Overview

Note: This trail was closed because of highway construction for the bridge bypass, but it reopened in November 2005. Floods during the winter and spring of 2005 filled all of the upper hot pools with sand and gravel, but people are working to clear them out. Pools farther down the canyon do not seem to have been adversely affected.

This great hike runs down a narrow, rocky canyon to a series of hot springs and several hot pools of water. Most of the route is a fairly easy, descending about 600 feet in about 2 miles to the hot springs, but there is some 3rd-class scrambling over and around boulders in the wash. It takes about 30-45 minutes and a fair bit of scrambling to get from the upper hot springs to the Colorado River.

Link to map.

Below the first set of hot spring pools, the hot creek continues down the canyon to the Colorado River with many more hot pools and hot waterfalls. The canyon winds around, so it is hard to estimate the exact distance, but it takes 30-45 minutes of hustling to get to the river from the upper hot pools and the rock scrambling is a bit more difficult than above the first hot springs.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ...this is a fairly safe hike, but there are some things to watch out for. The canyon is narrow and subject to flash floods, so skip this hike if you even think it might rain. There are several places where the canyon is choked with house-sized boulders that you have to climb around. People have cut footsteps and left fixed ropes in some places, but it still qualifies as 3rd-class scrambling. If the route over the boulders looks too dangerous, look for a route along the side of the canyon that you might have missed, but judge the safety of the routes for yourself.

Getting to the hot springs is easy -- just walk downhill until you find hot water. However, about 1.5 miles out, three canyons converge in a broad open area. When you get to this point, pay attention to where you came from so you will remember how to get out. Even with footprints in the gravel, the wash you came down isn't the obvious choice on the way out.

People at the hot springs, signs at some Lake Mead hot springs (but not here), and notices on the Internet warn about Naegleria fowleri and the dangers of getting a deadly Naegleria fowleri infection while swimming in hot springs. It seems to me that the chance of contacting Naegleria fowleri is extremely low, but judge for yourself. Many people soak here and none have died so far as I know, so I just enjoy the hot water, keep my nose out of the water, and don't worry about it.

Other thoughts. This is not a good trail for dogs. If you take a dog, be ready to do the rock climbing while carrying your dog. Some people with a black lab didn't seem to be having very much fun, although the people with the rat-sized thing just stuffed it in a backpack and did fine going over the rocks. There are no facilities in the canyon, and there are few private places at the hot springs, so consider doing your business before you get there. This is another good reason to leave the pets at home. Don't take any glass containers -- too much rock and too many bare feet. Don't get hurt down there; it would be a difficult place for a rescue.

While hiking, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. Also, this is a fairly long hike, so be sure to bring the 10 Essentials.

Trail Guide

Getting to the Trailhead

This hike is located along Highway 93 in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, about 1 hour southeast of downtown Las Vegas.

From town, drive out to Lake Mead. From the intersection of Highway 93 and Lakeshore Scenic Drive (Table 1, Site 803), drive south on Highway 93 towards Hoover Dam. About 0.5 miles past the Hacienda Casino (which old-timers know as the reincarnated Goldstrike Casino), turn right onto a road that goes south and passes under the new highway. At a fork in the road past the new highway (not the highway on-ramp), turn left and drive down into the bottom of the canyon. Drive down the road for another half-mile to the end of the road (Site 819). Park here; this is the trailhead.

The Hike

From the trailhead (Table 2, Waypoint 1), the route runs past the barricades and down the canyon, which feels deep, but fairly open at this point. At the second bend in the canyon, the route runs under one of the new highway spans. Keep an eye out for cars and trucks that crashed off the old road and into the canyon. They say that some of the debris is local color left over from when they built the dam.

