4x4 eastern sierra nevada great basin 4wd nevada jarbidge elko county idaho

4x4 Trails:
Jarbidge, Nevada

Part 1 – Two Roads to Jarbidge

Part 1a – Elko to Charleston Reservoir

Starting at the junction of Interstate 80 and NV225 (exit 301), drive north on paved 2-lane NV225 for 53.6 miles. The road will slowly meander and climb to 6,549 foot high Adobe Summit, cross over nondescript sagebrush rolling prairie, then access the scenic North Fork of the Humboldt River country to the turnoff to Jarbidge and the start of the dirt portion of this route.

At a point 22 miles north of Elko, historic Dinner Station is reached. This site was founded in the early 1870s as a stage stop and dinner house for the Tuscaurora and Mountain City stage lines. The original frame structure burned and was replaced by the current building in the 1880s. Dinner Station was also known as Weilands and Oldham's for former owners. The station fell out of use by the time that automobiles became fairly common; but has continued to be an occupied residence over the years and has been kept in excellent condition.

Traveling 4.1 miles north of Dinner Station, NV226 is reached. This route takes the traveler north and west into the lonely Owyhee River country.

About 12 miles north of the junction of NV226, the road will drop slightly into the North Fork of the Humboldt River country. The countryside becomes more scenic and interesting, as there is quite a bit of surface water and small sloughs to the east of the highway, as well as the topography becoming increasingly rugged. In about 11.5 miles the former community of North Fork is reached, now mostly comprised of a maintenance station of the Nevada Department of Transportation and a ranch with a large and scenic old barn next to the highway.

At a point four miles north of the Nevada DOT station at North Fork, you will arrive at the signed turnoff to Jarbidge.

Turning east, Elko County 746 will meander over hill and dale for 19¾ miles to Charleston Reservoir on the Bruneau River. This road is maintained by Elko County, but in wet weather may require caution and AWD or 4WD. The road holds no surprises in dry weather – with the exception of wildlife and cattle on the road – but I recommend being in no hurry. Sudden curves, big Ford Super Duty or Dodge Ram 4WD trucks with stock trailers driven by local ranchers; and cattle, deer or antelope can seemingly pop out of nowhere when you least expect it. And like most dirt roads, a measure of irritating washboard is always present.

Part 1b – Deeth to Charleston Reservoir

If you wish to maximize your dirt road experience, I'd recommend traveling into Jarbidge via the small farming community of Deeth. It is the type of road that can bore you silly and scare the dickens out of you simultaneously!

To reach Deeth from Elko, travel eastward to Exit 333 – Deeth, about 32 miles east from the NV225 and I-80 interchange. If you are coming in from the east, Deeth is 19 miles west of Wells, Nevada.

Turning off of Exit 333, drive south about 0.8 tenths of a mile to a dirt road turning east (left) upon reaching the first set of railroad tracks. In 2001 there was a sign here indicating the community of Deeth. Drive along this road another 0.8 tenths of a mile to Elko County 747, signed for Charleston, and which runs north and under I-80. You'll pass by several apparently abandoned buildings left over from the old ranching community clustered along the railroad tracks.

The road at first starts off in relatively flat country, then progressively gets into more rugged and scenic topography as it continues north 42.4 miles to its junction with Elko County 746 at Charleston Reservoir. The road is a maintained road, but this is hardcore ranching country out here and the road often throws many surprises – both natural and man made.

Part 2 – Charleston Reservoir to Coon Creek Summit

High peaks rule this country – Matterhorn (10,839'), Jarbidge Peak (10,789'), Prospect Peak (10,435') and God's Pocket (10,184') – all form the semi-circular Jarbidge Mountains.

Due to the altitude and the heavy snows that visit this part of Nevada, this route may not open before July 4^th and could close temporarily due to a sudden snow squall by Labor Day. Keep an eye on the Weather Channel or call the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest ranger station in Elko before embarking. If it rains heavily, keep in mind that parts of the road surface over the two summits tends to turn to slick clay and vehicles can easily slide off the roadway on several slightly off camber sections. A search & rescue member told me that the only sure way he goes through this section in wet weather is to hook his tires into the ditch on the uphill side of the road while traversing the slick spots.

