Eleven miles south of Primm, Nev., Nipton Road begins at I-15 and passes through Nipton, Calif., 11 miles east. Ivanpah Road (only the 10 northernmost miles paved) heads southeast of Nipton Road, through the Ivanpah and Lanfair valleys, eventually connecting with the paved Lanfair Road and the Fenner Valley. Together stretching 46 miles, Ivanpah and Lanfair roads connect the northern preserve boundary (bordering Nipton Road) with the southern near Goffs, Calif.

Hotel Nipton
Privately-operated hotel and store.

Built in 1910, this charming hotel on the preserve's northern boundary reflects the railroad, ranching, and mining history of the small community at Nipton.

Lanfair Valley
No signs or services.

South of the New York Mountains along Ivanpah and Lanfair roads, this high valley shelters an impressive joshua tree forest and was an early ranching and homesteading center. From 1893 until 1923, the Nevada Southern Railway ran up the valley from Goffs, Calif., providing services to homesteaders and ranchers in the valley and to miners in the mountains beyond. While little evidence remains of the homesteads that once dotted the valley, tracts of private property still exist. Please respect the rights of landowners.

Caruthers Canyon
Primitive camping, hiking, no signs or services.

About 5.5 miles west of Ivanpah Road on New York Mountains Road, then 2.7 miles north on an unigned road, Caruthers Canyon is located in the rugged New York Mountains. Surrounded by mountains rising over 7,500 feet, a botanical "island" of chaparral plants remains from wetter times of the past. High clearance and four-wheel drive recommended.