Overview

Scanlon Road, also called Scanlon Ferry Road and Scanlon Bay Road, is located out at the far southwest end of Gold Butte. The road, which runs from the historic Gold Butte Townsite to the historic Scanlon Ferry Colorado River Crossing (now the edge of Lake Mead), traverses spectacular country and the oh-my-God Scanlon Dugway. This is an historic land with a whole lot of grand scenery.

Scanlon Road is dying from neglect. Northern portions of the road are passable in a 2WD high-clearance vehicle, but farther south, it becomes 4WD only because the road is completely washed out in places and other parts are sandy. Drivers have created a bypass at the worst of the washouts, but it too requires 4WD. Scanlon Dugway is suitable only for ATVs and rockhopper-type vehicles, or on foot.

From Gold Butte Townsite, the road runs 14.6 miles to the top of Scanlon Dugway, and from there it runs another 6.8 miles to the edge of Lake Mead.

Link to Scanlon Road Map. See also Gold Butte Overview Map.

The road is described here heading south, but for photos of the road heading north, see Scanlon Road - Northbound

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about driving in the desert, ... this is a wild and remote area without services of any kind (no restrooms, no water, no gas, no food). Bring what you need to survive. Be prepared and be self-reliant. It is a big place, but someone will eventually find you if you stay on a main road, but be prepared to survive alone for a day or two, or even longer on side roads. For help, consider signaling the tourist helicopters that traverse the area coming and going from the Grand Canyon.

While out, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. Also, this is a remote area, so be sure to bring the 10 Essentials.

Getting to Scanlon Road

Scanlon Road and the infamous Scanlon Dugway are located out in Gold Butte at the northeast end of Lake Mead, about 4.5 hours northeast of Las Vegas.

From town, drive out to Gold Butte. Drive south on the paved Gold Butte Road 21 miles to Whitney Pocket where the pavement ends. Continue south on the scenic unpaved Gold Butte Road for 20 miles to Gold Butte Townsite and a signed intersection with Red Bluff Spring Road on the right. A spur road left leads into Gold Butte Townsite.

At this intersection, Gold Butte Road ends. The road that continues straight is Scanlon Road.

The Road

Gold Butte Road ends at Gold Butte Townsite, or more specifically, at the turnoff to Red Bluff Spring (Site 0806). Red Bluff Spring Road is part of the Gold Butte Backcountry Byway. Passing the intersection, the main road continues straight (southwest) as Scanlon Road.

At about 0.3 miles out, the road appears to fork (Site 1703), but actually a side road turns left and the forks rejoin. This side road can be used to drive south into northern parts of Cedar Basin on Radio Crystal Mine Road.

At about 0.6 miles out, the road forks (Site 1704). Scanlon Road stays straight (right), while a lesser road bends left and runs up to an old concrete foundation of the Gold Butte Mill Site. This side road (about 0.2 miles long) loops back to Scanlon Road.

At about 0.8 miles out, a side road turns left (Site 1705). Scanlon Road continues straight (right) while the lesser road turns left and runs back up to Gold Butte Mill Site. This is the other end of the loop.

Continuing on Scanlon Road, at about 1.0 miles out, the road forks (Site 1706). Scanlon Road continues straight (right) while the lesser road turns left and runs up the gentle hillside. This road, Cedar Basin Shortcut Road, runs southwest and connects with roads that lead into Cedar Basin.

At about 1.4 miles out, the road forks (Site 1707). Scanlon Road stays straight (left) and starts down a hillside, while a lesser road bends right and runs west along a ridgeline. This side road connects with roads that can be used to reach the Overton Arm of Lake Mead.

Scanlon Road stays left and runs down across the hillside and drops into Quail Springs Wash (Site 1708; 1.9 miles out). A sign announces the danger of flashfloods, and here Cedar Basin Road turns left up Quail Springs Wash. This is the main road providing access to Cedar Basin and destinations such as Jumbo Peak and northern parts of Jumbo Springs Wilderness Area.

From Quail Springs Wash, Scanlon Road continues across the wash and runs up onto the far hillside. Scanlon Road more-or-less runs on the contour around hillsides and through washes. In this area, fires burned the southeast (left) side of the road, but fire crews saved the other side; although some shrub species are growing back, the contrast is striking. Several obscure, minor roads turn right in this area, and one road turns left (Goat Camp Wash Road; Site 1720), but the main road is obvious and stays straight along the edge of the burn area.

Winding across hillsides following the edge of the burn, Scanlon Road eventually reaches a major, signed fork (Site 1721; 4.1 miles out). One sign reads "Overton Arm" with an arrow to the right, and "Jeep Trail" with an arrow to the left. A second sign reminds drivers to stay on approved roads, and a third sign announces Catclaw Wash Road (Road 122). Scanlon Road stays left onto the "Jeep Trail," while Catclaw Wash Road continues west along the edge of the burn zone and runs out to the Overton Arm of Lake Mead.

Scanlon Road runs gradually up and over a ridge, then drops towards the broad and sandy Goat Camp Wash. Entering the wash adjacent to an isolated rocky peaklet, Scanlon Road follows the wash downhill about 150 yards to a confluence with Cataract Wash.

When Scanlon Road first enters Goat Camp Wash, Cataract Wash Road East turns left and runs up the sandy Goat Camp Wash for several hundred yards to end at a pour-over.

After running down the wash for about 100 yards, Scanlon Road forks. Cataract Wash Road West (Site 1722; 5.2 miles out) forks to the right and runs down Cataract Wash about 3 miles to end at a pour-over. The fork is a bit obscure because the area is a sandy wash with lots of trees.