Otherwise, the road to Jarbidge seems to get a bit better on this section, the spectacular countryside that you will be passing through will certainly take your attention from dirt road misery to captivation.

The road meanders through wet meadows and the land holdings of the J.M. Prunty, P.R. Prunty and B. Prunty ranches, as well as the H. Shively Ranch. These are real working ranches. Real cowboys work the cows with real horses, not ATVs.

About six miles north of the junction of Elko County 746 and 747, the ghost town of Charleston is reached. Charleston started life as Mardis in 1876, quickly gaining the necessary saloons, stores a hotel and school. The town's economy was based upon some mines a few miles north in the Copper Mountains. A humorous bit of history is that of co-founder George Washington Mardis, who was a Bible thumping teamster who shouted out Old Testament quotations to his burro “Samson.” Mardis often carried gold to Elko and it was on one of his trips that he was slain by a six-toed Chinese man. A vigilante group found the slayer by his peculiar track and strung him up after a speedy trial. Mining dropped off dramatically by the mid-1880s and Charleston slumbered until the Jarbidge boom. The town regained a school, store, saloon and post office, but the camp remained small. A short Depression era revival occurred but the town has declined and is now part of the Prunty ranch holdings.

Just north of Charleston, the road forks and is signed for Bruneau River to the left and Jarbidge to the right. A bit more than 1.6 miles further, the road passes the sign indicating that you are now in the lands of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Just before hitting the sign, hidden in the willows and on the opposite bank of Seventy-Six Creek are the remains of an abandoned resort of apparent 1970s era.

Climbing up the course of Seventy-Six Creek, the Slatery and Prunty Mines can be seen nearby. Aspen trees at first dot the landscape, then often encapsulate the road as it climbs toward its goal of Coon Creek Summit. The road leaves the course of Seventy-Six Creek and skirts Copper Basin, as the road climbs the opportunities for Technicolor panoramas become endless.

Aspens soon become mixed with heavy forests of conifers, fir and spruce trees – no piñon pine trees are found in this section of Nevada – and the scenery becomes more akin to vistas of the Rocky Mountain states.

Looking down the slopes below the road you'll find several small lakes and snowmelt ponds. Beaver often can be seen working these ponds, busily building and maintaining their dams. Dramatic red cliff outcroppings dominate the scene just above the road. Many roads take off and run short distances away to nearby hilltops, mountaintops or other points of interest.

At a point 10.7 miles since entering the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, 8,442 foot high Coon Creek Summit is reached.

Part 3 – Coon Creek Summit to Bear Creek Summit

The forest thickens along here, with blips of mountain views here and there. At Bear Creek Summit, a short road climbs west about 500-600 feet to a knoll and affords a superb panorama. Other roads wander here and there to nearby points.

Be careful of wildlife: deer, marmots and badgers often appear out of nowhere in front of you as they come up from below the road and make a mad dash for the other side.

Part 4 – Bear Creek Summit to Jarbidge

The vistas of the northern face of the peaks of the Jarbidge Mountains are dramatic, but keep your eyes on the road as much as possible ... it's a long drop to the canyon bottom! The route is densely forested along the upper third, but descends steeply through mountain mahogany until hitting the canyon bottom forested with evergreens and deciduous trees.

In 4¼ miles the road comes to a T-intersection with signs indicating that Jarbidge is three miles to the left (north) and Pine Creek Campground is ¾ of a mile to the right. We'll come back to the road up to Pine Creek Campground and beyond later.

Turn left and downhill to Jarbidge, following the bottom of the narrow chasm of the canyon – the road wedged between one side of the Jarbidge River or the other and the canyon wall. Even though the sign indicates that it is three miles to Jarbidge, you'll hit the upper buildings in town in less than two miles. In the summer of 2006 new bridges were installed on the Jarbidge River crossings.

