Overview

NOTE: The ladder is up!

There are two routes to the hot springs using Hot Spring Canyon (and a third if you count White Rock Canyon). The washes route is longer (2.8 miles) and easier, but requires downclimbing several pour-overs, including one that is 30-ft high 4th-class; the mountains route is shorter (2.2 miles) and steeper, but avoids the climbing. Either way, this volcanic area is geologically interesting, and both routes lead to two thigh-deep hot pools in the bottom of a deep, narrow slot canyon near the Colorado River. This is a place to sit, relax, and meet interesting people.

Going down the steep trail and coming out the wash makes a nice loop, or return to the trailhead via White Rock Canyon (the regular route). 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.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ...the washes route 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 Guide
Getting to the Trailhead

This hike is located along Highway 93, south of the Hoover 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 Road (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 Hike

From the trailhead (Table 2, Wpt. 1), 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. 2). The White Rock Canyon Trail stays to the right and drops into the wash, while the left fork eventually runs down Hot Spring Canyon.

Staying to the left (Wpt. 2), the trail 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), which is the highpoint along the trail.

At this point (Wpt. 20), the mountain route turns right and heads to the west into the mountains, while the washes route turns south and runs down into the next drainage system.

Mountains Route

From the highpoint (Table 3, Wpt. 20), the mountains route runs west on slickrock atop the ridge. Because it is slickrock, the start of this trail is very faint, but looking farther to the west, the well defined and distinct use-trail can be seen leading up a shallow canyon. When the slickrock runs out, the use-trail becomes obvious and continues on dirt heading up the shallow canyon to a saddle (Table 3, Wpt. 22).

From the saddle, the trail descends steeply across rocky hillsides and down rocky canyons until eventually reaching Hot Spring Canyon (Table 3, Wpt. 23). In the main wash, the route continues downhill to the hot spring (Table 3, Wpt. 12).

Parts of this route are quite steep, and there are a few sections requiring a bit of Class-2 scrambling, but the mountain route traverses a volcanic area with interesting rock formations, caves, and jumbled up geology. The upper and middle parts also harbor extensive stands of Brittlebush that provide a big splash of yellow in the spring.

Washes Route

From the highpoint (Table 2, Wpt. 20), the washes route turns left and heads to the south. The trail runs across slickrock hillsides for 0.27 miles, eventually dropping into a sandy wash (Table 2, Wpt. 19). The route follows this wash downhill all the way to the hot spring.

Shortly after dropping into the wash, the wash merges with another wash coming down from the east, and both run into a V-shaped gully between two low ridges (Table 2, Wpt. 18). The canyon suddenly narrows and drops into a slot 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 (Table 2, 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.

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 pour-over (Table 2, Wpt. 16). 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 (Table 2, Wpt. 15), the route continues down the canyon for about 15 minutes to a confluence with another major wash (Table 2, Wpt. 14). 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. A trail sign was missing on February 26, 2010.

From the confluence, the route continues down the wash. Watch for the bottom end of the mountains route (Table 3, Wpt. 23) in case you want to go back that way.

About 40 minutes below the confluence, the route enters another set of narrows (Table 2, Wpt. 13), the top of which is marked by a cottonwood tree 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 (Table 2, Wpt 12).

From the hot springs, either return to the trailhead by hiking out the mountains or washes routes, or consider making a big loop and hiking out using the White Rock Canyon route, which requires no climbing and is not steep.

End of route description.