Lava Butte | Volcanic Cone Between Las Vegas and Lake Mead, Nevada
Lava Butte is a distinctive stand-alone volcanic cone below Frenchman Mountain and to the East. It can be seen from many high points in and around the Lake Mead National Recreation Area including Fortification Hill, Mt. Wilson, Frenchman Mountain and others. It’s a fun, challenging climb to go up one side and down the other, weaving around huge volcanic boulders. Route description: 7mi | 1,835 > 2,871ft; ** Service Road / Lava Ridge** Click image or title above for more…
Mt. Wilson | Black Mountains, Arizona | Adjacent to Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Mt. Wilson is a distinctive high point in the Black Mountains and offers incredible 360 degree views of the surrounding wilderness including Lake Mead, Potosi Mountain, the Rainbow Mountains, La Madre Mountains Wilderness, Mt Charleston Wilderness, Gass Peak, the Sheep Range, Frenchman Mountain, Fortification Hill, the Hoover Dam area and points further East. The adventure begins at the Arizona Hot Springs trailhead on Arizona Highway 93, 4 miles South of the Nevada/Arizona border. Route details: 16mi RT | 1,536 > 5,446ft; **Some Road, Mostly Wilderness; Click image or title above for more…
Northern Bowl of Fire | Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada
The Northern Bowl of Fire is a massive Aztec red rock cliff system rivaling any other red rock formation in Nevada. The red rock is composed of frozen sand dunes from the Jurassic era, and the red coloring is caused by iron that leached up through the sand before it solidified into rock. The route I describe here offers spectacular 360 degree views of the Overton Arm of Lake Mead, the Hamblin Mountain area, portions of Lake Mead, the Southern Bowl of Fire, Anniversary Ridge, and the Muddy Mountains. Route details: 8mi RT | 1,887 > 2,568ft; ** Some Trail, Mostly Wilderness** Click image or title above for more…
Northshore Road | Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada
Though Lake Mead National Recreation Area includes a few commercial developments, it is largely an untouched wilderness rivaling places like the Mt. Charleston Wilderness, the La Madre Mountains Wilderness and the Sheep Range. Here’s a quick tour of Northern Lake Mead NRA. Our overview adventure begins at the East entrance to Valley of Fire State Park. We note landmarks by the mile markers on Northshore Road which begins at mile 45.1 and ends towards Hoover Dam at mile 0. Route details: 45.1-mile tour of Northshore Road and various waypoints. Click image or title above for more…
Southern Bowl of Fire | Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada
You can stand in the midst of the Bowl of Fire and see the entire Bowl of those beautiful Aztec formations in one of the most incredible 360 degree vistas available anywhere. And then proceed through a gentle valley to the North surrounded on both sides by more formations. Route details: 5-6mi | 1,965 > 1,905ft; ** Some Trail, Some Wilderness** Click image or title above for more…
Sunrise Mountain, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada
Sunrise Mountain offers a grand view of both the Lake Mead region and Nellis AFB below. In addition, you will find a lot more wilderness solitude than the more heavily traveled Frenchman Mountain trail just across Lake Mead Blvd. And, in my thinking, the Sunrise Mountain adventure is more rugged, wild, challenging and interesting. Route details: 4 mi RT | 7-800ft Elevation Gain/Loss; **Unmarked Trailhead, Use Trail at First, Some Wilderness Navigation** Click image or title above for more…