Scanlon Road follows Cataract Wash uphill, then leaves that wash and runs up over a low saddle (6.1 miles out), and eventually drops to cross Willow Wash (6.8 miles out). Just across the wash, Willow Wash West Road turns right and runs downhill 2.4 miles to connect with Cataract Wash Road. A few yards farther along Scanlon Road, Willow Wash Road East turns left (Site 1723) just before Willow Wash Corral, which was made with railroad ties (on the left).

Scanlon Road runs up over another saddle, then drops into Rattlesnake Wash (8.4 miles out). Rattlesnake Wash Road runs down the sandy wash about 2 miles, then abruptly cuts right, climbs out of the wash, and runs up to an historic water tank and watering trough.

Climbing over the next low ridge, Scanlon Road drops into Twin Springs Wash (Site 1724; 9.2 miles out), where it passes Lakeside Bay Road (Road 121) on the right. Lakeside Bay Road runs some 8 miles to Lakeside Bay Mine and the Overton Arm of Lake Mead, while Scanlon Road (now signed "Road 116") stays left and runs up Twin Springs Wash.

In Twin Springs Wash, the road deteriorates quickly because flash floods over the years have washed away all signs of the original road. Since the floods, drivers have pounded out a two-track road, but it still looks like a wash rather than a road.

Continuing up Twin Springs Wash, at about 9.8 miles out, Garnet Valley Road (Site 1725) forks off to the right. This little-used road runs southwest through a canyon choked with catclaw acacia. The road winds among the bushes and crosses the wash several times, the effect of which will do a good job of applying desert pin-striping to any vehicle that passes through. This road provides access to Ruby Spring (mostly dry) the trailhead for Bonelli Peak, and old mine sites on the south end of Garnet Ridge.

Continuing southeast on Scanlon Road, still in Twin Springs Wash, the canyon narrows. At the first sharp bend, the road passes below Turkey Spring (Site 1728; 10.4 miles out). A bit of green on the right cliff reveals the presence of moisture, but in historic times, this spring provided teamsters and their mules a shady place to rest and a drink of cool, fresh water. As elsewhere, another sign of our changing climate.

Past Turkey Spring and a tight rocky spot in the wash, Twin Springs Canyon widens and the road climbs out of the bottom of the wash. As the road drops back into Twin Springs Wash (11.3 miles out), a little-used road can be see across the wash heading towards rusted-out vehicles on the far hillside and a mine high on the mountain (Rattlesnake Peak). This is Nevada Mica Mine Road (Site 1729), which runs 0.6 miles to the mine site. The road is a bit narrow and ragged towards the top, and beyond the rusty vehicles it is best hiked or driven on an ATV. The amount of mica at the quarry is extraordinary, and the old vehicles are interesting.

At about 12.5 miles out, Twin Springs Wash forks (Site 1731), and roads run both ways. What appears to be the better road stays left up Twin Springs Wash, but Scanlon Road bends right, bearing to the southeast into the South Fork of Twin Springs Wash.

At about 12.8 miles out, the main road bends hard to the left at a point where a now-obscure minor road branches to the right (Site 1732). Here, the minor road used to be the main road, but flooding exposed boulders that made the route much more difficult. Now, Scanlon Road uses alternative roads to bypass the boulders in the South Fork of Twin Springs Wash. Staying left, Scanlon Road runs up a side canyon.

At about 13.0 miles out, the road forks (Site 1733). A large cairn on the right indicates Scanlon Road; the wash to the left is a legal road up a wash. In another 0.1 miles, the road passes over a rocky spot in the wash, but it isn't as bad as it looks. Scanlon Road winds up the canyon heading generally southeast and eventually climbs out the top of the canyon, crosses a low saddle, and drops into a broad, shallow valley: Jumbo Basin.

The road drops as if to cross a broad, sandy wash, which is again the South Fork of Twin Springs Wash (Site 1734; 13.8 miles out). Here, however, Scanlon Road turns right to run down the sandy wash. The road that continues straight across the wash is Windmill Mine Road. The mine site has a few interesting structures, and this road provides access to southern parts of Jumbo Springs Wilderness Area. The left turn, up the sandy wash, is not a legal road.

Scanlon Road runs down the sandy wash for about 0.3 miles. The road unexpectedly bends sharply to the left, leaves the wash, and begins to climb straight up a steep hillside. A few yards above the wash, a side road (Site 1738) forks hard to the right. This is the other end of the bypass for the washed-out South Fork of Twin Springs Wash. Scanlon Road continues straight up the steep hillside.

Scanlon Road climbs the steep hillside, then runs generally south at more gentle grades. The road runs south, then west, and turns sharply left to climb southward onto a sharp saddle (Site 1739; 14.6 miles out) with a grand view down into the Lake Mead region. On the saddle, space is available to park 2-3 vehicles without blocking the road. This is the top of Scanlon Dugway and a trailhead for getting into the Jumbo Spring Wilderness Area.

For those intending to hike, park here; otherwise lock in the hubs, put the rig in 4-low, and ease over the edge. The road is narrow, steep, and covered with loose gravel and big rocks from landslides and washouts. For details of the next 2 miles, see Scanlon Dugway, in which the hike is described.

In another 1.5 miles, the road enters Lake Mead National Recreation Area (Site 1740), and in 2.0 miles, arrives at Lakeshore Mine (Site 1741).

After passing the Lakeshore Mine area, Scanlon Road continues southwest another 4.8 miles to the edge of Lake Mead (Site 1742). Below the mine, the road deteriorates considerably and just runs down washes.