Soon the canyon walls get steeper and the wash narrows. Watch for desert bighorn sheep browsing on the steep hillsides above the wash. There is plenty for them to eat along the canyon. This area is in the Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub) life zone, and the vegetation along the wash is fairly lush for this area. The most common plant species along the wash are Catclaw Acacia, Brittlebush, Creosote Bush, Bursage, and Burrobrush (Cheeseweed). Keep an eye out for Maidenhair Ferns and Narrow-leaved Cattail, species that you wouldn't expect in the desert.

Eventually, the canyon walls become vertical. Be sure to notice the geology along the route. The rock is volcanic, and there are some fascinating rock structures in the canyon. You can, for example, find places where hot springs once flowed and places where boulders and gravel seem to be glued to the side of the cliffs above your head. While clambering around, be sure to stay out of the Desert Stingbush (aka Rock Nettle) growing on the rocky walls.

After about 1.5 miles, the canyon is narrow and an enormous boulder blocks the wash. Standing atop the boulder, it looks about 25 feet down to the wash below. Bypass the boulder by carefully stepping down the stairs carved in the rock wall on the right (south) side. Unfortunately, the first two steps are the smallest; the rest are larger and more reassuring.

Below the boulder, the deep and narrow canyon suddenly opens into a broad, open area (Wpt. 2) that is vegetated with lots of creosote bush. Pay attention at this spot because it is easy to get confused here on the way out. Turn around and look back at the slot-canyon you just came through so you will recognize the place when hiking out. An alternate route back to the highway (not the trailhead) follows use-trails up the canyon the north, but this route is steep and gets full sun. The route that appears most obvious is the canyon to the south, but this is not the best way back to the trailhead. Check your route on the way in so you can find your way out.

Continue down the wash through the open area. Soon the canyon narrows again, the walls get steeper, moisture begins to appear in the wash, and the vegetation becomes lush. Nearing the hot springs, the route passes through an area that once was a Saltcedar jungle, but it was cleared by fire. Saltcedar is an invasive plant that the National Park Service is trying to remove because it crowds out native species and it provides little in the way of food for wildlife.

About 0.5 miles below the open area, the creek begins to flow, the water starts to get warm, you climb over a boulder, and suddenly you see the built-up hot tubs that are Goldstrike Hot Springs (Wpt. 3).

The hot springs area is located in a deep, narrow section of the canyon that is choked with boulders. People have built retaining walls under a number of the boulders to create several hot tubs. At the bottom of this section, a 10-foot-high dam holds back a backyard-sized swimming pool. Very inviting. People sometimes climb the cliff and jump into the big pool, but with so many rocks in the water, I wouldn't recommend it. A blue-green-colored, moss-like algae seems to grow in the very hottest water, so if you see algae, be careful.

For most people, this area with the hot tubs and swimming pool is the place to stop. The pools are warm and inviting, the company can be good, and the canyon is spectacular. For others, the hike to the Colorado River takes a good 30-45 minutes.

Just below the swimming pool, the canyon jogs to the south, runs straight for about 100 yards past a Date Palm growing like a giant shrub on the side of the canyon, then jogs to the east again. Just after turning the corner, an enormous, water-polished smooth boulder blocks the canyon. A fixed rope helps here, but the last step is a doosey (especially on the way back up). Be sure you can get back up before jumping off the end. If the rope is missing, consider not sliding down the boulder.

Below there, parts of the route run along the side of the canyon where people have trimmed back the Catclaw Acacia and Saltcedar bushes. Other places, the route just climbs down boulders and around waterfalls, including some 3rd-class scrambling, and there is at least one place, maybe two, with fixed ropes.

Near the bottom of the canyon (couple hundred yards from the river), there are some very nice hot tubs and even a hot waterfall coming off the side of the canyon. Eventually the route passes two California Fan Palms and pops out onto a small gravel beach at the edge of the Colorado River. There are some nice boulders at the mouth of the canyon where one can sit, relax, eat lunch, and contemplate the passing of old-man river.

After relaxing in the hot water and eating lunch, retrace your steps to the trailhead.