Rocky crags and outcrops near Christmas Tree Pass (view south).
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Overview
Bridge Canyon is a small
(7,761 acres) wilderness area located in the rugged Newberry Mountains.
Granite outcrops, huge boulders, and narrow canyons dominate the
landscape; elevations rise to 5,600 feet. Springs and seeps provide
water to wildlife in the area.
The Bridge Canyon
Wilderness Area is separated from the Spirit Mountain Wilderness Area
by a dirt road, which in turn, is separated from the Nellis Wash
Wilderness Area by another dirt road. Combined, these three wilderness
areas span a large area: nearly 58,000 acres.
Link to Wilderness
Area map.
Location
This wilderness area is
located about 75 air-miles south of Las Vegas, about 7 miles west of
Laughlin.
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Granitic outcrops along ridge (view south).
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Boundaries
The western boundary is
coincident with the boundary of Lake Mead National Recreation Area, the
northern and eastern boundaries follow Christmas Tree Pass Road, and
the southern boundary follows Highway 163 and the boundary of Lake Mead
National Recreation Area.
Access
Access is from Christmas
Tree Pass Road and from Highway 163. Christmas Tree Pass Road is a
graded dirt road that runs east from Highway 95 to Christmas Tree Pass,
then runs south to Highway 163. To the east of Christmas Tree Pass, the
road is steep and narrow for several miles, possibly requiring a 4-WD
vehicle when the road is wet.
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Start of the Grapevine Canyon hike (view west).
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To access the wilderness
area from Highway 95, turn east on Christmas Tree Pass Road. The
turnoff is 2.3 miles south from Cal-Nev-Ari and 5.0 miles north of
Highway 163. There is a small road sign for the turnoff; there is also
a fairly large, covered information sign on the east side of the
highway that you can see from a long ways off.
To access the wilderness
area from Highway 163, turn north onto Christmas Tree Pass Road. The
turnoff is about 12.9 miles east of Highway 95 and about 6.7 miles west
of Colorado River bridge in Laughlin. There is a small road sign for
the turnoff.
Terrain
The area is located in
the Newberry Mountains, which rise to an elevation of 5,600 feet.
Rugged granite ridges, boulder outcrops, and narrow canyons are found
throughout of the area. Springs and seeps offer water to wildlife in
the area.
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Habitat Type
At higher elevations, the
habitat type is pinyon-juniper-blackbrush, with species such as juniper
and blackbrush dominating the landscape, and a few pinyon pine
scattered about. Other common species here include yucca, scrub oak,
and catclaw acacia. At lower elevations, the habitat type is Mojave
desert scrub, with species such as creosote bush, yucca, desert shrubs,
and grasses dominating the landscape. In the canyons and washes, the
flora is more diverse. Common species include desert willow,
rabbitbrush, bitterbrush, and even grapevines. There are stands of
cottonwood trees in Grapevine and Sacatone canyons. The Newberry
Mountains provide habitat for one of the northernmost populations of
desert smoketree.
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Rock art at the mouth of Grapevine Canyon (view west).
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Wildlife
Mammals include bighorn
sheep, bobcats, and coyotes. Reptiles include side-blotched lizards,
Gila monsters, banded geckos, collared lizards, chuckwallas, and
rattlesnakes. Birds include Phainopepla, Western Scrub-jay, and
Red-tailed Hawk. Relict leopard frogs may occur here.
Archaeology
There are numerous
archaeological sites in the area, including an amazing display of rock
art at the mouth of Grapevine Canyon. This must-see place is only 1.8
miles from the pavement and only a five-minute walk from the Grapevine
Canyon parking area.
Geology
The area contains huge
granite boulders, outcrops, and caves.
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