Boulder City Ridgeline Loop | Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada
Overview | Boulder City Ridgeline Loop | Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada
Royal Pathway
To move along this great ridgeline is like being on a royal pathway ascending toward beautiful high mountainous peaks. Or you can reverse the loop and find yourself descending toward a massive stadium with brilliantly blue Lake Mead at its center and a background of surrounding mountains. The loop direction you choose makes a great difference. We took the loop in a clockwise direction, but the real show is Lake Mead and surroundings in the afternoon sun, which means taking the loop in a counterclockwise direction. Why not try both directions so you don’t miss a thing!
Great Daily Workout Loop
The loop is only about 5 miles, and mostly a class 2 walk with a few very light class 3 rock scrambles. This makes it an incredible daily workout course. You could probably get the time down to a couple hours or less. And what a workout view!
Non-Stop 360-Degree Mountaintop Views
Here is a short list of the sights you will see along the way:
- River Mountains Highest Ridgeline: Black Mt. Overlook, Black Mt., River Mt., River Mt. Benchmark
- Muddy Mountains
- Lake Mead
- Bowl of Fire
- Anniversary Ridge
- Black Mesa
- Fortification Hill
- Virgin Mountains
- Arizona Black Mountains with Mt. Wilson as High Point
- Hoover Dam Area: Promontory Point, Hoover Peak, Sugarloaf Mt.
- Boulder City
- Eldorado Wilderness
There’s a lot more, this is only a short list!
Best Time of Year for This Adventure
Late Fall through early Spring is best. Since the loop is short, the shorter Winter days would work…especially as you become more familiar with the loop and many ways to shorten or lengthen it.
Potential Extended Adventure
It appeared there was a faint climber’s pathway at the summit of the ridgeline just below Black Mountain that might be an access to that summit and its high ridgeline. I didn’t test this, but the possibility is intriguing. Other extended assess points to the high ridgeline above could be the saddle between Red Mountain and Black Mountain Overlook; or the powerline saddle below River Mountain Benchmark. These would extend the loop into a wider, longer, more challenging adventure.
Route Starting Point Directions | Boulder City Ridgeline Loop | Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada
Take I-11 South from Las Vegas. Then just before the Railroad Pass Casino exit 172 Business Hwy 93 (Boulder City Parkway) to Boulder City. In Boulder City, turn left onto Pacific Way, then right onto Keys Dr. Finally, turn left onto Lido Dr. and continue upward until Lido Dr. ends in a cul-de-sac. Park in the cul-de-sac furthest from the residential homes there. Avoid using more than 1 or 2 vehicles as this is a residential area and not a formal parking area. It’s probably not a good area for multiple vehicles of a meetup excursion to park.Â
Narrative Guide | Boulder City Ridgeline Loop | Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada
Getting Your Initial Bearings
It really helped to have previously done the Black Mt. & River Mt. Loop across the River Mountains highest ridgeline, which is the ridgeline above Boulder City Ridgeline. This made it possible to identify our surroundings better along with potential loop variations. Your best initial views of the Boulder City Ridgeline and the River Mountains Benchmark Ridgeline above occur on your way to the starting point, so look around and above as you’re driving through Boulder City. You can’t see these ridgelines from the starting point. Basically, there’s the River Mountains Benchmark Ridgeline above (with Black Mountain and the other peaks. Below is Lake Mead and Boulder City. This loop includes the Boulder City Ridgeline and the valley below to the North. The Boulder City Ridgeline ascends to its high point at the base of Black Mountain.
Starting Point to the Lower Approach Ridge
Begin by ascending the gully at the top of the cul-de-sac on Lido Drive, just to the left of the green electrical junction box. Very soon in the gully you’ll come across some black boulders and rocks embedded with elongated crystals. These are very rare and you may only see them here and nowhere else. The rocks and boulders are basalt an the elongated crystals are plagioclase. These were created deep within the earth during its fiery formation. The basalt cooled slowly enough for the plag crystals to form. Note that some of the rocks have crystals that are aligned, which indicates the flow in the lava or magma chamber. Others have a more chaotic formation. The magma circulated from deep within the earth to the surface where the these boulders were eventually deposited, then washed down the gully to there present location. This circulation of magma also resulted in the huge variety of rocks you will see along this ridgeline route, including reddish iron, greenish copper, grayish dolomite limestone, speckled andesite (pre-granite), darker manganese, clay and much more. Â
Continue ascending a very steep loose rock slope at the summit of the gully to finally arrive at the lower approach ridge to the Boulder City Ridgeline. That steep loose rock slope was, for me, the most challenging stretch on this entire loop. The rock granules are very fine giving them the stability of ascending a hill of ball bearings!