There are some mining ruins and mine adits a mile or so above Jarbidge, which are part of the ghost town of Pavlak, a suburb of Jarbidge of sort.

Part 5 – The Town of Jarbidge

On this page, a lengthy account of Jarbidge's history won't be related. Instead, this writer would recommend “NEVADA GHOST TOWNS AND MINING CAMPS,” by Stanley Paher; as well as “A PLACE CALLED JARBIDGE,” by Donald E. Mathias and Valerie S. Berry. But a thumbnail sketch of the history of the town is presented.

As Nevada mining towns go, Jarbidge was a late-comer. It wasn't until October, 1909 that gold was found in the region, a year after many Nevada boomtowns went sour due to the Panic of 1907, when capital forthcoming to finance Nevada mining went instead to rebuilding San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake.

By early spring of 1910 Jarbidge started growing swiftly even though the region was thoroughly buried in deep snows, partly fueled by embellished newspaper accounts and rumors. By May, many started leaving Jarbidge en masse. Those who stuck it out until the snow melted did indeed find gold bearing ledges and Jarbidge started building. Jarbidge continued with a seasonal boom/bust cycle until 1918 until the Elkoro Mining Company bought up principal claims and year round production ensued until the Depression.

Jarbidge does have a first and last in its history – the last stagecoach robbery with resulting murder of the stage driver lead to the first use of palm and fingerprints in forensic science to catch and convict the killer. In December, 1916, the Idaho stage was held up by a gunman who killed the stage driver and made off with the mail and $3,000 in cash. He propped up the dead man's body in the seat, smearing his hands with the blood of his victim while doing so. The murderer then washed his hands in the river, then went about the task of opening mail, carelessly scattering the envelopes. He was soon caught and later convicted, based upon his fingerprints and palm prints left upon the envelopes.

Today, Jarbidge is a remote and isolated village. Not a stitch of pavement is to be found in or around the community. (Note: Now there are several “stitches” of pavement in and around the town – 15-20 foot long access ramps on all newly built bridges over the Jarbidge River north and south of town are of pavement). The town is made up of an eclectic yet cohesive assortment of new and old structures. Few are found from Jarbidge's earliest days, as a major fire visited town early on in its infancy and nearly destroyed it. But there are many from the Elkoro period of the town's life and a smattering of newer mobile homes, modular homes – these covered by huge snow roofs or snow sheds – as well as some new log homes.

There are some services in Jarbidge. The Outdoor Inn serves food, drink (both soft and hard), music, billiards, a couple of slot machines, laughter and friendship. Associated with and owned by the owners of the Outdoor Inn, there is the Red Dog Saloon across the street. Operations move between the two – the Outdoor Inn operates in the summer, then when the snow flies operations move to the smaller (thus easier and cheaper to heat) Red Dog Saloon in the winter. Food prices are very reasonable, the food excellent and presented with friendly service (Note: Food prices at the Outdoor Inn were identical in July, 2007 as they were in September, 2006). There is a laundromat at the Outdoor Inn and a small motel and RV park annexed to it. In September of 2006, rooms were $60 nightly and $70 nightly with a kitchenette. Dogs are welcome with a $10 one time charge. The phone number for the Outdoor Inn is (775) 488-2311. It is through this exchange that you will likely be able to locate the phone number of any Jarbidge resident or business, as well as information about Jarbidge in general. Major credit and debit cards accepted. A brochure of the Outdoor Inn is HERE. Dial-up users, beware, the file size is over 3 megabytes.

Across the street from the Outdoor Inn is a small gift shop open in summer. It is owned and operated by the postmistress of Jarbidge, who makes her own jewelry during Jarbidge's long and hard winters. In addition to jewelry, the gift shop has some apparel, hats and caps, books, as well as other knick-knacks.

