Photo: CC BY-SA 4.0, Dietmar Rabich / Wikimedia Commons
Length
1 day
Total distance
370.1 mi
Driving time
6 h 56 min
Est. tolls
$0
Stops
5
Driving
Moderate
Best months
Feb–Apr, Oct
Budget
$$
A one-day, one-way drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas that dodges I-15's Barstow-to-Primm grind: old Route 66 over Cajon Pass, breakfast in Victorville, the Amboy sign, Kelso Depot, a Joshua tree hike on Cima Dome and the paved back roads of Mojave National Preserve into Las Vegas. Remote stretches: carry water, fuel and a paper map.
Drive time6 h 56 min
Distance370.1 mi
Est. tolls$0
Roy's sign in Amboy: Route 66's neon arrow beside a dry lake
Teutonia Peak Trail: a short climb through Cima Dome's Joshua trees
Joshua Tree Highway (SR 164): a paved, interstate-free approach into Searchlight
The story
Everyone drives Los Angeles to Las Vegas on I-15 and has roughly the same afternoon of brake lights. This is the other version of that drive: longer on the map, but with almost nothing you would call traffic after Victorville.
The day starts early at Union Station, climbs onto old Route 66 over Cajon Pass and reaches Emma Jean's Holland Burger Cafe in Victorville for a real breakfast; that is the only sit-down meal, so eat well. From there it is two quiet hours on I-15, I-40 and the National Trails Highway to Amboy, where Roy's neon sign stands in the open desert beside a dry lake. The road turns north through Mojave National Preserve to Kelso Depot, a 1924 railroad station in the middle of nowhere, and on to Cima Dome and the Teutonia Peak Trail, a short hike among Joshua trees.
The last two hours are the payoff. Instead of rejoining I-15, the drive follows paved Morning Star Mine Road, Nipton Road and Nevada's Joshua Tree Highway to Searchlight, then US 95 into Las Vegas for a finish at the Welcome sign. It is remote: carry water and fuel, and do not expect cell service. Pack lunch for the trail. It works best in the cooler months; summer heat on this route is not a joke.
Day by day
1
Day 1 · 11 stops
Los Angeles to Las Vegas the long way
Leave Union Station at 6:30, eat breakfast in Victorville, photograph Roy's sign in Amboy, see Kelso Depot, hike Teutonia Peak and finish on the Joshua Tree Highway and US 95 at the Las Vegas sign by about 5 pm.
Logistics6:15 AM · 15 min
Start in Los Angeles: Union Station
Leave from Union Station at 6:30 with a full tank and a cooler. This is the last big-city stretch of the day: the route climbs out of the basin on I-10 and I-15, then uses old Route 66 over Cajon Pass. A 6:30 start puts breakfast in Victorville by 8 and the finale in Las Vegas before the early-evening light fades.
Photo: CC BY-SA 4.0, Dietmar Rabich / Wikimedia Commons
Time
15 minutes: fuel, ice, water, snacks
Los Angeles Union Station
800 N Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Season: Typically open year-round; check current dates
I-10 east out of the basin, then I-15 north with a stretch of the old Route 66 alignment on Cajon Pass before dropping into the High Desert. Staying in the general-purpose lanes keeps this free.
A cinder-block Route 66 diner that has fed High Desert travelers since 1947. Order biscuits and gravy, chicken fried steak or the half-pound Holland Burger and eat at the counter. This is the day's one proper meal, so make it a full breakfast.
Photo: CC BY-SA 2.0, Gabriel Millos / Wikimedia Commons
The longest stretch of the day, about two hours: I-15 to Barstow, I-40 east, then the Ludlow exit and the old National Trails Highway through the creosote flats to Amboy. Fill the tank in Barstow; there are no services between Barstow and Amboy.
The neon Roy's Motel Cafe sign is the great Route 66 desert picture: an orange arrow over a ghost-town crossroads in the open Mojave. Walk the lot, photograph the sign and the old buildings, and stretch your legs. Treat it as a photo stop; check before counting on fuel or food here.
Photo: CC BY-SA 4.0, Dietmar Rabich / Wikimedia Commons
Time
About 20 minutes for photos and a stretch
Fee
Free
Roy's Motel and Cafe
87520 National Trails Hwy, Amboy, CA 92304
Season: Typically open year-round; check current dates
North on Kelbaker Road into Mojave National Preserve, across open desert with long views and almost no traffic. The road is paved but rough in places, the preserve sells no fuel, and cell service is spotty or absent.
A 1924 Union Pacific station that anchors the preserve, standing alone beside the tracks with palm trees and a green lawn. Walk around the grounds and refill water at the bathhouse. The building holds museum exhibits and a former lunch counter; see the dated conditions in tips for current access to the interior.
Photo: NPS Photo
Time
About 25 minutes to walk the grounds, use restrooms and fill water
Fee
Free
Kelso Depot Visitor Center
90942 Kelso-Cima Road, Kelso, CA 92309
Season: Typically open year-round; check current dates
Kelso-Cima Road climbs gently toward Cima Dome, and the road runs through the preserve's densest concentration of Joshua trees. The final miles are on Cima Road with pull-offs where you can stop.
The signature short hike on Cima Dome: a sandy track through Joshua trees, some charred by the 2020 Dome Fire and some untouched, that climbs steeply at the end over rock steps toward the summit. Bring your lunch and plenty of water; this is exposed desert.
