Overview

Ninetynine Mine Road is a side-road off Cottonwood Valley Road that runs 2.8 miles to Ninetynine Mine, and then a bit farther before ending. The road is rough, rocky, and requires lifted 4WD vehicles in a couple of sections depending on current washouts.

Two of the Ninetynine Mine area roads (FR-800B and FR-800A) are so badly washed out that they have, more or less, been abandoned. It is now best to drive farther south on Cottonwood Valley Road and use Road FR-800C to access the Ninetynine Mine area. Due to neglect by land management agencies, much of these roads have become so bad as to be undrivable, and as a result, drivers have created several miles of parallel roadway by just driving in the bushes.

Ninetynine Mine Road provides access to hiking, biking, hunting, and camping opportunities along the east side of Mt. Potosi, and it provides access to the trailhead for the tough hike to the Carol Lombard Crash Site high in the cliffs on the side of Mt. Potosi.

Link to map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about driving in the desert, ...this road is getting to be a pretty rough and requires a 4WD vehicle. Cell phones work in some areas. This is a major mountain biking area, so keep an eye out for inattentive bikers careening down the road.

While out, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. Also, be sure to bring what you need of the 10 Essentials.

Getting to the Roadhead

From Las Vegas, drive west on Highway 160 (Pahrump Highway) to the Cottonwood Valley Trailhead, then drive south on Cottonwood Valley Road for 5.6 miles to Ninetynine Mine Road; FR-800C (Table 1, Site 1931) on the right.

Note that Cottonwood Valley Road and Ninetynine Mine Road require a 4WD vehicle.

The Road

From Cottonwood Valley Road, Ninetynine Mine Road (FR-800C; Site 1931) runs northwest. FR-800C quickly runs up across a wash and merges with a road on the left. As is typical, the roads here form a large triangular intersection. When driving on Cottonwood Valley Road, the south corner of the triangle is washed and not obvious, but here it looks like the better road. Continuing on the merged FR-800C, the road crosses a buried gas pipeline, which is marked with caution signs.

Continuing on FR-800C, the road climbs the hillside and crosses broad, open flats with Mt. Potosi looming in the background. This area burned in the Goodsprings Fire in June 2005. Plants are growing back, but this area will never be the same.

At about 1.1 miles out (Site 1125), Ninetynine Mine Road (FR-800C) almost merges with the abandoned FR-800B, which comes in from the right. FR-800C continues straight as it runs across gentle terrain on new road created by drivers because the original road is so badly washed out.

At about 1.7 miles out, Ninetynine Mine Road (FR-800C) merges with FR-800 (Site 1126), which is barely noticeable on the left. Road FR-800 is an official, designated road, but it seems unused to the left. Ninetynine Mine Road continues straight across gentle terrain, now designated as Road FR-800.

At about 1.8 miles out, the newly created road drops back into the original track of Road FR-800, and road conditions quickly become more rocky.

At about 1.9 miles out, Road FR-800 crosses a deep wash that often is deeply washed out. Depending on conditions, it can require a short wheel base, 4WD vehicle to cross the wash.

Just across the wash, Dawn Mine Road (FR-800D) forks to the left (Site 1127) as Ninetynine Mine Road bends right. From the intersection, the mine tailings can be seen about 1/2-mile to the northwest. Dawn Mine Road is barricaded halfway to the mine, but hikers can continue on foot. Mines are never safe to enter, and this one seems to have bad air, possibly the lingering stench of a hiker never recovered from the mine.

From the Dawn Mine Road (FR-800D) intersection (Site 1127), Ninetynine Mine Road (FR-800) bends hard to the right and continues across gentle, but rocky terrain heading northwest staying on higher terrain. At about 2.5 miles out, the road runs up along the base of a rocky hillside, and then at about 2.6 miles out, the road drops into a broad wash where the rocky ground remains firm.

Running up the wash, Ninetynine Mine Road (FR-800) quickly (0.1 miles) arrives at another fork in the road (Site 1128). Here, Road FR-800A runs northeast and connects with Cottonwood Valley Road atop Cottonwood Pass. The road is very washed out and more-or-less has been abandoned. Also, Road FR-800A is visible from back down Ninetynine Mine Road, but because of the bushes in the wash and the road conditions, it is easy to miss at the intersection.

Road FR-800A is a fine road up onto the ridge (skyline), but degrades considerably going down the other side and should not be used as a "short cut" to Cottonwood Pass except by drivers on ATVs.

From the intersection (Site 1128), Ninetynine Mine Road climbs a steep bank to get out of the wash where drivers in 2WD-HC vehicles spin their tires and tear divots into the road, which is now nearly impassable in stock jeeps (i.e., likely undercarriage damage).

Ninetynine Mine Road continues past Road FR-800A curving gently to the west. Within about 100 yards, however, the road becomes so rocky that some jeep drivers stop and walk from there.

At about 2.8 miles out, the road arrives at the Ninetynine Mine (Site 1129). There are three access roads, but the first two are closed. It is a short, 1-minute walk to the tailings pile from the first spur road, or drivers can continue to the third spur road and loop back to drive closer to the tailings pile. There is some old trash in the area, but nothing of value remains. The mine openings are interesting, but not safe to enter.

Ninetynine Mine Road continues past the mine. At about 3.1 miles out, the road dips steeply into and crosses a wash. This is another spot that washes out and can provide difficulties for drivers in long-wheel-base vehicles.

Across the wash, the road climbs the steep bank and bends sharply to the left, arriving at an intersection (Site 1932) where Road FR-800E branches to the right. For drivers heading to the A-frame cabin, stay left on Road FR-800. For hikers heading towards the Carol Lombard Crash Site, the roads to the two trailheads diverge here.

Staying left, Road FR-800 runs southwest about 80 yards and bends to the right. On the outside of the curve, there is a small parking area on the left that really should be used by everyone unwilling to damage their vehicle. Otherwise, it is another 80 yards of rock-crawling to the A-frame cabin (Site 0869; 3.2 miles from Cottonwood Valley Road). The parking area on the left marks the trailhead for the Carol Lombard Direct Route.

For the alternative Carol Lombard Wash Route trailhead, drivers turn right onto Road FR-800E (Site 1932). Road FR-800E runs down the hillside to the northeast to a rectangular cement water trough. Drivers in long-wheel-base vehicles should consider parking here. Otherwise, the road bends left and heads up a side canyon. Staying on higher ground, the narrow road runs out about 0.3 miles and dips steeply to cross a wash. The road runs along the northern hillside until dipping gently back into the narrow wash bottom.

Immediately upon entering the wash (about 0.5 miles out), there is a wide spot on the left (Site 1933). Drivers can continue another 40 yards to a low pour-over, but most drivers will need to backup to this wide spot to turn around. This is the trailhead for the Carol Lombard Wash Route.