Up the street is the Sinclair gas station, which was closed down during this writer's first visit in 2001. In August of 2006, the postmistress and gift shop owner purchased the station and it is open during the daytime hours and open on call at other times (there is a phone mounted to the front wall to call the owner if she or her attendant doesn't come out to greet you). The two pumps dispense unleaded regular and diesel. In September of 2006, both diesel and gasoline were $3.84 per gallon (Note: In July, 2007, gas was $3.34 for regular unleaded gasoline, $3.28 for diesel – a good estimate of fuel prices in Jarbidge as gas prices rise and fall will be about 20¢ per gallon higher than those in Elko). Credit and debit cards are accepted.

There is a tiny store in the lower end of Jarbidge, housed in the front portion of a home. Basic sundries are found at very reasonable prices, considering that the store's owner has to make trips to Twin Falls, Idaho or Elko, Nevada – each at or well over 100 miles away, to stock his store.

Additional lodging is found at the Tsawhawbitts Bed & Breakfast (named after an Indian legend of man-eating giant – pronounced “Ja-ha-bich” and thus the linguistic corruption “Jarbidge” as the town's name), a nice looking establishment located at the northern end of town. A short distance further north is The Barn Hotel, which is operated by the same people who own the Outdoor Inn. If you don't mind bathrooms and showers at the end of the hall, this is your place. Rooms at The Barn run $35 per night, with a $10 one-time charge for dogs. (Note: Prices for The Barn were still the same in July 2007.)

Jarbidge has a small post office, which is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday; noon to 4:00 PM.

There is a volunteer fire department in town, many members also are part of the local search & rescue. There is an EMT in town, who is often seen buzzing about town on his official Elko County 4-wheel ATV, complete with light bar and Motorolla 2-way radio. A deputy sheriff resides in town, his official Jeep Cherokee parked in front of his home in plain sight.

There is a town hall located across the street from the Outdoor Inn, which was the lively Commercial Club saloon/dance hall/theater during the early days of Jarbidge's history. If it is unlocked or open (inquire at the Inn if not), a visit inside is a treat. There are displays and photo boards with photographs of Jarbidge's early days; the stage has the original painted curtain with ads of Jarbidge's early businesses.

Jarbidge's historic jail is still standing, next to the town's tiny store. The criminal who committed the 1916 stagecoach robbery and murder was incarcerated in one of the cells until convicted and transferred to the Nevada State Penitentiary at Carson City. The jail is intact and complete with two cells. The writer has stood inside the cell with the heavy iron door shut. Amenities for the 1916 jailbird were sparse – a wash basin, chair, cot and “honey pot.” The jail doors are made up of heavy iron strapping, which allows little visibility out or in. There is a historical plaque on the front of the jail that reads:

“Jarbidge Jail. Built after the town was removed from the U.S. Forest by a 1911 Presidential proclamation it replaced the constable’s home or Forest Service cabin to restrain rowdy miners and hold suspects for arrival of a sheriff deputy. A colorful story tells of a burly miner frequently using the bunk to raise the roof to slip out and return to the saloon, climbing back in his cell before morning. Most noted prisoner was Ben Kuhl, who robbed the Rogerson-Jarbidge stage in December 1916, killing Fred Searcy the driver, the last mail stagecoach robbery in the U.S. and the first conviction based on a bloody palm print. It was last used about 1945. Dedicated June 13, 1998 by Lucinda Jane Saunders. Chapter 1881 E. Clampus Vitus.”

The town's population runs 50 or so in summer, dropping to a dozen or so in winter. Four-wheel ATVs seem to be the transportation of choice by locals and visitors alike in summer, snowmobiles rule the local streets in winter. In hunting season, the town's population does increase with hunters – many who have been coming to Jarbidge for years and are known by their first names by the town's residents.

Jarbidge is isolated further in winter, when only the road north to Rogerson, Idaho (63 miles) is open and plowed of snow.

