Southwest Overland Travel, Backcountry Stories & Field Support

Part 2 of our Los Angeles to Las Vegas dirt crossing follows the Mojave Road into Afton Canyon before continuing through Liberty Sculpture Park, Nipton, dry lake country, and the historic mining town of Goodsprings. From there, we leave the backcountry behind and finish several days of Mojave Desert travel on the Las Vegas Strip.

The Mojave Road follows a desert corridor shaped by water, terrain, and generations of travel. Explore its history, practical route considerations, and Hardline trips connecting the Colorado River, Afton Canyon, Nelson, and southern Nevada.

We begin a dirt-track crossing of the Mojave Desert toward Las Vegas, moving from the mining remains of Evening Star Mine through Cima's Joshua tree country, volcanic terrain near Black Tank Wash, and the open surface of Cuddeback Dry Lake. Part 1 ends at the Husky Memorial, where decades of desert-riding history turn the story from landscape back toward the people who travel through it.

Our drive starts near Cleator, climbs to Crown King, makes a side trip into Horsethief Basin, and then follows Senator Highway north to Prescott. The Senator Highway portion covers just under 30 miles, reaches over 7,100 feet, and is rated moderate, with the Rock Garden serving as its main technical obstacle.

Southeastern Arizona is sky island country The mountain ranges here rise out of wide desert basins, and each one has its own character. A short drive can take you from open grassland to oak woodland, from dry lakebed to volcanic rock, and from a modern highway into country that still carries a deep historical weight. This trip started near Willcox, crossed through Arizona wine country and Willcox Playa, climbed into Chiricahua National Monument, followed Echo Canyon Trail thr

Constellation Road northeast of Wickenburg starts as an easy desert track, then climbs into older mining country marked by quiet ruins, ridgelines, and sandy washes. This route links the Bloo Nellie Mine, Monte Cristo Mine, and the edge of the Hassayampa River Wilderness in a drive shaped as much by history as by terrain.