Weird Day Trips
A desert town on the way to Death Valley
Pahrump is about an hour from Las Vegas on paved NV-160, past Mountain Springs. That is a planning number for a dry day, not live traffic. What you actually see is a desert town past Goodsprings, with a small museum and a few roadside curiosities. It is the gateway if the day continues toward Death Valley.
Pahrump is the optional end of the southwest drive. Goodsprings is the short stop, and you can turn around there. Pahrump is the continuation, about an hour from central Las Vegas on paved NV-160, past Mountain Springs. It is also the practical gateway if the day continues toward Death Valley. That is a rounded planning number for a dry day, not live traffic.
- From Las Vegas
- About 1 hour
- Distance
- Paved NV-160, past Mountain Springs
- Road
- Paved NV-160
- Time to allow
- Optional after Goodsprings
Short history
The Pahrump Valley Museum is small. It covers local history, mining, the Old Spanish Trail, and ranching.
Coffinwood, also called Coffin it Up, is a roadside spot with coffin-themed furniture, displays, and seasonal light shows. It is quirky. Weathers Gulch is a homemade Wild West street built from storage containers by a local artist. It is a roadside curiosity, not a historic ghost town.
Art Bell lived in Pahrump and broadcast Coast to Coast AM from there; the property is private, the address was changed to discourage visitors, and it is not a stop.
Legal brothels operate in Nye County, outside the town limits.
Visit
Worth a look if Goodsprings was not the whole day and you want the museum, the coffin-themed spot, or the homemade Western street, or if you are using the town as a gateway.
Camp
Camping is not the point of town. Overnight means lodging in Pahrump if you want a bed. Check what is open before you count on a room.
Skip
You might leave it off if Goodsprings was enough.
The call is yours.
Practical visitor info
Hours and fees change. Check the site, the park, or the business before you go. This page does not quote a current price or a current opening time.
The numbers match the drive times and distances page. Read desert day-trip tips before a hot day, and see sample itineraries if you want to combine stops. The town list is Ghost Towns Near Las Vegas. Tonopah and the Extraterrestrial Highway are indexed under Weird Day Trips.
How long is the drive to Pahrump?
Plan on about an hour from central Las Vegas, on NV-160 past Mountain Springs. Goodsprings is the earlier turnoff on a shorter road. Pahrump is the farther town.
If the day keeps going, Death Valley is the next large place in this direction. Gas, food, and lodging in Pahrump are the practical reason to use the town as a gateway, or to stay the night.
Is the drive to Pahrump paved?
NV-160 is paved, and a normal rental car is the usual vehicle. This page does not report construction over Mountain Springs.
What you can see
The small museum, the coffin-themed roadside spot, and the container street, if those doors are open. Hours are not listed here.
Gambling in town is at the casinos, separate from the museum and the roadside oddities. This page does not pick one.
Heat and safety
Mild months still matter. Summer afternoons commonly sit above 100°F (38°C). Read the desert tips before you push on toward Death Valley.
On the ground
What you can see
You can see a small local museum, a coffin-themed roadside spot, and a homemade Western street built from storage containers.
Private or off limits
Art Bell’s former compound is private and is not a stop. Overnight means a room in town if you want one. Check what is open.
Summer and the season
Mild months still matter. Summer afternoons commonly sit above 100°F (38°C) if you continue toward Death Valley.
The roadside curiosities, as a desert town, not as a cleared ruin.
Get directions
Get directions from Las Vegas. The link opens a map. It is not a live traffic report.
Combine this
Times below are planning figures. Conditions change. A north stop and a south stop do not belong in the same day. The return drive eats it.
Southwest, after Goodsprings. You can turn around at the saloon. Pahrump is about an hour on NV-160 if the day continues, and it is the gateway toward Death Valley. It does not share a day with Laughlin.