Ultimate 4wd destination: Bitter Springs Trail
Bitter Springs Trail is a challenging 28-mile route linking old mining roads and washes through the Muddy Mountains between Interstate 15 and the highway around Lake Mead near Echo Bay, located northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, in USA.
The trail, also known as Bitter Springs Backcountry Byway, usually remains open year-round. The drive will take about two hours, longer if you stop to explore. The first half of the trail is a graded, improved road that ends at an open rock quarry near the summit of the pass, about eight miles from pavement. This segment can be driven in a passenger car. The last part of the trailbends to the right and becomes an unimproved trail. (The quarry may be in operation. If so, be sure that machinery operators see you before you drive through.) From here on, you will need a high-clearance vehicle to drive the trail. Most sport-utility vehicles should be able to make the trip. You may need to drop into four-wheel drive and even use low-range gears to reduce the braking load as you drop down from the pass into Hidden Valley.
The road's winding design, providing stunning panoramic views, is very curvy and fun for a leisurely ride, so it pays to take it slow. Any 2wd or 4 wd SUV can pass the road all the way through, but do be careful of sand in the washes that can get you stuck, and washed out parts of the road.The road is also very rocky, so SUV's with street tires may not want to go, if you do, be vary careful of the sharp rocks and the puncture hazards.It is very remote, and very beautiful to drive. During and after a storm the road may be impassable, even with a four-wheel-drive vehicle and can easily get muddy if it rains making it challenging to get through. As you pass by the abandoned Borax Mine there will be a section of tumbled boulders that will take some skill to maneuver. Stay safe and keep away from open tunnels and mineshafts. The landscape is a mix of rugged mountains and hill as well as wide gravel washes. Desert scrub is the predominant flora along with some stunted trees.
Pic: HopfRoad