Photo: B Michel, NPS
Distance
3 mi
Elevation gain
700 ft
Difficulty
Moderate
Fee usd
0
Teutonia Peak Trailhead
Cima Rd, Cima, CA
Season: Typically usable year-round, hot in summer; check current dates
Cima Rd, Morning Star Mine Rd, Ivanpah Rd, Nipton Rd/SR 164 (Joshua Tree Hwy), US 95, I-215, Las Vegas Blvd
South to Cima, then paved Morning Star Mine Road across the Ivanpah Valley (only the paved northern section of Ivanpah Rd is used) to Nipton Road with no interstate, east over the pass on Nevada's Joshua Tree Highway (SR 164) into Searchlight, and north on US 95 to the Strip. This is the quiet, scenic end of the day; carry the fuel and water you need, and expect little or no cell service until Searchlight.
The 1959 neon welcome sign at the south end of the Strip is the classic finish, with the city skyline behind it. Allow a few minutes for a turn at the photo spot. Sunset on mid-October evenings is a little after 6 pm, which leaves a small buffer if the day runs long.
Photo: Christian David / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Welcome_to_Fabulous_Las_Vegas_sign,_Nevada_-_April_2026.jpg)
Time
About 30 minutes including waiting for a photo
Fee
Free
Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign
5100 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89119
Season: Typically accessible year-round; check current conditions
From Searchlight, stay on US 95 north to Boulder City and add Hoover Dam before the last hop into Las Vegas on US 93 and I-215. It trades the Strip approach for Hoover Dam and adds about 23 miles and 46 minutes to the default last leg.
Alternative route
Alternate finish: Hoover Dam and Boulder City
From Searchlight, stay on US 95 north to Boulder City and add Hoover Dam before the last hop into Las Vegas on US 93 and I-215. It trades the Strip approach for Hoover Dam and adds about 23 miles and 46 minutes to the default last leg.
Distance
132.4 mi
Drive time
2 h 51 min
Toll
$0
Via
Cima Rd, Morning Star Mine Rd, SR 164, US 95, US 93 Business, Hoover Dam, I-215
Alternate: Nipton Road via I-15 instead of Morning Star Mine Road
Drive Cima Road north to I-15, take the interstate 13 miles east to Nipton Road (Exit 286) and continue on SR 164. It uses the paved interstate rather than Morning Star Mine Road if storm damage or fatigue makes the back road unappealing, at a cost of 3.8 extra miles and 7 minutes.
Alternative route
Alternate: Nipton Road via I-15 instead of Morning Star Mine Road
Drive Cima Road north to I-15, take the interstate 13 miles east to Nipton Road (Exit 286) and continue on SR 164. It uses the paved interstate rather than Morning Star Mine Road if storm damage or fatigue makes the back road unappealing, at a cost of 3.8 extra miles and 7 minutes.
Shortcut: Cima Road north to I-15 and straight into Las Vegas
If heat, time or road damage argues for a faster finish, go north on Cima Road to I-15 and take the interstate to Las Vegas. It saves about 41 minutes and 37 miles versus the default last leg but skips Nipton Road and the Joshua Tree Highway.
Alternative route
Shortcut: Cima Road north to I-15 and straight into Las Vegas
If heat, time or road damage argues for a faster finish, go north on Cima Road to I-15 and take the interstate to Las Vegas. It saves about 41 minutes and 37 miles versus the default last leg but skips Nipton Road and the Joshua Tree Highway.
Assumption. Saturday departure at 6:30 am. Emma Jean's lists Saturday hours of 6 am to 12:30 pm and is closed Sunday; on a weekday it opens at 5 am. Check the days for everything else.
Driving rhythm. About 1 h 33 min to Victorville (breakfast), 1 h 55 min to Amboy, 46 min to Kelso, 37 min to Teutonia, then 2 h 5 min to Las Vegas. Total driving 6 h 56 min, 370.1 miles, no tolls; with stops the day runs about 6:15 am to 5:10 pm.
Remote stretches. Fuel up in Barstow or Victorville: the preserve sells no gas and Roy's pumps are not guaranteed. Carry at least a gallon of water per person, a spare tire and a paper map; cell service is unreliable between Amboy and Searchlight. Food is not sold in the preserve, so pack lunch for the trailhead.
Heat and daylight. Best February to April and October. Summer highs are dangerous for a breakdown on these roads. Las Vegas sunset is about 6:05 pm on October 14 and about 5:45 pm on October 31, so November through January finishes in the dark; consider the Shortcut option then.
Tolls. None on this plan. The I-10 express lanes near Los Angeles are optional paid lanes; stay in the general-purpose lanes.
Current conditions (as of 2026-10-14). The preserve's conditions page (updated 2026-09-22) lists Kelso Depot's indoor visitor center closed, with restrooms, parking and water open outdoors; Kelbaker Road open with caution (potholes, washed shoulders, possible one-hour delays at the Kelso railroad crossing); Cima Road open with caution (debris, washed shoulders); Kelso-Cima Road open; and Morning Star Mine Road open (55 mph or less, watch for tortoises). An alert dated 2026-10-11 says widespread storms flooded, damaged and left debris on roads throughout the preserve, so check the conditions page the day before and use the Nipton Road via I-15 option if Morning Star Mine Road is reported damaged. Only the paved northern section of Ivanpah Road is used. Fire restrictions are in place in the preserve.
Timing. The schedule has no built-in slack; a railroad-crossing delay at Kelso of up to an hour would push the finish past 6 pm, so skip part of the Teutonia hike or take the Shortcut option if you are behind.
Confirm before you go. Hours, phone numbers and road status change; confirm Emma Jean's hours by phone and check the preserve's conditions page the day before.
Want live alerts and up-to-date info?
Roads, tolls and closures change fast. Create an account on the DriftKin app to get live alerts and up-to-date information for your drive.
Good to know: distances and drive times are typical figures without live traffic, and where routes are shown the route data comes from OpenStreetMap contributors. Toll amounts are estimates and change often, so check them in the DriftKin planner or with the toll authority before you plan around them. Opening hours, fees, prices, permits and closures also change, so confirm with the park or business before you go.
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