Overview

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 with water and vegetation. The vegetation (e.g., mesquite, saltcedar, saltbush, and cattail) and water create a riparian corridor that attracts birds and other wildlife from miles around. A short loop-trail runs down to the stream and back.

The water isn't safe for swimming or drinking (it is, after all, urban runoff), but it does attract wildlife, and as one hiker said, this is about the only place in southern Nevada where you can go to enjoy the sounds of running water. You can enjoy the sights and sounds of the wash without hiking down the trail by walking over to the edge of the bluffs that overlook the wash.

The Park Service is rehabilitating and re-vegetating the area using native vegetation, so this should be an interesting place to hike and watch the progress.

Link to map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ...this is a safe hike, but don't get in the water here because it is urban runoff contaminated with who knows what. The edge of the bluffs overlooking the wash provide an elevated observation platform for listening to the water and watching for wildlife; but, watch your footing out on the edge. Also, part of the trail runs steeply along the top of narrow dirt ridges, so watch your step along there too.

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 short hike, so just bring what you need of the 10 Essentials.

Getting to the Trailhead

This hike is located along Northshore Road in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, about 30 minutes east of Las Vegas.

From town, drive out to Lake Mead. From the intersection of Northshore Road and Lakeshore Road (Table 1, Site 654), drive north on Northshore Road for about 1.2 miles to the Wetlands Trail parking area (Site 821). The parking area is just past (north of) the bridge over Las Vegas Wash and on the right (east) side of the road at a sharp curve to the left. Park here; this is the trailhead.

The Hike

From the trailhead (Table 2, Waypoint 1), the trail runs eastward across the top of the bluffs on sparsely vegetated desert pavement. Watch for the burrows of kangaroo rats around the shrubs and imagine what it must be like for these little seed-eating rodents to live out here (at least they don't need to drink the water!). The trail runs out onto a narrow peninsula that eventually narrows to the width of the trail (Wpt. 2). The trail continues down the narrow ridge towards the bottom of the wash.

Just before the end of the ridge, the trail switchbacks down the north side of the ridge into the bottom of a side-wash (Wpt. 3). In the side wash, the trail runs down the wash for about 1 minute to the edge of the creek (Wpt. 4). From there, enjoy the sights and sounds of water flowing in the desert and walk up along the stream towards the bridge.

To return to the trailhead, walk back to the trail in the side-wash. When the trail starts up the switchbacks on the side of the ridge (Wpt. 3), stay in the bottom of the wash and follow the wash and trail back to the parking area. The entire trail is well marked.

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 to the lake, but it seems a bit overgrown now.