Arizona Hot Spring
Hot Spring Canyon Route (1,534 to 757 ft)

Hiking Around Las Vegas , Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Arizona Hot Spring -- Hot Spring Canyon Route

View west from the trailhead.	Overview This 2.8-mile, 4th-class route runs across a bajada, down a wash, and through a geologically interesting canyon to Arizona Hot Springs, two thigh-deep hot pools in the bottom of a deep, narrow canyon near the Colorado River. This is a place to sit, relax, and meet interesting people. There are two 3rd-class pour-overs (15- and 25-ft high) and one 4th-class pour-over (30-ft high) to downclimb on this route, and some hikers will want a rope. Return to the trailhead by retracing your footprints or by returning through White Rock Canyon (the regular route). This hike would be a good overnight trip, as there are nice places to camp in the canyon just above the hot springs and down at the river. Link to map or elevation profile.
Entrance to the narrows (view south from saddle).	Watch Out Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ...this is a fairly easy hike punctuated by three exciting pour-overs to downclimb. Most people probably would prefer a rope for the first, 30-ft downclimb. At the hot springs, be careful walking on rocks after you've picked up wet sand on the bottom of your shoes. 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 moderately long hike in a remote area, so be sure to bring the 10 Essentials. Be sure that you are physically fit and that you choose routes of the appropriate difficulty for your skills and endurance.
Trail on hillside beyond saddle (view north).	Trail Guide Getting to the Trailhead This hike is located along Highway 93, south of the dam in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, about 1 hour southeast of Las Vegas. From town, drive out to Lake Mead. From the intersection of Highway 93 and Lakeshore Scenic Drive (by the Visitor Center) (Table 1, Site 803), drive south on Highway 93 for about 4.2 miles to Hoover Dam (Site 812). From the middle of the dam, continue south for 4.25 miles to a parking area on the right side of the road (Site 905). Turn right onto the short access road and drive west for about 100 yards to the parking lot. Park here; this is the trailhead.
The 4th-class face climb. The pour-over is around the corner (view east).	The Hike From the trailhead (Table 2, Wpt 22), the White Rock Canyon Trail runs downhill on a broad ridge parallel to White Rock Wash. The sparsely vegetated country provides grand views down White Rock Wash and out across the Colorado River to the Black Canyon Wilderness Area. About 5 minutes out, the trail forks (Wpt 03). The White Rock Canyon Trail stays to the right and drops into the wash, while the left fork eventually runs directly down Hot Spring Canyon. Staying to the left (Wpt 03), the trail quickly forks again in 2-3 minutes (Wpt 21). The right fork rejoins the White Rock Canyon Trail, while the left fork runs west across the landscape, running up and down across several gullies and eventually linking up with an old road. The trail leaves the road and runs onto a ridge (Wpt. 20) where the trail turns south into the next drainage system. The trail runs south across the hillside for 0.27 miles, eventually dropping into a sandy wash (1533; Wpt 19). The route follows this wash downhill all the way to the spring.
Middle pour-over (3rd-class) (view west from the top).	Shortly after dropping into the wash, the wash merges with a wash coming down from the east, and both run into a V-shaped gully between two low ridges (Wpt 18). The canyon suddenly narrows and drops into a slot canyon that isn't obvious from above. The canyon narrows and deepens, and in about 10 minutes you round a corner and find yourself atop a 25-ft pour-over with no apparent way down (Wpt 17). The route passes this obstacle along the north wall (right on the way down; look for small red and white arrows painted on the rocks). Climb up about 10 feet to a ledge, then follow the ledge west around the corner past the pour-over. The route then descends the steep, 30-ft-high, 4th-class rock face back into the wash. The climbing is easy and the handholds are big enough, but if you fall you die -- so be careful.
Broad wash (view west).	Below the big pour-over, there are two more pour-overs before getting out of the narrows. The first is about 5 minutes below the big falls (Wpt 15). This one requires about 20-25 ft of 3rd-class scrambling down a smooth slot adjacent to the pour-over. Fortunately, to top is easy. The second is a few minutes farther down. This one requires about 15-20 ft of 3rd-class face climbing on big holds adjacent to the pour-over. From the big pour-over, it takes less than 15 minutes to pass the narrows. Below the narrows (Wpt 14), the route continues down the canyon for about 15 minutes to a confluence with another major wash (Wpt 13). Stop for a minute and look around the area so you will remember the way out. Small red and white arrows painted on the rocks will help.
Bottom of narrows (view east).	From the confluence, the route continues down the wash for about 40 minutes to another set of narrows (Wpt 12), the top of which is marked by a cottonwood trees and a mesquite thicket. The wash drops into a slot (10-ft easy scramble down) where the bottom of the slot has a small pool of hot water. The hot main springs and pools are just around the corner (Wpt 11.5). From the hot springs, either return to the trailhead by retracing your route, or consider making a loop and hiking out the White Rock Canyon route, which requires no climbing.
Narrows near the river (view east).	End of text.
Upper hot pool (view east).	No text.
Stepping into the lower hot pool (view east).	No text.

Table 1. Highway Coordinates (NAD27; UTM Zone 11S).

Site #	Location	Latitude (°N)	Longitude (°W)	UTM Easting	UTM Northing	Elevation (feet)	Verified
803	Hwy 93 at Lakeshore Scenic Drive	36.0091	114.7989	698377	3987000	1,700	yes
812	Highway 93 at Hoover Dam	36.0163	114.7364	703994	3987925	1,312	yes
905	Hwy 93 at Arizona Hot Spring parking	35.9774	114.6971	707637	3983688	1,534	yes

Table 2. Hiking Coordinates (NAD27; UTM Zone 11S).

Wpt	Location	Time	Easting	Northing	Elevation (ft)	Point-to-Point Distance	Cumulative Distance
22	Trailhead	1606	707639	3983689	1,509	0.00	0.00
3	Trail forks	1602	707407	3983570	1,479	0.17	0.17
21	Trail forks	1559	707281	3983522	1,413	0.09	0.26
20	Crossing ridge	1542	706875	3983095	1,420	0.43	0.68
19	Entering wash	1533	706987	3982748	1,318	0.27	0.95
18	Washes merge	1529	707032	3982574	1,308	0.12	1.07
17	Above pour-over	1521	707023	3982526	1,290	0.06	1.13
16	Below 4th-class	1520	706991	3982514	1,171	0.04	1.17
15	3rd-class pour-over	1515	706990	3982517	1,251	0.02	1.18
14	Exiting narrows	1504	706758	3982472	1,189	0.18	1.36
13	Canyons merge	1449	706478	3982366	1,126	0.23	1.59
12	Above hot springs	1407	705230	3981814	770	1.13	2.71
11.5	Hot springs	1405	705156	3981760	757	0.09	2.80

Note: All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate.
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© Jim Boone; Last updated 080115

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