Part 6 – Up the Jarbidge River: Pine Creek Campground and to the Boundary of the Jarbidge Wilderness

This road was notorious for a time in the summer of 2000, when a group of people resisted the United States government's intervention as the Forest Service attempted to close down this road and include it in the Jarbidge Wilderness. The government relented to the demands of the people, but left the matter for the courts to decide who was right or wrong. In 2006, a decision was finally made and the road remains open to the people to the boundary of the Jarbidge Wilderness near Snowslide Gulch.

The road to the Pine Creek Campground is maintained, but not to the standards of the main road into Jarbidge. A base of rock topped with local clay-like dirt makes up the road and for the most part is easy to travel with most any vehicle. In September of 2006 I did find one spot where it appeared that a 50-yard long section of the road was washed out by the Jarbidge River and filled in hastily, which may require a bit of care to cross with a standard automobile.

There are several apparent campsites along the Jarbidge River below the Pine Creek Campground. A couple of them have tables.

The Pine Creek Campground has several spaces, a bulletin board and a clean and stocked vault toilet. There are no fees required to stay at the campground at the time of writing of this page (2006, field checked 2007). Each spot has a table and a metal fire ring. There is running water in season – an Iowa type hose faucet pokes out of the ground near the toilet.

The road continues above the Pine Creek Campground about a bit more than mile to the vicinity of Snowslide Gulch. There is a cautionary sign indicating that the road beyond is for high clearance four-wheel-drive only and it is truly so, but not extreme. The road starts off seemingly fine, but then gets rocky. The trail crosses the Jarbidge River several times, each crossing marked by submerged large rocks. The river generally runs along a small portion of its bed in summer and tends to be shallow. The last half mile of the road is anti-climactic due to the fact that the road becomes very good and smooth. Overall I'd rate this road moderate. A truck based SUV should have no difficulty taking this short and scenic spur.

The road effectively ends at a sign at the side of the road that indicates that it is the “END OF ROAD – NO MOTORIZED VEHICLES BEYOND THIS POINT.” The road continues on and appears at first unblocked, but if you peer down the road a ways you will see several very large boulders placed across the path. The road used to go another two miles further to the site of the Perkins Cabin, where a foot trail climbed up the spine of the Jarbidge Mountains and crossed over into the Mary's River watershed.

Part 7 – Road to the Bluster and other Mines

The road takes off the east side of the roadway along the Jarbidge River about a third of a mile below the Pine Creek Campground or a quarter mile above the junction with the main road to Bear Creek Summit.

When the writer first attempted to take this road in 2001, at a point about two miles up the trail, the trail had sloughed off, leaving little room for error for my truck to safely navigate across. I made a feeble attempt to cross it, but chickened out and parked the truck a few yards back at the apex of the switchback.

At the time, the writer and friend walked up another mile or so to the main adits of the Bluster Mine. The views were breath taking and we found remnants of several log cabins, mining equipment, ore cart trackage and a tramway running down to the workings near the bottom of the canyon. The road continued to climb the face of the canyon, but we did not venture further.

In 2006, the writer found that this road had been recently bladed with a bulldozer. Wondering what was going to to be found at the point where the road had sloughed off, it was found that indeed a nice path had been bulldozed through the sloughed off portion, but at the point where the road began to cross it, a sturdy gate had been put in place – and with an equally sturdy padlock.

The gate was a stand alone unit and not part of a fence network, no means to stop foot traffic was put in place (the gate was easily walked around). There were no signs on the gate or in the vicinity warning one from entering, so it was not known what if any restrictions or legalities there are on exploring on foot beyond the gate. An inquiry at the Outdoor Inn might provide an answer. It was found from locals that a mining company was in the process of doing exploratory work at the Bluster and other area mines.

Note: In July, 2007, a mining company was still working many of the old mines in the region and several dozen employees were staying in Jarbidge. It is presumed that this road is still closed to the public at the gate. There were no signs at the bottom and junction with the main road indicating closure above.

