Lonesome Wash to the Colorado River | Eldorado Wilderness, Nevada
Overview | Lonesome Wash to the Colorado River | Eldorado Wilderness, Nevada
Adventure Route Summary
This wilderness route is the most streamlined route from Nelson Hwy 165 on the West end of the Eldorado Wilderness in Nevada to the banks of the Colorado River on the East end of the Eldorado Wilderness. The adventure route crosses desert wilderness, descends to Lonesome Wash at Mohave Overlook, then descends Lonesome Wash to the Banks of the Colorado River at Lonesome Wash Cove. The adventure covers Lonesome Wash from below Mohave Overlook to the Colorado River. To complete the entire length of Lonesome Wash see the adventure on Upper Lonesome Wash.
What Makes This Lonesome Wash Route So Remarkable?
The route I’ve nicknamed “The Lonesome Wash Marathon” is remarkable for the following reasons:
- It passes through the heart of the Eldorado Wilderness.
- It’s a perfect marathon course.
Through the Heart of the Eldorado Wilderness
The Eldorado Wilderness, just South of Las Vegas, Nevada is a little-known wilderness area. Some may know about the Ghost Town of Nelson with its colorful gold rush mining history in the late 1800’s and early 1900s. But the surrounding wilderness is largely unknown, pathless and rarely visited. This remoteness leaves the majestic, volcanic, mountainous Eldorado Wilderness largely untouched and pristine.
Lonesome Wash passes though the heart of this pristine wilderness from West to East all the way to Lonesome Cove on the banks of the Colorado River. On the way it passes a number of high peaks, most still without a name! They’re only identified by a number indicating their elevation in feet: 3510, 3320, 3420, 1963. These are massive, nameless, spectacular volcanic peaks! You’ll pass all these as you traverse Lonesome Wash.
You’ll also see some peaks with names: Lonesome Peak, Forlorn Lonesome Peak, Forlorn Hope Peak…get the drift? Lonesome Wash is a lonesome, rarely visited place! You’re likely only to see wild animal tracks as you pass between these massive, majestic volcanic peaks on either side of Lonesome Wash. All this can make a hike down Lonesome Wash a meditative, spiritual experience.
And there are some spectacular views along the way. You’ll descend near Mohave Overlook and may want to take the short half-mile detour to that vantage point (see below). The huge fields of Teddy Bear Cholla Cacti, glistening with a golden sheen in the sunlight, are among the rare, remarkable sights along the way. And most of the way down Lonesome Wash you can see the reddish cliffs on the Arizona side of the Colorado River in the distance including the beautiful Malpais Flattop Mesa.
The Perfect Marathon Course – aka “The Lonesome Wash Marathon”
Disclaimer: You can’t hold an official running event in a wilderness area. However, you can recognize the existence of a perfect wilderness marathon course and do this course, running or walking on your own. Here’s what makes it perfect:
- Perfect Marathon Distance: The official marathon distance is 26.2188 miles. This course clocks in at 25.52 miles. If you’re a perfectionist, the remaining half-mile would be easy to make up. In fact, take the short detour to the spectacular Mohave Overlook with its view of the Colorado River all the way to Lake Mohave, and you’ve got your perfect marathon distance!
- Beautiful Surface: The firm earthen surface is much better than running or walking on asphalt streets which characterize most marathon courses. You’re likely to avoid those hard surface-pounding repetitive motion injuries caused by city streets and sidewalks. I shed my ankle-covering hiking boots for trail running shoes. But note: I strength-train my ankles with daily 5-mile desert wilderness walk/runs.
- Absence of Obstacles: Though you’re in a pathless wilderness (except for a half-mile stretch on a wilderness road), all but a brief, 150ft long, easy class 2 rocky slope is obstacle-free.
- Gradual Elevation Change: The 2,657ft elevation loss during the first half gives you added energy. Regaining that elevation on the return trip was so gradual, I was surprised it was hardly noticeable.
So, time yourself as you walk or run this beautiful, pristine wilderness marathon course. You may not even realize you’ve just completed a marathon distance!