Lower Approach Ridge to the Beginning of Boulder City Ridgeline
Your first spectacular view of Lake Mead and its surroundings is at a high point about 50 yards to the right on the lower approach ridge. You also get your first view of the River Mountains Benchmark ridgeline above to the West with Black Mt. and the other peaks). Also, to the West there is your first view of the beginning of the Boulder City Ridgeline.
To reach the Boulder City Ridgeline you’ll need to head west on the lower approach ridge, cross a couple intervening gully summits and then ascend a slope to arrive on the beginning of the main ridgeline. Watch for a faint pathway that will help guide you along this stretch.
Ascending the Boulder City Ridgeline
The Boulder City Ridgeline itself is a fairly gradual incline above and along the edge of Boulder City all the way to the base of Black Mountain. There are a series of small high points to traverse along the ridgeline, and some very light class 3 rock scrambles, but it’s mostly a walk with an incredible mountaintop view all the way! Watch for cool volcanic formations. Below, to your left is Boulder City. To your right is the return valley. Along the way there are a few early descent gullies between high points to the valley below. There are even points where you could descend to Boulder City, but then, you’ll need to find your way back to your vehicle on upper Lido Drive!
Summit of Boulder City Ridgeline to the Return Gully Â
Near the summit of Boulder City Ridgeline where it approaches the base of Black Mountain, watch for a faint climber’s trail. This will help lead you upward to the very base of Black Mountain. Then it will circle to the right along the mountain’s base. I noticed a point where the trail continued to ascend toward Black Mountain summit, but I did not explore to see if it actually reached the summit or hit a vertical dead end. The trail crossed a couple descend ridges along the base of Black Mountain then seemed to end at a final ridge where proceeding further meant descending some near vertical cliffs into a huge gully below. We turned around at this point and headed down the gully just before that last ridge.
Return Gully to Return Valley
The return gully we took is mostly an easy descent weaving around and among rocks and boulders. We favored the upper right side of the gully where the going seemed more gradual. There are a couple dry falls in the gully. We easily bypassed these above and to the right. However, you could bypass these on either side…the gully terrain is pretty tame. After the second and larger dry fall, descend a long gradual slope to the wide valley wash below.
Return Valley to the Mining Artifacts
Descend the very gradual, wide gravelly wash below that last slope. The wash circles through a narrow spot, but continues to be an wide, easy, descent with absolutely no obstacles. Eventually you’ll arrive at a huge rusty iron mineral extracting contraption. It’s not clear whether minerals were extracted by crushing, by washing in a water bath, or a combination of both. There are a number of scattered mining artifacts in the area: Huge weathered wooden beams, rusty gas cans…etc. The mining activity most likely occurred sometime between 1860 and 1930, as with the mining history in Death Valley. The artifacts appear to be a similar age. Also, you may earlier have seen a few spots with green copper tailings above in the valley as you traversed the Boulder City Ridgeline.
Mining Artifacts Back to the Starting Point
The mining area is your marker to ascend the ridge to your right. Your starting point is on the opposite side of the ridge. It’s a fairly easy ascent, again helped at times by a faint pathway. Once on top of the ridge, find another faint pathway that will angle to the right and then circle around and down a gully, eventually connecting with the original gully where you came across the crystal-embedded basalt boulders, leading down to your starting point in the cul-de-sac at the upper end of Lido Drive!
Summary
What a spectacular but easily accessible adventure! This could become a frequent workout setting with many route variations. Create the variation that fits your time and energy on any given day. You’re always so close to civilization, yet while on the loop it may seem as though you are hundreds of miles ways in a pristine wilderness setting!