Though it is not implied or recommend that one can go into the area beyond the gate, if so, caution is given regarding moving and operating equipment and mine hazards. And possible consequences for trespassing.

At any rate, even with the gate, the mile or so of road up to it affords beautiful views anywhere you wish to look. On the lowest level of the road, just before the road switchbacks from its trend southward back to north, be on the lookout for the picturesque ruins of a milling facility to the right of the road, half hidden in the mountain mahogany. Just before the gate, at the apex of the switchback, there is ample room to park several vehicles and the view here is superb.

Note: In July, 2007, the road to the millsite was taken with a Honda CR-V, which did require a bit of care and resulted in an impact on the undercarriage with a large rock that one of the front wheels levered upwards. Caution is advised if one takes a crossover type SUV up this road.

Part 8 – Exiting Jarbidge to the North: Jarbidge to Rogerson, Idaho

This road north is the only reliable route into or out of Jarbidge during inclement weather and the only regularly maintained route in winter.

NOTE: During the summer of 2007, road crews from the National Forest Service were extensively rebuilding the road north from Jarbidge to the Idaho state line, much as they did the road south from Jarbidge during the summer of 2006.

About a mile north of Jarbidge, an unmarked road turns left (west), crosses the river then climbs the slope to a small flat where the town's cemetery is located. On a visit in 2006, a bulletin board was found with a list compiled by the Smithsonian of all known graves in the cemetery during its study. Most of the oldest graves are in the rear (western) side of the cemetery, and several newer graves are along the eastern (front) fence. There are many unmarked graves.

North of the cemetery is the town dump, a large transfer bin.

Continuing north, the road descends gradually along the Jarbidge River and soon exits the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Though outside the national forest, conifers and other deciduous trees fill the canyon, though gradually lessening as you travel northward. Soon the canyon is filled with stone spires that spawned Indian legends of Tsawhawbitts – the man eating giant who reportedly caught human prey unawares, stuffed them in large knapsacks on their backs, then took them to their mountaintop lairs to dine on them. Many of the stone spires take on a human appearance and it's easy to appreciate the native Indian viewpoint of these giants.

It is about 8.6 miles from the Outdoor Inn to the Idaho border, marked by easy to miss plastic strips sticking up on both sides of the roadway. By the time Idaho is entered, you encounter more sagebrush and deciduous trees than forests and the route is entering sagebrush steppe country.

In a bit less than a mile, a road takes off to the left (west) and re-enters Nevada. This route runs through the Diamond A Ranch country and one can eventually end up at Wildhorse Reservoir on NV225.

It is 4.1 miles from the Idaho/Nevada border to the Forks of the Jarbidge River (and about 13 miles north of Jarbidge), where the East Fork of the Jarbidge – which descends from the summit of 10,565 foot Marys River Peak (about seven miles southeast of Coon Creek Summit) – meets up with the main fork of the Jarbidge that you've been following. At the fork is a nice and shady BLM campground with vault toilet and tables. There are no roads continuing on down the Jarbidge River, although there is a road paralleling the canyon on the steppe above.

At the Forks of the Jarbidge River, the route turns southeast and continues another two miles along the East Fork of the Jarbidge River to the tiny community of Murphy Hot Springs (no services). Murphy Hot Springs is made up of a line of mobile homes and small frame dwellings crammed between the road, river and cliffs south of the river bank.

If one turns into the community of Murphy Hot Springs, access to a bridge crossing the river will allows one to drive a road climbing the opposite cliffs; that road will eventually take the traveler back to Jarbidge through the heavy forests and higher ground. The writer has not personally been this way, so cannot give any advise on hazards or features along the way.

From Murphy Hot Springs, the road starts to climb a grade out of the canyon of the East Fork of the Jarbidge River. In about two miles the road summits the canyon's side and suddenly the traveler reaches pavement. The road is called Three Creek Road from this point on most maps. As you top the summit, to the left (west) of the road is the airstrip for the region.

