Road Update: January 2020: Upper portions of the road are fine, but the lower end has become quite rocky and narrow. It was uncomfortably narrow in my long-bed, crew-cab RAM truck, but we make it downhill in 2WD. 4WD was required to get back out.

Overview

Boy Scout Canyon Road provides access to Boy Scout Canyon, a nice, close-to-town, 4-mile hike down a sandy wash in a beautiful desert canyon until passage is blocked by a 330-foot-high pour-over. The first 2.2 miles, however, can be driven in a 4WD vehicle, but the remaining 1.8 miles is a hike in the Black Canyon Wilderness Area.

There is no road, per se, but the wash is wide, narrow, sandy, and rocky, soft, and firm, all of which provides various driving challenges in a scenic environment of volcanic cliffs and Mojave Desert Scrub vegetation.

Link to Road Map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ...this is a fairly safe drive down a sandy wash, but sandy washes can be softer than they look, especially when tires loosen and stir up the sand. There are some tight curves, so always consider that oncoming traffic might be right around the corner. Parts of the canyon are barely wide enough for a full-sized pickup.

While out, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. Also, even though this road is short, so be sure to bring what you need of the 10 Essentials. This road goes into the Black Canyon Wilderness Area, so pay particular attention to respecting the land.

Getting to the Trailhead

This road is located in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, just southeast of Boulder City.

From downtown Boulder City, drive southeast on Utah Street out past the cemetery into the open desert. Utah Street ends at a garbage transfer station. Just before the transfer station (Table 1, Site 1214), a paved road branches to the right. The only sign is for "Courtesy Range," in reference to the gun range. Turn right onto this paved road and drive south following signs towards the gun range.

The paved road runs southeast for about 0.85 miles to just before encountering Interstate 11. The paved road curves left (Site 1215) and runs down to pass under the Interstate.

Immediately after coming out from under the interstate, a dirt road (signed to 'Canyon Point') branches to the right. Turn onto Canyon Point Road, which climbs back up along the side the Interstate. When back level with the interstate, Canyon Point Road curves left and heads out into the desert.

Continuing eastward for another half-mile, Canyon Point Road curves hard to the right (Site 1216). At the curve, Boy Scout Canyon Road continues straight as narrow road that cuts through at gap in the mud hills and heads steeply down into the valley below.

Boy Scout Canyon Road follows the gun club fence for 0.7 miles to the Lake Mead boundary (Site 1217), which is marked with four signs and post-and-cable fencing on both sides of the road to discourage off-road driving.

The Lake Mead boundary signs are out in the middle of a broad valley, but this is the official trailhead for the Boy Scout Canyon hike. However, in a 2WD vehicle, drivers should be able to safely proceed another 0.3 miles down the road. I would not take a 2WD vehicle much beyond the gate (where the fencing ends) at a narrow spot in the canyon.

With a 4WD vehicle, Boy Scout Canyon Road continues another 2.2 miles down the sandy wash and dead ends (Site 1218). From this point, the road continues down the broad, sandy wash. Before long, however, the rocky canyon walls press in, rocks crop out of the sand, and things become more interesting. There are a few places where the road seems to fork, and in a narrow vehicle, all ways probably are passable, but in a bigger truck, pick your route carefully and back out when necessary. The very end of the road is a bit tight for turning around a big truck, but a short backup brings one to a wider spot convenient for turning around.

For hikers, the end of the road is the start of the hike down Boy Scout Canyon.