Cottonwood Pass

Total Miles
11.1

Elevation

1,526.24 ft

Duration

2 Hours

Technical Rating

3

Easy

Best Time

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

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Cottonwood Pass 5

Trail Overview

Cottonwood Pass runs north and south through the Spring Mountain and Red Rock conservation areas just west of Las Vegas, NV. From Blue Diamond road you can take Cottonwood Pass all the way to Goodsprings, NV. Once you get down there, you may want to stop at the Pioneer Saloon for a good burger or to visit some of the old historic ghost towns. At the end of the trail, you can take a paved road back towards the town of Jean and Interstate 15 for a short 20-30 minute drive back into Las Vegas. The first four miles of Cottonwood Pass are the most difficult. If you want to test the skid plates of a stock Rubicon, take a short 1/2 mile turn onto Cottonwood Pass West road for a 6-7 difficulty hill obstacle. Once past the this point, the trail is mostly flat and runs through typical desert terrain. There is also short turn-off from the main trail with a nice view of the Las Vegas valley.

Photos of Cottonwood Pass

Cottonwood Pass
Cottonwood Pass
Cottonwood Pass

Difficulty

The hill obstacle can be bypassed and is completely optional.

Technical Rating

3

Status Reports

Wes Harper
Apr 09, 2024
4x4
Open
Rough/Deteriorated
Started from the north end, pretty bumpy trail the whole way. There was a couple of climbs that I had my wife spot for me so we didn’t damage any tires. We also took Sultans mine trail that’s rated a 4, cottonwood was the “more difficult” to me. I don’t consider myself to be the most experienced, maybe a little over beginner. We also stopped at Pioneers Saloon which was awesome. We were driving a stock Chevy Colorado trail boss.
Jesse Sandler
Mar 24, 2024
4x4
Open
Normal
Dusty
The Pass is in pretty good shape considering the rain this winter. Two Gladiators (Rubi & Mojave) on stock 33’s had no issue making the run.
Teddy K
Mar 03, 2024
4x4
Open
Normal
Trail was mostly in great condition. Around the 3 mile mark a good incline that was rutted and a little washed out. It wasn’t bad, just rougher than the rest of the trail prior to that. Great view from the overlook. The rest of the road was easy. Temps were about 45. Did this with a Jeep JL Rubicon with 35s. Had lunch at the Pioneer Saloon at the end.
Justin Legaspi
Feb 24, 2024
2023 Toyota 4Runner
Open
Rough/Deteriorated
Washboard

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