For some miles, the pavement remains narrow (about a lane and a half wide by most highway standards), with no shoulders. Sagebrush grows to the pavement's edge in most places. The pavement, though old, is in reasonably good shape with no pot holes. There are no lane markings. Passing through at night requires your eyes and mind to stay focused on your driving.

The paved road crosses the relatively featureless and sage covered steppe country of southern Idaho. After running relatively straight for seven miles, the road will start to meander and trend eastward; the pavement rising and falling into gullies and high ground between them. A ranch or two is passed along the way. The countryside around becomes more interesting with several small mountains in view.

Passing by one of those ranches along the side of the road, the pavement suddenly becomes newer, the roadway widens and becomes marked. Dirt shoulders appear along with these improvements. Reflectors, guardrails and increased signage also are found. Though still not a state highway, the road appears to be up to the standards of one from this point the remainder of the way to Rogerson.

About 31 miles after passing Murphy Hot Spring, the road will suddenly dip downward and meet with the Cedar Creek Reservoir.

In just less than ten miles further, after crossing through relatively gentle countryside, the road will suddenly drop down a dark basaltic cliff and cross the top of the narrow Salmon Falls Creek dam. The roadway is one lane wide with tall and wide concrete sides. On the left side of the dam, you are looking nearly 225 feet down to Salmon Falls Creek. On the right, the 12-mile long reservoir extends nearly to the Nevada state line. There are plenty of recreation sites along the narrow lake, with boat ramps and campgrounds. Parking near the dam, you will notice that the dam has some substantial water leaks along its sides – though built in 1910, it took 74 years for the water level to reach maximum capacity, mainly due to the amount of water leaking past the dam.

After crossing the dam, Three Creeks Road will circle 5,389 foot high Salmon Butte, then make a straight bee-line for Rogerson, about 7.5 miles away. Rogerson is mainly a small community of several homes, a few photographic old and abandoned buildings and a Sinclair gas station and mini-mart. Three Creeks Road T-bones into a street before coming to US93, this road being the old alignment of that highway. Turn right (south) and travel a quarter mile and you will reach US93 and the Sinclair gas station. It is about 65 miles from Jarbidge to Rogerson.

A turn left onto US93 (north) will take the traveler 30 miles to Twin Falls, Idaho; a medium sized city of about 30,000 people and situated on Interstate 84. A turn right (south) on US93 will take one 18 miles to Jackpot, Nevada; a small casino and resort town with three fairly large casinos. There are plenty of rooms between the casinos and motels. The writer has sampled and recommend the restaurant at Barton's US93 Club. There is a Chevron gas station as well, though the prices at Rogerson tend to be considerably lower each time the writer has traveled this route.

The highway continues south about 65 miles to Wells, Nevada (all services), on I-80 and you can return to Elko.

If reading this section first because travel dictates accessing Jarbidge from the north via Rogerson, the reader can continue the description of Jarbidge HERE.

The road to Rogerson from Jarbidge was highly impacted by the massive Murphy Complex of fires. This wildfire burned for over a week during the last half of July, 2007 and consumed nearly three-quarters of a million acres and covered over a thousand square miles. Jarbidge and Murphy Hot Spring communities were evacuated and electricity was cut off for over a week due to the main power lines being destroyed. The individual wildfires that made up the Murphy Complex charred a path straddling the Nevada-Idaho border between Mountain City, Nevada and Jackpot. The flames blackened most of the countryside between Murphy Hot Spring and Cedar Creek Reservoir on both sides of the road. Though devastated at this writing, in my experience, nature will soften the visual impact by next summer as winter rains and snow will sprout a thick carpet of grasses in the fire zone.

Jarbidge is a wonderful little town nestled in some gorgeous countryside. Though the writer hasn't returned to Jarbidge since the wildfires of 2007 (the writer and his family had to evacuate Jarbidge during the midst of the firestorm), it is imagined by now that the impact of the fires on the land are softening.

Date created: 2006

Page Revised: 08/24/2010