a visual understanding of what to expect.
The Fenceline Road backcountry 4x4 route can be accessed from the north or the south.
From the North - From the intersection of Nevada Highway 160 and Carpenter Canyon Road south of Pahrump, head east approximately 4.2 miles to the cattle guard. Turn south (right) onto Fenceline Road.
If coming from Loop Boundary Road, from the intersection of Carpenter Canyon Road and Loop Boundary Road, head east to the cattle guard and turn south (left) just before the guard.
From the South - From the intersection of Trout Canyon Road and Nevada Highway 160 south of Pahrump, turn east approximately 4.6 miles to the trailhead. Turn north (left) onto Fenceline Road.
If coming from Lovell Canyon via Lovell Summit Road, at the intersection of Trout Canyon Road and Lovell Sumit Road, head west approximately 3.0 miles to the trailhead. Turn North (right) onto Fenceline Road
We drove this trail from Trout Canyon to Carpenter Canyon in a stock 4Runner TRD Pro. Used 4HI and rear locker a few times on the “easy” routes at the washouts.
Trail is heavily used by UTV’s and pretty rutted in some areas. The brush along the trail has grown up and will create some pinstripes if your not paying attention.
Enjoyed the drive and a great way to spend a 90 degree day instead of working from home.
Thank you for mapping this trail!!
From the Community
Exclusive for our All-Access Members
Ask the author of a trail guide any questions you may have and
get a direct answer from the author and the community! One of
the many perks that come with an All-Access Membership.
Brian has been 4 wheeling since 1976. He first learned at age 7 that "The best things in life are dirty" in a brand new 1958 Jeep FC-170 on his aunts Nebraska farm. That forward control pickup seemed like it would go anywhere and he was hooked, even though he didn't know it yet.
Jump forward to 1972... Brian's first duty assignment in the US Air Force was as a vehicle operator assigned to the USAF Survival School at Spokane, Washington. Part of his duties required hauling equipment and transporting vehicles to a remote training area in northern Washington national forest locations, and he often would be asked to take radio equipment to a mountaintop radio antenna site. The road was awful, or at least seemed that way in a 1967 6 passenger Dodge Power Wagon with 45 lbs of pressure in the tires, but it also hooked Brian on backcountry 4x4 exploration.
Brian's first 4x4 was a used '76 Ford F150 pickup. It didn't take very long to figure out that the long wheelbase of the pickup didn't work well on the narrow Colorado trails near his home, so he traded for a brand new 1983 Chevy Blazer S10. The S10 was a nice vehicle, but it wasn't a Jeep, and that was what Brian ultimately wanted. Well, it didn't take long to move over to the Jeep brand, and Brian has been the proud owner of 7 Jeeps of one sort or another over the years.
Brian has been 4 wheeling from Mexico to Alaska. After moving from Colorado, he ended up in southern Nevada where his current home is completely surrounded by public lands with thousands of miles of back roads and trails to explore.
He recently moved to eastern rural Nevada, and looks forward to sharing trails in his new area.
By clicking "ACCEPT", you agree to be the terms and conditions of each
policy linked to above. You also agree to the storing of cookies on
your device to facilitate the operation and functionality of our site,
enhance and customize your user experience, and to analyze how our
site is used.