DalmDad's Photo and Travel Blog: Merry Christmas Tree Pass

by Steve Reiss (Dalmdad Landscape Photography - www.dalmdad.com and https://www.facebook.com/Dalmdad.)

Christmas Tree Pass is in a corner of the Mojave Desert between Laughlin and Searchlight, Nevada.

The entrance to Christmas Tree Pass is located about seven miles west of Laughlin. The graded, dirt road of this pass runs through a ruggedly beautiful canyon rich with wildlife and petroglyphs. The canyon is part of Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and the trek via car from NV State 163 to NV State 95 takes about 45 minutes. About two miles in from 163, is an unmarked side road to Grapevine Canyon. The lush plant growth in this canyon is in sharp contrast to the stark, surrounding hillsides. A short hike up Grapevine Canyon, visitors will find a small desert spring which flows almost year round. This spring not only allows certain plants to grow here, but also provides a water source for bighorn sheep and other animals. The petroglyphs on the canyon's sheer rock walls also indicate the presence of ancient inhabitants as early as A.D. 1100. Spirit Mountain, the highest peak in the Newberry Mountain range, rises to an elevation of 5,639 feet and looms above the canyon. This mountain, considered the beginning of creation, is a sacred place to Indian tribes in Southern Nevada and has become the first Indian land in the state to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Here are pictures of the area from when I was there in 2011...