For most of the 12-mile journey through the Newberry Mountains, the Scenic Road is flanked by the Spirit Mountain Wilderness Area on one side and the Bridge Canyon Wilderness Area on the other. The drive offers the best that southern Nevada landscapes have to offer. Sculpted granite rock formations rise impressively from the landscape, which is home to a cross-section of Sonoran, Mojave and Great Basin plant communities. Rock-studded canyons slope eastward toward the Colorado River. It is easy to spot animal and human likenesses in the jumble of rocks and boulders that abound in the area.

The drive gives you commanding views of Spirit Mountain (Avi Kwa Ame) which is considered sacred by the 10 Yuman speaking tribes but also the Hopi and Southern Paiute. The Yuman Tribes believe the mountain is the spiritual birthplace of the tribes, the place where ancient ancestors emerged into this world. The Southern Paiute see the area as a cultural corridor that is sung about in their sacred ‘Salt Songs.’

DIRECTIONS:

Drive south from Las Vegas on U.S. 93/95. At Railroad Pass, head south on U.S. 95 through Searchlight. About 2.3 miles south of Cal-Nev-Ari, turn left on the Christmas Tree Pass Road. There is a small road sign for the turnoff and a fairly large, covered information sign on the east side of the road that you can see in the distance. The gravel road loop is around 12 miles and connects back to the Nevada Highway about two miles west of Lauglin. You then take 163 back to its intersection with U.S. 95 and head north on U.S. 95 back to Las Vegas.