Mormon Well Road 2.0

Explore the Desert National Wildlife Refuge in almost any high clearance vehicle.  Drive through Yucca Forest between the Sheep and Vegas Mountain Ranges.
Desert National Wildlife Refuge is the largest Wildlife Refuge outside of Alaska at 1.6 million acres.  This trail is entirely within the southern portion of the Refuge.

Most people will do this trail from west to east, and that is how it is described.  From US 95 to US 93.

Stop at the visitor center to learn more about the Refuge.  You will have plenty of time.  The run is 45 miles long but moves along fairly fast - except for the very bumpy few miles at the beginning.

It is not a difficult trail, but you really should air down to smooth out the ride.

There is a GPS - gpx track file at the bottom of the page.
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Peek A Boo Canyon
The visitor center is a good place to air down, then go several miles up the broad bajada of the Sheep Range.  This section is unrelentingly bumpy.

Pass through Yucca Gap and enter a broad valley between the Sheep and Vegas Mountain Ranges.
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Sheep Range
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Yucca Gap
The name Joshua Tree was given by a group of Mormon settlers who crossed the Mojave Desert in the mid-19th century. The tree's unique shape reminded them of a Biblical story in which Joshua reaches his hands up to the sky in prayer.  Joshua trees begin before reaching Yucca Gap and continue for much of the trip.

​A Joshua Tree is a type of yucca, and the broad flat between the two mountain ranges is name "Yucca Forest".
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Joshua Trees below the Sheep Range
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Yucca Forest and Vegas Range
You can see Joshua Tree blossoms if you are there at the right time in Spring.  This trails starts at 3,100' elevation and rises to 6,700' at Mormon Pass, so the blossoms will start early in the low elevations and progress upslope as spring goes on.  We saw a few near the pass in late April.

This run is in Peek A Boo Canyon for several miles after leaving Yucca Forest.  The most dramatic part of the canyon is the very western end shown as the opening photo of this page.  There are many miles of Pinion-Juniper forest beyond Peek A Boo Canyon.
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Joshua Tree blossom
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Beyond Peek A Boo Canyon
Mormon Pass is more than half way along the road, and the worst road is behind you.  There is a picnic area and campground just beyond the pass.  More Pinion-Juniper as you drop down from the pass.
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Mormon Pass
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Down from Mormon Pass
The last dozen miles are in the Sawmill Canyon drainage.  Break out of the canyon and enjoy distant view on your trip to the highway.
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Lower Sawmill Canyon
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Highway is in the valley
A somewhat mundane trail.

​Page updated 2018.
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