Old Spanish Trail (Mountain Springs Pass)

West of Las Vegas the trail had to climb, and it climbed here. Antonio Armijo found this pass in January 1830, and the springs just north of it gave excellent water and grass for the draft animals—reason enough to make it a favorite camp. Two days separated Las Vegas from Mountain Springs Pass, the trip usually broken at Cottonwood Springs, the site of present-day Blue Diamond, where travelers made an early start to climb by nightfall. Early caravans called it Piute Springs. The altitude made it a cool, watered refuge, and the highway over the mountains follows it still.

What the plaque says

This portion of the Old Spanish Trail was discovered in January 1830, by Antonio Armijo during his first trip from Santa Fe to Los Angeles. The springs just north of this marker provided excellent water and fed meadows of luxuriant grass for draft animals. Two days were required to travel between Las Vegas and Mountain Springs Pass. The trip was broken at Cottonwood Springs, the site of Blue Diamond, where an early start was usually made in order to climb the pass by nightfall. Early travellers often referred to the area as Piute Springs, but the present title has been used for over a century. The altitude made Mountain Springs one of the favorite camping spots on the trail.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Spring Mountain Ranch State Park — 4.9 mi
  A spring-fed green oasis under the red Wilson Cliffs — and a roll call of colorful owners
• Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area — 9.5 mi
  The Mojave wilderness that begins where Las Vegas ends — striped sandstone cliffs and a 13-mile scenic loop
• Las Vegas Strip — 17 mi
  Four and a quarter miles of engineered spectacle — the most famous street in America (and it isn't in Las Vegas)
• Mount Charleston & the Spring Mountains — 20 mi
  A nearly 12,000-foot sky island 35 miles from the Strip — alpine forest above the Mojave

More markers nearby

• Potosí — 2.1 mi
• The Old Spanish Trail 1829-1850 — 3.6 mi
• The Old Spanish Trail 1829-1850 — 4.1 mi
• The Last Spike — 15 mi