Pahrump Valley is a
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in ...
valley west of
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
and the
Spring Mountains
The Spring Mountains are a mountain range of Southern Nevada in the United States, running generally northwest–southeast along the west side of Las Vegas and south to the border with California. Most land in the mountains is owned by the Uni ...
massif
In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...
in southern
Nye County, Nevada, and eastern
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County (), officially the County of San Bernardino, is a County (United States), county located in the Southern California, southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of the ...
.
Pahrump, Nevada
Pahrump ( ) is an unincorporated town located at the southernmost tip of Nye County, Nevada, United States, about west of Las Vegas, Nevada. Pahrump lies adjacent to the Nevada–California border and the area had a population of 44,738 as of ...
, is in the valley's center and the Tecopa and Chicago Valleys are immediately to the wes
The valley has routes to Death Valley and a route to Las Vegas.
Pahrump Valley Day
is the annual event in February each year, along with the sanctioned JRH-HS Rodeo.
History
The Pahrump Valley was crossed by the
Old Spanish Trail (trade route), Old Spanish Trail and later the
Salt Lake Road.
Geography
The large block of the
Spring Mountains
The Spring Mountains are a mountain range of Southern Nevada in the United States, running generally northwest–southeast along the west side of Las Vegas and south to the border with California. Most land in the mountains is owned by the Uni ...
borders Pahrump Valley on the northeast and east, with
Nevada State Route 160
State Route 160 (SR 160) is a state highway in southern Nevada, United States. It connects the southern Las Vegas Valley to U.S. Route 95 (US 95) northwest of the city via the Pahrump Valley. The southern part of the route sees heavy traffic, m ...
skirting parts of the mountain's south, and being the only due west route from Las Vegas. Route 160 turns northwest to Pahrump in the valley's center-north then meets
U.S. Route 95
US Route 95 (US 95) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highways, US Highway in the western United States. It travels through the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Idaho, staying inland from the Pacific Coast ...
at the valley's north perimeter.
Carpenter Canyon
Carpenter Canyon is a canyon on the western side of the Spring Mountains, partially within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, in Clark County, southern Nevada west of the Las Vegas Valley.
Carpenter Canyon is accessible via State Route 1 ...
road starts near Pahrump and runs about 10 miles to Carpenter Canyon. Carpenter Canyon creek is one of the few year round fish creeks in the Spring Mountains.
In California, the
Nopah Range
The Nopah Range is a mountain range located in Inyo County, California, United States, near the eastern border with Nevada.
Geography
The mountain range lies east of the adjacent Resting Spring Range, the Owlshead Mountains and lower Death Valley ...
borders the valley's southwest, with the north of the adjacent
Resting Spring Range
The Resting Spring Range is found in the eastern Mojave Desert of California near the Nevada state line in the United States. The range lies in a generally north–south direction to the west of the Nopah Range and southeast of the Amargosa Range ...
merging north to form the northwest border of the Pahrump Valley. The mostly east-west
Kingston Range
The Kingston Range, sometimes called the Kingston Mountains, is located in Inyo and San Bernardino counties in the Mojave Desert in eastern California. The range reaches a height of above sea level at Kingston Peak.
The range is located southea ...
is the southern border of the valley.
The closest community to Pahrump is
Shoshone, California
Shoshone is a census designated place (CDP) in Inyo County, California, United States. The population was 22 at the 2020 census, down from 31 at the 2010 census.
The town was founded in 1910. Although small, it is notable as a southern gateway ...
, 25 mi southwest, with Ash Meadows Ranch and
Death Valley Junction, California
Death Valley Junction, more commonly known as Amargosa ( Spanish for "Bitter"), is a tiny Mojave Desert unincorporated community in Inyo County, California, at the intersection of SR 190 and SR 127, in the Amargosa Valley and just east of Deat ...
slightly farther to the northwest.
![Pahrump Valley Wilderness](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Pahrump_Valley_Wilderness.jpg)
Pahrump Valley Wilderness
The Pahrump Valley Wilderness is in the southern valley, the northern Kingston Range, and the California and
Mesquite Valley Mesquite Valley is a valley in Clark County, Nevada and Inyo County and San Bernardino County, California. Mesquite is an endorheic basin with Mesquite Lake at is lowest point at an elevation of . This valley trends northwest and southeast with a ...
s.
References
Further reading
*
External links
* {{GNIS, 856335
Valleys of the Mojave Desert
Valleys of California
Valleys of Nevada
Valleys of Nye County, Nevada
Valleys of San Bernardino County, California
Old Spanish Trail (trade route)