Backroads Around Las Vegas, Basin and Range National Monument
 Mail Summit Road departing Cherry Creek Road (view S) |
Overview Mail Summit Road is a maintained dirt road that normally is suitable for 2WD vehicles, but it is a bit rougher than other roads for getting over the Seaman Range Mountains. Mail Summit Road (southbound) starts at a T-intersection with Cherry Creek Road. From there, it runs south all the way across Garden Valley, up over hills and down across Wild Horse Valley, through Murphy Gap in the Golden Gate Range, out across Coal Valley, up into the Seaman Range and over Mail Summit Pass, and finally down a canyon to Highway 318 just north of Hiko. Presented here are photos of the road heading southbound. For the other direction, including detailed directions, maps, and GPS waypoints, see Mail Summit Road - Northbound. |
 Mail Summit Road (view SW from Cherry Creek Road, westbound) |
 Mail Summit Road (view SE from Cherry Creek Road, eastbound) |
 Directional sign (view S) |
 Directional sign (view S) |
 Mail Summit Road (view S) |
 Mail Summit Road runs straight, but sharp curve ahead (view S) |
 Mail Summit Road approaching caution, curve ahead sign (view S) |
 Mail Summit Road at caution, curve ahead sign (view S) |
 Caution, unexpected curve to the right ahead (view S) |
 Mail Summit Road approaching sharp curve to the right (view S) |
 Around the curve, road dips into Cherry Creek Wash (view NW) |
 Mail Summit Road descending towards Cherry Creek Wash (view NW) |
 Mail Summit Road crossing Cherry Creek Wash (view NW) |
 Mail Summit Road climbing out of Cherry Creek Wash (view W) |
 Narrow roadway climbing at moderate grades (view W) |
 Mail Summit Road curves to continue south (view SW) |
 Mail Summit Road approaching backside of caution sign (view SW) |
 Mail Summit Road runs across rolling terrain (view SW) |
 Mail Summit Road (view SW) |
 Mail Summit Rd passing one of several minor ranch roads (view SW) |
 Mail Summit Road runs across rolling terrain (view SW) |
 Mail Summit approaching backroad to Cherry Creek town (view SW) |
 Historical sign at road intersection (view S) |
 Historical sign at road intersection (view S) |
 Mail Summit Road approaching a cattle guard (view SW) |
 Mail Summit Road approaching a side road (view SW) |
 Mail Summit Road at a side road (view SW) |
 Mail Summit Road runs across rolling terrain (view SW) |
 Mail Summit Rd approaching Garden Valley Rd (triangle intersection) |
 Mail Summit Road at Garden Valley Road (view SE) |
 Mail Summit Road passing Garden Valley Road triangle (view SW) |
 Mail Summit R approaching a cattle guard and side road (view SW) |
 Mail Summit Rd passing one of several minor ranch roads (view SW) |
 Another minor ranch road (view W from Mail Summit Road) |
 Mail Summit Road (view SW) |
 Mail Summit Road (view SW) |
 Cattle at a watering hole along Mail Summit Road (view SE) |
 Mail Summit Road passing one of several minor ranch roads (view S) |
 Mail Summit Road approaching caution sign: curve left (view S) |
 Mail Summit Road at caution sign: curve left (view SW) |
 Caution sign: unexpected, curve left ahead (view S) |
 Pine Creek Rd merging into Mail Summit Rd from the right (view S) |
 Mail Summit Road approaching Shadow Road-N (view S) |
 Mail Summit Road at Shadow Road-N to Highway 375 (view S) |
 Shadow Road-S merging into Mail Summit Road (view S) |
 Mail Summit Road at a cattle guard (view SE) |
 Approaching Garden Valley Gravel Pit campsite (view SE) |
 Grand scenery from the campsite (view NE) |
 Intersection with Freiburg Mine Road (view SE) |
 Grand scenery off across Garden Valley (view E) |
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 Wide open road (view SE) |
 Cattle guard at fenceline (view SE) |
 Fenceline east of cattle guard (view SE) |
 Wide open road (view SE) |
 Lots of yellow flowers after summer rains |