Best Time of Year and Safety Considerations for This Adventure
Stick to mid-Fall through early Spring, on days the temperature in Las Vegas will not exceed 75 degrees. Avoid Summer temperatures which can easily reach a dangerously high 120 degrees or above! Carry at least 5 liters of hydration. I carried 6 liters on a low temperature day in mid-February with temperatures that began in 38 degrees and never exceeded 65 degrees. Still, I consumed 4 liters of hydration. I infuse my water with electrolytes.
Carry everything you’ll need…you won’t see anyone on this route…even on the post popular weekend or holiday times. Develop familiarity with this wilderness area. You don’t want to wander up the wrong canyon on your return trip! In fact, I found GPS and a terrain map important for keeping on course. The route is clear on the way down Lonesome Wash. It can be confusing on the way back.
I did these two adventures first:
- Mojave Overlook Loop gives you a great aerial view of most of the length of Lonesome Wash
- Lonesome Wash Upper Entrance puts a number of alternate Lonesome Wash entrance and exit routes on your radar and firms up your familiarity of the descent gully at Mohave Overlook.
Directions to Starting Point | Lonesome Wash to the Colorado River | Eldorado Wilderness, Nevada
The Eldorado Wilderness is South of Las Vegas. Take Interstate 11 South toward Hoover Dam. Just after the Railroad Pass exit, take a right onto exit 14 to Hwy 95 toward Searchlight. Then, take a left onto Hwy 165. You’ll soon see well-placed, attractive interpretive signs for the Eldorado Wilderness and Nelson Hills. There is an Eldorado Trailhead, but you want to park at a wide spot by the road a couple miles before the trailhead.
Narrative Guide | Lonesome Wash to the Colorado River | Eldorado Wilderness, Nevada
Getting Your Initial Bearings
From the starting point on Highway 165 at Nelson Hills, get a good look at Nelson Hills right across the highway. That’s your reference point for the return trip across the open desert. Traversing the open desert can be confusing. It’s deceptively simple, wide-open terrain. But you can easily get off course, and searching around for your car when you missed the parking area by a mile or more and are out of water, food and energy can be dangerous.
Now look to the North to see from left (West) to right (East) a ridgeline including the North McCollough Wilderness with Black Mt. as high point, the Railroad Mountains, Boulder City with a background of the River Mountains. This ridgeline to the North will help keep you on course. Your initial open desert traverse runs roughly parallel to this ridgeline.
Finally, look to the East…the direction you are headed. The most distinctive high point is the volcanic peak, Peeper Benchmark. You’re heading across the desert wilderness toward the North (left) edge of that high point. There are a number of ridges in the foreground. You want to circle the North (left) edge of those ridges on your way to the lower left side of Peeper Benchmark. Once you reach Peeper Benchmark, you’ll arrive on wilderness Road F. Take a right on that road toward Mohave Overlook, then descend into Lonesome Wash.
About those low ridges in front of Peeper Benchmark: Look along those ridges to the right (South) as they gradually rise. Where there is the first drop to the right, that’s the entrance of Upper Lonesome Wash. You won’t go there today, but it’s good to know where Lonesome Wash begins so that you have a mental image of the position of the wash, even though you can’t see Lonesome Wash from the starting point.
Highway 165 to Road F at Peeper Benchmark
This is a beautiful, wide-open, rarely traversed stretch of desert wilderness. By rounding the left (North) edge of the intervening ridges, you’ll save a lot of time avoiding crossing ridges and canyons, though the distance may be a bit greater. There are no obstacles, and the terrain is fairly level. I love this stretch because it’s like being “invisible in plain sight”. You can see all of Boulder City, but to eyes in that population center, you’re a small, invisible speck.
About half-way to Peeper Benchmark get a clear idea of the Nelson Hills as reference point for the return trip, along with the South McCullough Wilderness and McCullough Mountain, a high point to the right of the Nelson Hills which will be visible even when you can’t see the Nelson Hills.
You’ll come across wilderness Road F at the left (North) base of Peeper Benchmark.
Road F to the Lonesome Wash Descent Gully
Take a right onto wilderness Road F which runs along the West base of Peeper Benchmark toward Mohave Overlook. About a half-mile before you reach Mohave Overlook, take a right turn off Road F to take an old abandoned road that passes through a small canyon to reach the Lonesome Wash descent gully. The descent gully is just a quarter-mile West of Mohave Overlook. The place you turn right off of Road F is actually marked with a sign indicating .7 miles to Mohave Overlook. And the old road through the approach canyon is marked by a vehicle barrier of wooden posts.
