More than 150 years ago, the Old Spanish Trail was the main commerce route between Sante Fe, New Mexico, and Los Angeles. It passed through the Las Vegas valley to take advantage of the natural springs but today there is very little left of the original route. In August 2001 three segments of the trail that ran through southern Nevada were placed on the National Register of Historic Places, marking the trail's historical significance. The northern section that is covered here and not recognized yet, is an excellent way to have an overlanding experience on a truly historic route. The trail travels from north Las Vegas all the way to the Valley of Fire Highway, accessing some remote and primitive camping along the way.
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Head northeast on I-15 N 14.9 miles. Take exit 58 for State Hwy 604. Turn left onto NV-604 N/State Hwy 604 N/Las Vegas Blvd N. Travel 2.5 miles. Turn right onto Pabco Rd. Travel 3.8 miles, and turn left onto Old Spanish Trail Rd. The trailhead is at an intersection with a gravel road.
Easy little trail. Did this on a Saturday and didn’t see anyone else. Nothing too exciting but it feels secluded and private. Didn’t have time to hit any other trails in the area but would be worth it if you are visiting Vegas. Stock 4x4 would be totally fine. Some of the washes fairly deep so clearance helps but nothing technical.
Entered the trail from Nellis Dunes. The Jeep JL had no difficulties with the trail and any vehicle should be able to handle the trails -- except maybe a couple places where careful tire placement might be necessary due to some washouts on the trail.
Nice Relaxing trail, if you take it slow there isn't any reason most vehicles wont make it. lots of opportunities to side track if you want to use it as a jump off for other adventures. entrance may be hard to see if you take the asphalt to the beginning of the trail
We were looking for a way to travel from Vegas to Valley of Fire, completely offroad. It turned out to be really easy when this trail is connected with the Nellis Dunes. It was a really easy trail with super wide open scenery. There is nothing out there for a long while, just bumpy two-track. We drove into a couple of the side canyons to look for petroglyphs but didn't find anything. I know they have to be out there so please share if you know the spot. The trail did end at some pretty good camping that super close to Valley of Fire and I-15. Plus it's totally free to camp there.
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While living in the Midwest, I developed a passion for searching out new trails and hidden spots. That passion continues to this day in the beautiful southwestern United States. My wife and I are full-time RVers who travel from region to region, exploring every nook and cranny we can find. While getting to know the locals, we gain insight into these areas and then pass on that knowledge to our subscribers. We truly enjoy traversing long, beautiful back-country routes with epic campsites, but we equally enjoy pushing the limits on challenging rock crawling trails. Our rig was built to do everything, and that's what we hope to share with our subscribers.
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