 Intersection with Garden Valley West Road (view SE) |
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 Mail Summit Road approaching Garden Valley Crags (view SE) |
 Mail Summit Road approaching Garden Valley Crags parking (view SE) |
 Garden Valley Crags parking (view E from Mail Summit Road) |
 Wide open road (view SE) |
 Backside of the Garden Valley sign (view SE) |
 Wide open road (view SE) |
 There's a Patchnose Snake atop that mound! |
 Wide open road (view SE) |
 Fly-boys going over in their Pavehawks (view S) |
 Wide open road dropping into Wild Horse Valley (view SE) |
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 Mail Summit Road southbound in Wild Horse Valley (view SE) |
 This curve gets washboarded (view SE) |
 Watch for sheep in the road (view SE) |
 Approaching Murphy Gap, a gap in the mountain range (view E) |
 Mail Summit Road at Wildhorse Valley Road (view E) |
 The wash often puts flood debris on the road here (view E) |
 Entering Murphy Gap (view E) |
 Murphy Gap, a gap in the mountain range (view E) |
 Murphy Gap, a gap in the mountain range (view E) |
 Beginning to exit Murphy Gap (view E) |
 The wash often puts flood debris on the road here too (view E) |
 Approaching Murphy Gap Well (view E) |
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 Mail Summit Road at Cold Spring Road (view E) |
 Mail Summit Road approaching information sign (view E) |
 Mail Summit Road at Cold Spring Road (long triangle intersection) |
 Mail Summit Road approaching information sign (view E) |
 Murphy Gap information sign (view S from roadway) |
 Murphy Gap information sign (text of the sign PDF) |
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 Historic corral on the right (view SE) |
 Crossing Coal Valley (view SE) |
 Mail Summit Road at road to Sliver Canyon area (view SE) |
 Mail Summit Road at cattle guard (view SE) |
 Grand view across Coal Valley (view N) |
 Sheep herder's trailer in southern Coal Valley (view E) |
 Grand view across Coal Valley (view N) |
 Grand view across Coal Valley (view N) |
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 Crossing Coal Valley (view SE) |
 Mail Summit Road at curve and Coal Valley West Road (view SE) |
 Mail Summit Road passing Coal Valley West Road (view SE) |
 Exiting the curve (view SSE) |
 Beginning to climb out of Coal Valley (view S) |
 Climbing out of Coal Valley (view S) |
 Backside of Coal Valley sign, on the left (view S) |
 Looking back at front-side of Coal Valley sign (view N) |
 Entering higher-elevation Pinyon-Juniper Woodland zone (view S) |
 Mail Summit Road at Jackrabbit Road (view S) |
 Jackrabbit Road (view E from Mail Summit Road) |
 Water ran across the road here (view S) |
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 Heading into the hills (view S) |
 Side road to the right to Silver Canyon area (view S) |
 Road to Silver Canyon area (view SW from Mail Summit Road) |
 Side road left to a campsite (view S) |
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 Crest of Mail Summit (view SE) |
 Descending over Mail Summit (view SE) |
 Mail Summit Road at one-way split (view S) |
 Good, one-way road downhill (view S) |
 Not-so-good, one-way road downhill (view S; this gets rocky) |
 Good, one-way road downhill (view S) |
 Good, one-way road downhill (view S) |
 End of one-way section (view SE) |
 Two-way, but still narrow roadway (view SE) |
 Dropping out of the mountains (view SE) |
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 Dropping into the Pahranagat Valley (view SE) |
 Old Mail Summit Road (view SE; beware - maps still show this road) |
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 Mail Summit Road at cattle guard in Highway 318 fence (view SE) |
 Mail Summit Road at Highway 318 (view SE) |
Happy Hiking! All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate.
; Last updated 241112
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