My Dream Drive: Moapa Valley

A great driving road in the Nevada desert? You better believe it

Name: Dan Prosser
Where: Moapa Valley, Nevada
Car used:BMW M235i

The route:
"Around 30 miles to the north east of Las Vegas, the 168 connects the larger 93 to Interstate 15. Running through the Moapa Valley, the 168 is almost 25 miles in length and passes a national wildlife refuge and an Indian reservation.

Yes, this really is very near Las Vegas!

Why it's a dream drive:
"The 168 is a little slice of British B-road in the scorched Nevadan desert. From Las Vegas, it's approached by the kind of archetypal, arrow straight road that is unique to this part of North America; the 168 actually splits off from a section of the 93 that doesn't deviate from its dead-ahead course for close to 20 miles. Whereas most other roads in the region are wide and featureless, the 168 twists and turns and rises and falls like the roller coaster at New York New York in Sin City.

"Turning right off the 93, the 168 is just as arrow straight for a mile or so at it passes the Coyote Springs Golf Club. Once clear of the fairways, it begins to duck and weave. The corners are fast and flowing. With barely a hint of vegetation for miles visibility should be perfect, but the relentless undulations cause the road to fall out of sight as one corner snakes into another.

The fast, flowing 168 is a real challenge

"There are yellow signs dotted along the 168 with arrows to show the direction of each forthcoming corner, but they're spaced irregularly so you can't rely on them. That means that the 168 is one to learn over a handful of runs. Once you begin to draw a mental map of the road ahead, you can then start to commit to the unsighted corners without scrubbing off all your speed.

"For 10 miles or so the corners come thick and fast, a handful taken in third gear, but most at the top of fourth. The surface is just as familiar to a travelling Briton as the relentless twists and turns; rather than being pool table smooth like everything else in the region, it's lumpy and rippled. With high levels of grip, the 168 really is a stern test of a driver's nerve and the car's compliance and body control.

There's potential for getting it wrong too!

"Only for the final few miles on the run towards Interstate 15 does the 168 finally relent. A good opportunity to let the brakes cool; in the height of the Nevadan summer, they'll no doubt be cooked by the time you reach the open stretches.

"While almost every other road in the region dissects the plains between mountain ranges without so much as a curve for mile after mile, the 168 is a genuinely challenging, rewarding stretch of blacktop. Perfect for finding out just how capable your hire car really is."

Highlights and lowlights:
"The road is so appealing because it's one of the few in the region that actually reaches into the hills themselves, rather than simply running between ranges. The scenery is quite unlike anywhere else; the surrounding area is arid and dusty with only the hardiest plant life in sight, while the mountains in the distance are jagged and barren.

Few issues with visibility then

"Out of season at least the 168 was deathly quiet, although that may not be true in the summer months. The speed limit is 55mph, at which speed a modern car will be well within its limits on much of the road."

Sights, stop-offs and diversions:
"Aside from all the sights and sounds of Las Vegas itself, the impressive Hoover Dam is less than an hour away from the 168, as is the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The nearby Valley of Fire State Park is a spectacular sight and the 169 that runs through it would be even better than the 168 were it not for the fiercely controlled 35mph speed limit. It is worth paying the small toll and cruising through it just to see the pointed orange rock formations that give the park its name, though."

Follow the route here

My Dream Drive is sponsored by Dunlop Tyres. To share yours email us atdreamdrives@pistonheads.com - if we publish your Dream Drive you'll get a pair of complimentary tickets to the BTCC round of your choosing, courtesy of Dunlop Tyres.

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BBS-LM

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