Description

At the lower end of Las Vegas Wash where the river of runoff from the Las Vegas Valley flows into Lake Mead, there is a deep, narrow, steep-walled canyon that is full of vegetation. The vegetation (e.g., honey mesquite, saltcedar, saltbush, and cattail) and water create a riparian corridor that attracts birds and other wildlife from miles around.

The Wetlands Trail starts on top of the bluffs on the north side of the wash and runs eastward across sparsely vegetated desert pavement to follow the tops of narrow ridges down to the bottom of the wash. In the wash, you can walk back up towards the bridge. The trail, however, loops back to the northwest and follows another little side-canyon back to the parking area. The park Service says that the loop trail runs for about 1.25 miles, but it doesn't seem that long. Some time ago, you could make your way down along the wash, but it is a bit overgrown now. For a complete description of the trail, see Wetlands Trail Hike.

The edge of the bluff overlooks the wash and provide an elevated position to look down into the water and see birds in the shrubs; however, watch your footing out to the edge.

The water isn't safe for swimming (it is, after all, urban runoff), but it does attract many birds, and as one hiker on the trail said, this is about the only place in southern Nevada where you can go to hear the sounds of running water.

The Park Service has been rehabilitating the area using native vegetation, so this should be an interesting place in a few years.

Location

The Wetlands Trail is located east of Las Vegas at Lake Mead, just west of the old Las Vegas Bay Marina. The easiest way to get there from downtown Las Vegas is to drive south on Highway 95 to Henderson. Exit the highway, turn left onto Lake Mead Drive, and drive east out of town, over the mountains, and down towards the lake. About 200-300 yards past the Lake Mead entrance station, turn left (north) onto Northshore Road (Table 1, Site 0654), and drive for about 1.2 miles to the Wetlands Trail parking area. The parking area is on the right (east) side of the road, just north of the bridge over Las Vegas Wash, and on the outside edge of a sharp left-hand curve in the road (Site 0560).

Hours

The National Recreation Area is always open, but this area probably should be considered day-use only.

Fees

It costs $10 per vehicle to enter the Recreation Area (annual passes accepted); after that, there are no extra fees.

Specialties

This is a good place to check the thickets and wetland vegetation for desert residents (e.g., Verdin, Black-throated Sparrow, House Finch, and Gambel's Quail) and to look for migrants during spring and fall (e.g., flycatchers, warblers, Cliff Swallows, Tree Swallows, Common Nighthawks, and Lesser Nighthawks). Bats are attracted to the water and the insects, and coyotes are attracted to the water.

Keep an eye out for dragonflies too.