Overview

Christmas Tree Pass Road (NPS Road 20) is a backcountry road that connects Highway 163 west of Laughlin with Highway 95 south of Searchlight, but this should not be considered a short-cut. From Highway 163, the road runs north climbing into the Newberry Mountains. At about 2 miles out, a spur road left runs up to Grapevine Canyon Trailhead. Christmas Tree Pass (CTP) Road continues north, then west, providing close-up views of the white granite of Spirit Mountain, an area of particular importance to local native tribes. The now narrow and winding road eventually climbs over Christmas Tree Pass and runs west out of the Newberry Mountains and down to Highway 95.

CTP Road starts in Lake Mead NRA and runs in a narrow corridor between the Bridge Canyon Wilderness Area on the left and the Spirit Mountain Wilderness Area on the right, most of which is also within Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Near Christmas Tree Pass, the road leaves Lake Mead NRA and runs out across Avi Kwa Ame National Monument until reaching Highway 95.

Christmas Tree Pass Road traverses the lower slopes of Avi Kwa Ame (also known as Spirit Mountain). This mountain is considered to be among the most sacred places on Earth by at least 12 local Native American tribes, including the Mojave, Chemehuevi, some Southern Paiute communities and the Yuman-speaking river tribes along the Colorado and into Mexico.

Despite the sacred nature of the area, Christmas Tree Pass is a traditional area for "decorating" California Juniper and Singleleaf Pinyon Pine trees with Christmas ornaments. Unfortunately, this material becomes trash over the months, and volunteers and agency personnel waste considerable time cleaning it up every year. Ornaments often fall off and break, leaving glass and plastic fragments for wildlife to step on, and tinsel becomes glittery trash that attracts hungry birds and desert tortoises, harming their digestive systems. This tradition should end.

CTP Road provides access to Spirit Mountain, Sacatone Wash, and Grapevine Canyon, and hikes in the Spirit Mountain and Bridge Canyon wilderness areas.

Link to map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about being in the desert, ...this is a graded, easy drive, but storms have a way of causing havoc with steep, tight turns the mountains. The road normally should be passable in 2WD vehicles, but drivers should inquire with NPS rangers about road conditions before driving. Tight turns and short visual distances on the one-lane sections make some curves dangerous, so always consider that someone, driving too fast, could be coming from the other direction.

While out, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. Also, even though this road is short, be sure to bring what you need of the 10 Essentials. Maps of approved backcountry roads are available online and at the Alan Bible Visitor Center.

Getting to the Roadhead

CTP Road starts within Lake Mead National Recreation Area, about 1:10 hours south of Las Vegas.

From Las Vegas, drive south on Highway 95 to Searchlight. From the intersection of Highway 95 and Nipton Road (Highway 164) in downtown Searchlight, continue south 14.0 miles to Christmas Tree Pass Road, on the left. Watch for a road intersection sign and a left-turn lane. This is for the southbound direction.

For the northbound direction, continue south 5.4 more miles on Highway 95 to Highway 163. Turn left towards Laughlin and drive east 13.0 miles to CTP Road, on the left (1.5 hours from Las Vegas). Watch for a road intersection sign, but be careful because there is no left-turn lane (the center lane is very narrow). If traffic is heavy, consider pulling off onto the right-hand shoulder and letting traffic pass before turning left (rather than stopping in the middle of a 70-mph highway).

The Road

From Highway 163 (Table 1, Site 0823), CTP Road runs north past a battery of information and caution signs, including signs for entering Lake Mead NRA, distances to various places, and a caution that 4WD is recommended for the rough road. Under some conditions, 4WD might be necessary, but normally the road is graded and suitable for carefully driven sedans (at least to Grapevine Canyon), although a medium-clearance vehicle probably would be better for the rest of the road over the mountains.

Also from the highway, CTP Road enters a corridor between the Bridge Canyon Wilderness Area on the left (west) and Spirit Mountain Wilderness Area on the right (east). Savor this ride because this is about as close as it gets to driving inside a wilderness area.

CTP Road winds up into the mountains as a fairly wide, sand-covered road where the washboards can get pretty rough. At about 1.8 miles out, the road reaches Grapevine Canyon Road (Site 0824), on the left. This road leads 300 yards to trailhead parking (Site 0825) for the popular hike to the amazing Grapevine Canyon petroglyph site.

Continuing north past Grapevine Canyon Road, CTP Road winds higher into the mountains, but eventually drops to cross Sacatone Wash (3.0 miles out). Just across the wash, CTP Road arrives at a spur road (Site 1307) to the left, which provides access to Sacatone Wash trailhead parking (Site 1308). This trailhead provides access to hikes up and down Sacatone Wash, both of which lead into wilderness areas.

Continuing north past Sacatone Wash, CTP Road climbs higher into the mountains with towering peaks and granite all around. Parking areas provide hiker access to Bridge Canyon Wilderness Area on the left. Eventually Christmas Tree Pass Road passes a narrow spur road on the right. Here, Pipe Spring Road continues north about 0.4 miles to Pipe Spring Trailhead. This road might require 4WD.

Just past Pipe Spring Road, CTP Road bends to the left and generally runs west for the duration of the ride.

At about 6.3 miles out, CTP Road passes a parking area (Site 1311) on the left that serves as the trailhead for upper Sacatone Wash. With two vehicles, hikers can start here and hike down to the Sacatone Wash trailhead parking (Site 1308). Another parking area about 0.1 miles west serves the same purpose.

A bit farther out (6.6 miles), another parking area (Site 1312) on the left serves as a trailhead for a short walk (30 yards) to Bridge Canyon Overlook. This overlook is atop the knoll and provides great views to the south down across granite crags, but don't overlook the tall peaks towering behind the overlook.

CTP Road winds westward onto a highpoint about 7.3 miles out. Here, the Sacatone Canyon Viewpoint parking area (Site 1313), on the left, provides great views down Sacatone Canyon to the east, and all around for that matter.

From the Sacatone Canyon viewpoint, CTP Road drops to cross upper Grapevine Canyon (Site 1314). Here, trailhead parking provides access to a route that can be taken all the way to the Grapevine Canyon petroglyph trailhead (Site 0825).

Now running northwest, CTP Road hugs the base of the mountains, passes Spirit Mountain trailhead parking (Site 1315), enters Avi Kwa Ame National Monument, and finally arrives atop Christmas Tree Pass (Site 1316), about 8.9 miles out. The pass is scenic and there are several traditional campsites in the area, but the views are not as grand as were the vies on the east side of the mountains.

Descending the west side of the Newberry Mountains, CTP Road runs down a canyon for another mile (10.0 miles out), which then opens to the right with big views northwest. CTP Road follows the base of a ridge for another mile (about 11.0 miles out), then rolls out onto the broad bajada on the west side of the mountains with big views down across Paiute Valley and into California.

For the duration of the ride, CTP Road descends across the bajada. At about 14 miles out, the road passes under high-tension powerlines, and finally, at about 16.3 miles out, reaches the pavement of Highway 95 (Site 1219). Las Vegas is to the right.