I attend a convention in Vegas every November and I end up free from an evening of dinner with friends around 10pm. So several times now I have hopped in the car and made the drive to Pahrump for some fun.
The last time I did it, it was cool but beautiful when I left Vegas. But when I came back at 1am it was snowing and the road was icy. It's a beautiful drive in the day, but trust me, you don't want to drive it at 1am in the snow!
So before you go, look up the weather forecast for Mountain Springs, Nevada That's the little town just East of the summit. Think twice if it's going to be below freezing and I would only drive that road fully sober.