Wheeler Pass Feb 9, 2013

After riding my ATV all over Southern Nevada, Wheeler Pass road is still my favorite trail of all. It is an old miner route starts right behind the small community of Cold Creek, NV and goes all the way through to Pahrump.

Sitting just north of Mount Charleston, the weather in this area can change in the matter of seconds. Last June, what seemed like harmless summer showers turned into flash floods and the trail literally turned into white water rapids with lightning slamming down all around us. I advise anyone traveling this trail to do so with caution. Make sure you carry enough gear to keep safe in this type of situation.

On the Las Vegas side when driving up to the cold Creek area, please use caution when traveling as there are many wild horses in the area. It is advised not to feed them. Feeding them gives them the idea that cars are good so they start hanging out near the road and can get struck by passing vehicles.

Feb 10, 2013 Paul and I set out to try to run this trail in the snow. Having 4x4 on our ATVs was definitely helpful. The Las Vegas side of the trail going west to the summit is the trickiest part. The trail gets washed out and rutted. Adding snow and ice to the mix makes this trail even trickier, I would not recommend trying this trail unless you are an experienced rider. Make sure you have plenty of water, food, tow equipment (or winch) and anything else you might think would help you.

Once you get to the summit the road completely smooths out and you can pick up speed. The trail winds through nice wooded areas. You will pass a few primitive camp areas and come up on the Charcoal Kilns.

 The Charcoal Kilns were built by the Mormon settlers in the area contrary to what other riders who think they were built by Native American peoples. Settlers moved into Nevada as early as the 1850s and started mining silver, copper and even gold. As the mines went further and further into mountain sides, darkness in the mines became an obstacle for them since light bulbs and electricity as we know it were not available back then.


The charcoal kilns seen here played an important role in mining this region. They would smoke wood in these kilns to make charcoal. The higher elevation of the kilns here was important. Since the higher in elevation you go the less oxygen there is which helps produce better charcoal which was then shipped to the mines that are lower in elevation and didn't  have sufficient timber to sustain good fires. The charcoal was used for lighting inside the mines and also for warmth in the winter months. Without these Charcoal kins it is possible that the mines would have failed and the Las Vegas area would have never become what it is today. The central location of the kilns in relation to the Mountain range is important because it tells us that they were able to ship the charcoal to the mines to the east as well as to the mines to the west.

After checking out the kilns Paul and I headed  to a little clearing off the main trail for some lunch. We were able to dig a small pit and make a fire to warm up. Please remember that if you make a fire be sure to drown it before leaving.















I buy the dehydrated meals from Sportsman's Warehouse. Just boil water, add to the food bag and voila, instant hot meal. Today's selection was Chicken Alfredo. Who says roughing it means you can't eat well??


Here is a short video of the ride to the Wheeler Pass summit. Enjoy!

 

All in all it was a good day, We made it back all in one piece with no injuries or mechanical issues. We got to see some amazing views while spending time in the snow 20 miles outside Las Vegas, NV

 On the way down the mountain we saw a bunch of wild burros. Pretty Cool!