Lake Mead - a view east from along the Christmas Tree Pass Road

This view is looking east from along the Christmas Tree Pass Road in the Newberry Mountains. Christmas Tree Pass Road is unpaved, steep, and rugged in places (definitely not recommended for long or low-clearance vehicles). However, the route provides an opportunity to observe the transition through a number of ecosystems ranging from the low Sonoran Desert and Colorado Desert plant communities along the Colorado River near Davis Dam, upward through Mojave Desert plant communities including pinyon-juniper woodland above the 3,600 elevation level near Christmas Tree Pass (McNab and Avers, 1994).