J. Axel
One of the popular loop drives for 4x4 vehicles is into the Grand Wash to see Pakoon Springs and Tassi Ranch. Because of its low elevation (less than 2,000 feet) this drive isn't recommended during the heat of summer. Fill your gas tank in Mesquite and take several gallons of water with you. The spring water in the monument is not safe for drinking without boiling it first. There are several ways to access the Pakoon Basin. This loop uses the most direct route that starts and ends just south of Mesquite, Nevada. Starting on I-15 a few miles south of Mesquite take Exit 112. You will be on Riverside Road (Hwy 170). Follow it downhill and cross the Virgin River. Right after you cross the bridge turn right on Gold Butte Road. This road is paved but the asphalt has deteriorated. Travel 18.2 miles to Whitney Pockets, an area of colorful rock. At Whitney Pockets take BLM113 southeast. Shortly after crossing the Arizona State line, BLM113 drops into the Grand Wash. Expect deep sand in this area. Four wheel drive is necessary. After 20.2 miles from Whitney Pockets BLM113 meets BLM111. Stay on BLM113 and continue down the wash until the road exits the wash. At the National Park Service boundary the road becomes NPS1213. Please watch out for desert tortoise in this area. They are slow moving and may just look like a rock in the road. They are especially active in the spring. They should not be disturbed as they will urinate as a defense, giving up fluid their body needs to survive. Enjoy watching them from a distance and alert other motorists if one is in the road. From the BLM111 junction to Tassi Ranch it is 14.8 miles. The road continues about a mile past the ranch to a view of the now dry Grand Wash Bay. Some old maps show that this arm of Lake Mead has water and there is a boat launch. However, the bay has been dry for over 15 years. According to the Bureau of Reclamation, it would take 10 years of 200% snowpack in the mountains to provide enough water to fill Lake Mead. Feel free to walk around the historic structures and up the hill to see the spring but to preserve rare species avoid walking in the trickle of water. This water is not safe to drink. It must be boiled. The small rocky canyon across the wash from the ranch ruins has fossils that can be seen in the cliff walls. Be alert for bees that sometimes have colonies on the cliff. They will be active in spring and fall.
To visit Pakoon Springs take NPS1213/BLM113 back north to BLM111. Turn right out of the wash and up a short steep hill. Continue on BLM111 north until the Y with BLM1007. Turn left and continue on BLM111. After about 2 miles north of the junction with BLM1007 you will reach the fenced Pakoon Springs site. Drive past the fence until you reach a spur road on your right and a wood fenced parking area, restroom, and kiosk. Park here and walk on the new 1/4 mile trail to the springs. After visiting this site, continue north on BLM111 to the junction with CR101 at Aravada Ranch (private). Continue on BLM111 back to Whitney Pockets and Mesquite. |
Last updated: December 3, 2020