The Ultimate Guide to Traveling the Gass Peak Road in NV
Usa, north-america
34.76 km
1,509 m
moderate
Year-round
Okay, adventure junkies, listen up! Gass Peak Road in Southern Nevada's Las Vegas Range is calling your name!
Tucked away in Clark County within the Desert National Wildlife Refuge, this 21.6-mile dirt track delivers serious desert vibes and stunning mountain views. You can usually hit it up any time of year, but just a heads-up, winter weather might throw a temporary wrench in your plans. While cars can *usually* handle it, I'd play it safe and check with the locals or just bring a 4WD to be sure.
As you climb to a cool 4,950 feet above sea level (that's pretty high!), keep an eye out for wildlife, explore an underground cave, and maybe even check out the 4WD trail leading to the Maggie Gulch mine and Silver Plume Mountain. This isn't just a drive; it's an experience!
Road Details
- Country
- Usa
- Continent
- north-america
- Length
- 34.76 km
- Max Elevation
- 1,509 m
- Difficulty
- moderate
Related Roads in north-america
extremeHow long is Saddle Road in Hawaii?
🇺🇸 Usa
Saddle Road is a very scenic drive located on Hawaii's Big Island, in the USA. Along the way, the road tops out at 2.062m (6,765ft) above sea level by Humuula Saddle. How long is Saddle Road in Hawaii? The road (Hawaii State Highway 200, also known as Ala Mauna Saddle Road) is 52.7 miles (84.8 km) long and links downtown Hilo and the junction with Hawaii Route 190 near Waimea. Two roads intersect Saddle Road close to Puʻu Huluhulu at its crest near mile 28 at 6,632 ft (2,021m) above sea level, the Mauna Loa Observatory Road to the south, and the Mauna Kea Summit Road When was Saddle Road built? Carved out of the lava, Saddle Road was initially built as a one-lane road by the U.S. Army in 1942 to connect military training facilities to better defend the island in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor. How long does it take to drive Saddle Road in Hawaii? To drive the road without stopping will take most people between 1.15 and 2 hours. The highway reaches a maximum elevation of 2.062m (6,765ft) at Humuula Saddle and experiences heavy use as it provides the shortest driving route from Hilo to Kailua-Kona and access to the slopes of Mauna Loa and the Mauna Kea Observatories. Saddle Road cuts through some of the best scenery on the Big Island. Is it safe to drive Saddle Road? It was once considered one of the most dangerous paved roads in the state. The road was marginally maintained. But now it has been enhanced and improved a lot. It feels like a highway and reduces the trip to around an hour. The paved road features excellent conditions. There have been major improvements to most stretches of this road over the last few years. Since 1992, there has been increased attention on the road, with efforts to rebuild and renovate the highway into a practical cross-island route. This resulted in repaving some sections and complete rebuilding of others. There is a portion of windy and narrow two-lane road at mile marker 11. During bad weather or heavy cloud cover, visibility can be close to zero. Wild animals and birds can be a hazard by running across the road - drive cautiously. One section of the road tends to be extremely foggy after dark for some reason (signage will alert you to that). The road is said to be haunted: the witness accounts included a variety of strange phenomena, including sightings of ghost lights. Are rental cars allowed on Saddle Road? It’s the shortest connection between both sides of the Big Island. The road features dangerously unpredictable weather. There are areas on the road with no cell service, though call boxes have been placed along the highway. There are no gas stations or stores or manned places to get help - take the number of an island tow company with you in case you need help. Pavement edges can be rough, and head-on collisions are still a real problem. A newly paved road makes this a lot easier and saves time getting to the other side of the island. It's no longer off-limits to rental cars (but check your contract to be sure) and it's smooth and has adequate shoulders the whole way. In the uphill sections, there is a separate lane for trucks and slower cars. Vail Pass is a difficult road in Colorado Shelf Road in Colorado: If you don't like steep drop-offs, don't take the road Embark on a journey like never before! Navigate through our to discover the most spectacular roads of the world Drive Us to Your Road! With over 13,000 roads cataloged, we're always on the lookout for unique routes. Know of a road that deserves to be featured? Click to share your suggestion, and we may add it to dangerousroads.org.
extreme1. Winter Operational Readiness: Managing Sub-Zero Roads
🇨🇦 Canada
Alright, road trippers, buckle up for a wild ride on the Duffey Lake Road in British Columbia! This bad boy stretches for about 214 km (133 miles) and climbs to a max elevation of around 1,275 meters (4,183 feet). Heads up, this isn't your average Sunday drive. Expect narrow lanes, steep drops, and hairpin turns that'll test your driving skills. Weather can be a real mood-killer here, so check conditions before you go—snow and ice can make it seriously treacherous. But hold on, it's not all white-knuckle driving! The scenery is absolutely breathtaking. Think turquoise lakes, jagged peaks, and lush forests. Keep your camera ready because you'll want to capture every moment. It's a journey that's as challenging as it is rewarding. Just remember to take it slow, stay focused, and enjoy the epic views!
hardWhere is Mosquito Peak?
🇺🇸 Usa
Okay, so you wanna bag Mosquito Peak in central Colorado? This bad boy tops out at a whopping 13,664 feet! You're looking at some serious elevation. Forget pavement, the "road" to the summit is an old, super-eroded mining track. We're talking rugged. It's a short but brutal 1.83 miles from Mosquito Pass, but get this: you'll climb over 1,500 feet! That's a seriously steep average grade. Is it worth it? Absolutely! The views from the top are incredible, especially of the surrounding peaks in the Mosquito Range. Heads up: this is definitely a summer adventure. Snow usually sticks around until late June (or even later!), and this area is known for being super windy, so bundle up! Can you even drive it? Here's the deal, there's an old mining road to the summit, but access for vehicles is blocked. They are very eroded and wouldn't be safe for driving anyways, and I don't believe they go up to the summit at all. There is some old equipment up there. And we did see evidence that someone had driven (or tried to drive) up there at one time. It was really far away, so I didn't get a picture, but a vehicle had rolled off one of the eroded roads a few hundred feet down the slope. I'm not sure if they gated the road after that happened or if that person came in from a different way, but it didn't look like a good time. You could easily hike either to the summit of Mosquito Peak or to the mine equipment from Mosquito Pass, however. It's not very far and shouldn't be terribly difficult, except for the altitude.
moderateWhere is Kelso-Cima Road?
🇺🇸 Usa
Cruising Kelso-Cima Road is a must-do if you're exploring the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California. This roughly 19-mile stretch cuts right through the heart of the Mojave National Preserve, linking the historic Kelso Depot with the tiny outpost of Cima, perched high in a mountain pass. Keep your eyes peeled, though, because while the road is generally in good shape for any car, some sections are showing their age with some seriously bumpy patchwork. You might get bounced around a bit! Also, flash floods can be a hazard, so check local conditions before you head out. And speaking of hazards, watch out for the local wildlife, especially the desert tortoise. You might even spot some funny "Drive Like a Tortoise" signs – a reminder that speeding is a big no-no in the Preserve, even though the limit's around 55 mph. Why is this drive worth it? Well, for starters, it's your gateway to some incredible Mojave sights. You'll pass the stunning Kelso Depot Visitor Center, a beautiful old building with tons of info about the area. Then there's the perfectly symmetrical Cima Dome, a photographer's dream. And, of course, you'll be surrounded by the world's largest and densest Joshua tree forest, especially as you approach Cima. The elevation at Cima gives you incredible views! Just remember that cell service is spotty, so plan ahead. Kelso-Cima Road isn't just a drive; it's an experience!