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Mormon Mesa
Moapa Valley,
Nevada
(Clark County)
Last Updated:
01/28/2020
Trail Information
Highlights
Follow in the path of the early settlers along the iconic Spanish Trail of southern Nevada. The original Mormon Mesa route was a challenging task for the early Mormon settlers that were traveling north to Utah. One of the largest obstacles in their path was this massive mesa with near-vertical cliffs. Along this route, you'll have an opportunity to visit the historic marker for this iconic overland trail. The white post marker is where the original route used to climb up to the top of the mesa. It's now just a washed-out ledge but demonstrates the real-world challenges these travelers had to face from 1826-1848. Along the way, you'll have beautiful views of the Virgin River Valley and the rugged mountain range to the north. This trail is an easy and logical addition for anyone traveling off-road from Las Vegas to St. George, Utah.
Trail Difficulty and Assessment
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Bobby Nelson
Official Crew
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Trail Reviews
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 11/12/2021
Difficulty Accuracy:
Easier
Nice easy trail, Very comfortable drive with lots of ups and downs. 2wd is all that is needed with offshoots that may/will require 4wd. also if you do the trail in reverse what is described as a staging area is now a powers station you have to drive around (Step 18).
Open
Rated
2/5
Visited: 01/25/2020
I drove this trail in reverse, starting at Bunkerville Rd. I found it uninteresting. I can see power lines, drive through canyons, and see flat desert almost anywhere. What some people do is visit the "Desert Art" of Michael Heizer, titled Double Negative, located on top of the mesa. In my opinion Double Negative is a good example of someone with more money than he knows how to put to good use. Two 30x50 foot slots cut with a bulldozer in a canyon wall is not art to me. Well, I can say I saw it, and recommend people don't waste their time. Some local residents decided to place some "art" on top of the mesa as well. It's called Polish Positive. Get it! The views of the Virgin River and valley from Double Negative side of mesa are great however.
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 01/18/2020
We really enjoyed this historic route through some very scenic country. The trail was pretty easy but it did have several pretty bad washout and ruts in the trail. The road gets maintained but probably not that often. The trail out to the historic marker was well worth the time and bumps. The post was right by the original trail and had amazing views along the way. We liked going up and down all the rolling hills that lead over to the Gold Butte area. We used this trail to connect sections of the Las Vegas to St. George overland route. For camping, just pick a spot and setup. There are numerous flat and smooth spots to setup a tent.
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