Logandale, NV (3/26/2018)

My Canadian friends, Ernie and Susan, had told me about Logandale Trails, where they had driven their ATV in past years.  When I Googled it, I learned the trail system is on BLM land adjacent to Valley of Fire State Park.  Within its 45,000 acres are 200 miles of trails ranging from hard packed gravel to deep, soft sand.  Some of the trails wind through a chain of sandstone formations similar to those found in Valley of Fire, and just as scenic.  There are also several locations where petroglyphs can be found and numerous designated areas for dry camping.

When I entered the park, my intention was simply to look it over.  Frankly, I was a little leery of taking the LRJ onto trails meant for ATVs.  At one of the campsites, I met a young man who told me where some petroglyphs were located, quite a distance away over sandy trail.  He assured me the LRJ would be OK, so I took off to find the rock art.

For a while, the trail was packed gravel and I stopped often to take photos.  Once I got into deep sand, I was reluctant to stop.  My strategy for driving in sand has always been to keep the speed up, not wanting to lose momentum and have to start fresh.  I passed the right turn the fellow had mentioned, as I wasn't sure it was part of the trail.  When I reached the end, I came back and made the correct turn.  It was a lot of fun driving this trail with many hills and curves banked by fast moving ATVs.

This is where the sandy trail began, so I stopped taking photos and held tightly onto the steering wheel.

I finally reached the last landmark the man had given me, but couldn't remember exactly what the next step was.  (Such is the challenge some of us old guys face, but you probably can't identify with that.)  Anyway, a group of ATVs came up just at that time.  One driver said I should follow them and he would point it out to me.  Off we went in a cloud of dust and sand.


This photo was taken through the windshield as the ATVs led me over a sand dune .  While they easily fit through the gap between boulders, it was a tight squeeze for the LRJ.

The petroglyph site was well marked, so I'm sure I would have found it on my own.  However, it was nice to have the help.  In addition to the petroglyphs, the formations there were very interesting.

There was one piece of "modern" graffiti.

The ride back was fun, not being concerned about finding landmarks, just following the trail I had come in on.  I found the young man who had advised me and let him  know I had made it and appreciated his help.

Later, I explored more around Overton and found another series of off-road trails among the many buttes that could be seen from the highway.  No wonder this area attracts so many ATV enthusiasts.