You’ll know when you’ve reached the beginning of the Lonesome Wash descent gully. The old road ends with an old overlook platform that probably predates the Mohave Overlook. From the platform you can see the Lonesome Wash descent gully below.
Lonesome Wash Descent Gully to Lonesome Wash
Descend the short, rocky class 2 walk of a slope to arrive in the Lonesome Wash descent gully below in about 200 feet distance.
Once you’re in the descent gully, it’s a nice gradual descent with no barriers all the way to Lonesome Wash! Imagine yourself as water flowing downhill, always seeking the channel of least resistance.
You’ll know when you’ve arrived in Lonesome Wash. It’s massive, level and wide-open–about a thousand feet wide. And there is a huge grove of Teddy Bear Cholla Cacti there. Be sure to look back up the descent wash to a striped hill at its summit. That will be your marker, insuring you take the this correct wash on the return trip. Other tributary washes look similar. Don’t be fooled. They’ll head you off-course on the return when you’re tired and don’t have the energy to get lost traveling up a wrong canyon! Also, note that the huge grove of Teddy Bear Cholla is the highest grove on Lonesome Wash. There are no groves up and beyond in Lonesome Wash. That’s also a marker for the return trip.
Lonesome Wash to the Colorado River
Take a left and head down Lonesome Wash, you’re still flowing like water. In the distance, down the wash, you can see the reddish cliffs on the Arizona side of the Colorado River. Malpais Flattop Mesa is the most distinctive. It’s easy to stay on course as you head down the wash. Notice the high points, canyons and tributary washes to the right and left as you head down the wash. These may look like the correct route during your return. Notice then now so you won’t be fooled later!
On the right (South) side of the wash, directly across Lonesome Wash from where you landed after the descent gully, is the huge ridgeline of Peak 3320. There’s a large tributary canyon and wash on either side of that formation. To your left (North) side of the wash is the rugged Forlorn Hope Peak with another huge tributary canyon wash.
There are 3-4 huge wide-open spaces in Lonesome Wash with tributary canyons and peaks on either side. It’s beautiful, pristine wilderness, and the only signs of life are the tracks of animals from the night before. Notice the beautiful multi-colored Peak 1964 about half-way down the wash to the North. Its distinctive volcanic cone makes a spectacular photo, perfectly framed by the surrounding hills. Also, notice numerous huge groves of Teddy Bear Cholla Cacti lining the surrounding slopes, glistening golden in the sunlight.
Beyond the wide-open spaces, the lower wash narrows as it approaches the Colorado River. The surrounding walls are higher and more vertical in places, but the surface of the wash remains very gradual and easy to traverse. The red cliffs on the Arizona side of the Colorado River become more distinctive as you reach the lower wash. There are no obstacles all the way to the Colorado River…almost all the way!
Impenetrable Thorny Brush Barrier
After such a streamlined route all the way from Nelson Hills Hwy 165, there is a surprising impenetrable wall of thorny brush just 100ft from the banks of the Colorado River! The barrier is about 30-50ft deep and crosses the entire wash. Between not wanting to be shredded by the thorns, not knowing what lived in that thick brush, not wanting to hack a path through nature, being at my turn-around time with limited time to work out a passage, and looking at a half-marathon return with a 2,657ft elevation gain, I turned around here, just 100ft from the Colorado River!
Hindsight and review of video and pictures showed a potential easy passage over the North slopes of the wash, giving at the least a great view of the Colorado River and possibly leading down to the banks of the Colorado with no vertical barriers. Oh well!
Return Trip and Summary
I was expecting the half-marathon 2,657ft uphill return trip to be exhausting. Actually, the uphill was hardly noticeable due to the gradual, barrier-free incline. With an average daily conditioning of only 5-miles/day, the ease of the return was especially surprising. It helped knowing that I did not have a choice…had to make the return! In all, this entire day of total wilderness immersion was a magical, meditative, spiritual experience of adventure and discovery!
