Jarbridge Canyon Road

Jarbridge Canyon Road drops 2,000 feet through Nevada’s deepest canyon, following a precipitous mining road that clings to canyon walls above the churning Jarbridge River. The route starts high in the Jarbridge Mountains and switchbacks down through aspen groves and granite outcrops, with sections where the shelf road narrows to barely one vehicle width. About halfway down, you’ll pass the ruins of old stamp mills and mine buildings perched impossibly on the canyon walls, testament to the lengths miners went for gold.

This is difficult 4WD requiring experienced drivers, working brakes, and nerves of steel for the exposed shelf sections. High-clearance vehicles mandatory, with low range essential for controlling descents. Best attempted July through September when snow clears the high country. The ghost town of Jarbridge at the bottom offers primitive camping and a glimpse into Nevada’s roughest mining era. Fuel up in Elko—it’s a long way back to civilization if something goes sideways in this remote northeast Nevada wilderness.