Las Vegas Sun

November 29, 2009

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Ask Mr. Sun:

Why is the road to Sloan Canyon not paved?

Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Hi Mr. Sun,

Sun Topics

Why is the road to Sloan Canyon not paved? People should be able to go see its natural beauty.

•••

A visit to Sloan Canyon — the national conservation area south of Las Vegas — requires navigating a confusing series of dirt roads and power line maintenance routes. (“At power pole number 12084, travel 0.25 miles further and watch for a two-track road at the right,” the Bureau of Land Management tells would-be visitors on its Web site.)

The BLM has plans for a paved route to the canyon and its archeological treasure trove of more than 1,000 rock art works. The route would connect to the southern end of Henderson, at Democracy Drive.

The problem is Henderson hasn’t finished Democracy Drive and the feds say they won’t move forward with their route until there’s a finished road to tie into.

Questions for Mr. Sun should be sent to page8@lasvegassun.com.

Discussion: 7 comments so far…

  1. Great! Maybe then BLM can pave some of the other rough release valves from the valley, like Mormon Well Road, Gold Butte Road, or Wheeler Pass Road.

  2. The last thing we need is easier access for more undeducated Las Vegas ding-dongs to destroy another precious area. The less idiots up there, the better. It is disturbing to visit nice areas, just to find trash all over, and defaced petroglyphs.

  3. I agree with torn - as soon as the road is paved, the area will quickly decline...I've never seen such a blatant disregard (almost disdain) for the environment and natural beauty as I've seen here in southern NV...it's a shame, because this is an extremely beautiful & fragile area..

  4. You have to laugh at fools who lament "undeducated" [sic] "ding-dongs", but use "less" when they mean "fewer" in their oh-so-educated prose.

  5. Stop complaining. Buy, rent, or borrow a Jeep (or a similar vehicle). This road sounds like a nice drive in a Jeep.

  6. What a pleasant surprise to see such documented history carved on lava rock in our extreme southern valley. Personally, I don't want a paved road. That'll make it that much easier for the Hooligans to deposit their trash in the delicate areas. It's an easy and enjoyable hike through Sloan Canyon. We already have drive-thru banks, dry cleaning, pharmacies, wedding chapels and fast food. Dust off the hiking shoes folks and take advantage of what this valley has to offer. The only real threat out there is dodging stray bullets from the knuckleheads shooting bottles and cans.

  7. Sloan Canyon needs a paved road just like Las Vegas needs more high school dropouts.
    And conbarc, you are the perfect example of the type of unsophisticated jester we don't need in Sloan Canyon...stick to driving your silly quads and sand rails on a dry lake bed somewhere, and keep breathing that dry lake dust, it is good for you!

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