Spring Mountain Recreation Area - Side Trail 01

Total Miles
12.8

Elevation

1,908.59 ft

Duration

1.5 Hours

Technical Rating

5

Moderate

Best Time

Summer, Fall, Spring

Trail Overview

This side trail starts off of Lovell Road, about 17 miles from Nevada Highway 160. The road starts out from NV 160 as Trout Canyon Road and at mile 7, you take the right fork which is Lovell Road. Both these are wide, level dirt and gravel roads. When you turn right off of Lovell Road, you will be on Forest Service Road 45538. This double-wide trail turns into Forest Service Road 259334. After about 2.8 miles, you will stay left at the fork and the trail becomes 45539. The trail climbs into the mountains but is wide, flat, and easy. At 7.75 miles from Lovell Road, you will make a hard left turn onto Lost Cabin Spring Road 45545. The trail becomes narrower with rocky sections as it continues to climb into the mountains. After 1.75 miles from where you turned onto Lost Cabin Spring Road, you will make another left turn onto an unmarked trail. There is a soft steep uphill section that is rated intermediate and should be no problem if you are in 4-wheel drive and in low gear. At the top of the hill climb, the trail makes a sharp left turn and follows the ridgeline. The trail is again narrow but wide enough for full-size SxSs and Jeeps. There are a few slight off-camber sections but nothing too challenging. You will now begin a long slow downhill until you enter Lovell Wash after 2.75 miles. This section is very scenic with rock walls to the left and trees to the right.

Photos of Spring Mountain Recreation Area - Side Trail 01

Spring Mountain Recreation Area - Side Trail 01
Spring Mountain Recreation Area - Side Trail 01
Spring Mountain Recreation Area - Side Trail 01

Difficulty

There's a steep soft hill climb that requires 4-low, a few off-camber sections, and some tight rocky areas.

Technical Rating

5

Status Reports

Patrick Lim
Apr 21, 2024
4x4
Open
Dusty
It's a very windy trail and slow, careful speed is the way to go. The trail got progressively narrower and I made it to a point where it was a liiiiitle too narrow for my comfort. The moment it started to look like a mountain bike trail I backed off and turned back. More of a side-by-side trail I would say. If you're afraid of pin-striping, def not the trail for you ;). It does have a very nice campsite at the beginning to the right though.

Access Description

From Pahrump, Nevada, take Highway 160 south for 9.5 miles, then turn left on Trout Canyon Road. Take the right fork onto Lovell Summit Road at mile 7. Turn right to start the route after 8.75 miles.

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