Info about byways in Nevada and Arizona

Hi guys

Two years is gone, and time for another holidays spent in USA is coming closer

primoz wrote in post #3316597
Hi guys

Two years is gone, and time for another holidays spent in USA is coming closer

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We are planning to travel around SW of USA and I just got some info about place called Little Finland or Hobgoblins Playground a bit of the Gold Butte Back Country Byway south of Mesquite or Riverside in Nevada. Even though photography is my job, I still love to do it even on holidays too, especially if places are so much different then European Alps, where I'm living. So that's reason why I would love to find this place

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I can't find much more info about this, so if anyone of you guys have some more info about those places, I would really appreciate it. I'm looking mostly info on how to drive there, conditions of those roads (will SUV like Chevrolet Trailblazer or something similar what we will rent, do for this), permits for going there and preferably staying there night night, etc.

I would appreciate all your help.

Thanks guys,
Primoz

Here's some info on the Byway:

http://www.roadnotes.c​om/scenicdrives/nv04.h​tm

http://www.trails.com …il.asp?trailid=​XFA106-016

http://www.nv.blm.gov …ckcounty_byways​_flyer.pdf
(scroll down to page 2 for info. There's a very important note regarding the last 19 miles of the Byway)

http://www.byways.org/​explore/byways/68960/

For the first 43 miles of the Byway, you'll possibly be okay with a Ford Explorer/Chevy Trailblazer-type SUV. Beyond that, don't know for sure. Be careful and if you opt for the rental insurance, make sure you read the fine print.

Good luck and enjoy your trip. The desert SW is a gorgeous place!

That area, which is absolutely beautiful, is formally known as Valley of Fire State Park.

Once you're done there, I suggest you continue on I-15 North (away from Las Vegas) along the Virgin River. This will take you through the Virgin River Canyon in Arizona (the "Litchfield Corner" section) and into Utah. At St. George, take highway 9 to Zion National Park. Fantastic views. You can get info at http://www.nps.gov/zio​n.

From Zion, you can take highway 9 over to US 89 at Mt. Carmel Junction, then south to US ALT 89 at Kanab. Take US 89A (Alt 89) south back into Arizona, and follow it to Jacob lake (a small town). At Jacob lake, take highway 67 south to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Fantastic views, fewer tourists. The North Rim is the less-frequented rim, usually open without reservations all summer long.

I don't know how much time you will have, but other fantastic sites exist all along both sides of the Arizona-Utah border. From Jacob Lake, continue east on US 89A till you rejoin US 89. Then go north to Page and Lake Powell. It is definitely worth renting a boat and spending at least a day on Lake Powell.

If you have the time, you could then go south on US 89 to US 160 (the Navajo Trail). Take US 160 across northern Arizona through the Navajo reservation. Many, many beautifull places.

Eventually, you will reach US 191. US 191 was originally US 666 (the Devil's Highway), and was renamed because of political/religious pressure. The last time I was in that area, there were still lots of US 666 signs. This is in the reservation, and the Navajo are not as superstitious as the Christians.

Go south on US 191 to reservation highway 7 and the town of Chinle. There, visit the Canyon de Chelly (pronounced "Canyon de Shay"). You will never see anything like it anywhere else in the world. Go to http://www.nps.gov/cac​h/ to check it out. Be sure to drive the south rim to see some of the magnificent cliff dwellings along the north wall.

From Chinle, you can continue south on US 191 to I-40, then west on I-40 to exit 311 (the Painted Desert/Petrified Forest exit). Check out the Petrified Forest at http://www.nps.gov/pef​o/.

Take Petrified Forest Road west fron the exit. Then take the Painted Desert Loop. This is wide-angle country. Fantastic beyond belief.

Once the loop brings you back to the Petrified Forest Road, continue west and south through the Petrified Forest. Do NOT swipe samples of petrified wood in the park. If you get caught, you are guaranteed to have a vacation you will not forget, but wish you could. There are plety of places to buy samples if you so wish.

Petrified Forest Road will eventually bring you to US 180. Go west on US 180 to Holbrook, and rejoin I-40. Go west on I-40 to Rimmy Jims (exit 233). At Rimmy Jims, take the road south to Meteor Crater. This is a nice little dent in the Earth's crust. Check it out at http://www.meteorcrate​r.com.

After Meteor Crater, you should continue west on I-40 into Flagstaff. There are lots of things in and around Flagstaff: Sunset Crater, the Percival Lowell Observatory, the San Francisco Mountains, etc.

Again, depending upon how much time you have, You could skip the whole easter portion of the "tour" and reach Flagstaff by saying on US 89 south from Page (or south from the junction of US 89A, if you skip Page).

From Flagstaff, you may wish to go south on US 89A. This will take you through OAk Creek Canyon (fantastic views) and into Sedona. Sedona is Red Rock country. Glorious views and bizzare formations. Be sure to wander around the area.

WARNING! Sedona is a genuine tourist trap. There are many, many there whose sole occupation it is to pry money from you wallet. Be warned.

From Sedona, I would suggest going west on US 89A through Cottonwood and up the mountain to Jerome. Jerome is a former mining town built clinging to a cliff halfway up a mountain, so be prepared for very steep uphill grades and very sharp turns. Do stop in Jerome for the views and just a general touist-type look-see. It's worth it.

From Jerome, continue west on US 89A (that's up and over the mountain). US 89A joins US 89 just a bit north of Prescott. Prescott was the original Arizona capitol, and is a fun place to visit. Drop into Prescott for a visit and look-see. Especially see Whiskey Row across from the courthouse.

From Prescott (or from the junction of US 89A, if you skip Prescott), go north on US 89 till you reach I-40. Go west on I-40 to Kingman, then north on US 93. Take US 93 to Las Vegas, which is from where I presume you started.

NOTE: They are doing much work on US 93 near Boulder Dam, so watch for signs and detours. But don't worry, there is no way that Nevada will prevent anyone from reaching Las Vegas.

I hope this helps. Whatever you do, Have fun!

20droger wrote in post #3317957
From Prescott (or from the junction of US 89A, if you skip Prescott), go north on US 89 till you reach I-40. Go west on I-40 to Kingman, then north on US 93. Take US 93 to Las Vegas, which is from where I presume you started.

You could also continue west on I-40 through Kingman and take the exit for old Route 66 and Oatman. Oatman is old mining town that sits up in the hills. Offers some great shots of old building ruins on drive up. From there you can head down into Laughlin and back to Las Vegas.

Very true. Also note that all along the Colorada River there are large and small wildlife sanctuaries, excellent for birding.

There are also large and small tourist traps, such as Lake Havasu and the London Bridge. Tourist traps can be fun, if you hold tightly to your wallet.

primoz wrote in post #3316597
Hi guys

I just got some info about place called Little Finland or Hobgoblins Playground a bit of the Gold Butte Back Country Byway south of Mesquite or Riverside in Nevada. Even though photography is my job, I still love to do it even on holidays too, especially if places are so much different then European Alps, where I'm living. So that's reason why I would love to find this place

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Hi Primoz,
My German is not good and my English isn´t perfect either!
But as far as I can understand this travelogue http://www.isaczermak.​com/nevada-little-finland.html ("Babelfish Translator" is a great help) the place you´re talking about is definitely not Valley of Fire.
Little Finland is located south of Mesquite on Gold Butte Byway. Just click where is says "Karte": http://www.knpb.org …ildNevada/Trip4​01_map.asp and on the picture saying TOPO for the directions. I think that´s all the information you will need for your trip!
Take care!

ps: Just in case anyone is interested in. I found more pictures from Little Finland.

20dRoger;

That is all fantastic advice. I've lived in Az for 24 years, and haven't even done all that.

Once you're done there, I suggest you continue on I-15 North (away from Las Vegas) along the Virgin River. This will take you through the Virgin River Canyon in Arizona (the "Litchfield Corner" section) and into Utah. At St. George, take highway 9 to Zion National Park. Fantastic views. You can get info at http://www.nps.gov/zio​n.

If you go through St George to Zion, be sure to stop atSnow Canyon State Park. It's small, just outside of town, and beautiful.

As I said, there are many places worth seeing on both sides of the Arizona-Utah border. I strongly suggest checking out the websites for national, state, and county parks, monuments, and preserves in both states.

And don't forget Nevada and California parks and monuments near the Colorado River.

My German is fine (at least for talking and reading, writing is different story) and I kinda got directions, especially when combining topo maps with Google Earth. But I couldn't get much info about conditions on road. I mean normal unpaved road is fine, but with rented vehicle I have some doubts going straight into desert or going to those small roads more suitable for walking then driving I sent mail to Isabel, so I hope she will have time to answer. And since I'm sure there has to be some people on this forum who would actually go and drive into middle of desert for good photo, I asked here too
So thanks for your and everyone else's help! I really appreciate it, even if some answers are not exactly about this place, but they are great hints which will come very handy next month So once again... Thanks guys for all your help!