Lake Mead NRA – Owl Canyon Hike

on January 15, 2025

Introduction:

What? :

Owl Canyon Hike is 3.4-mile-long loop trail with 250 ft elevation gain.

This loop route passes two desert washes that created when the crosses the relatively soft conglomerate rock short slot canyons.

You will hike up Owl Canyon, that is longer and more impressive, connect to the bike road and hike down the second wash that is shorter but has a nice 10ft waterfall.

From the second wash you will be reconnect to the direction of the parking lot or you can hike and explore Las Vegas Wash.

This easy to moderate hike will take you about 2-3 hours, depending on if you will explore the Las Vegas Wash area.

This is a loop hike so you can do it in each direction, I did it clockwise.

Another hiking option is to walk only in the Owl Canyon, this is the longer and more impressive of the two canyons. Once you reach the end (the tunnel under the bike road) you simply turn around and hike back, this will be about 2 miles hike.

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Where? :

Lake Mead NRA is located east of Las Vegas Valley.

From Las Vegas drive east on highway 564 (E Lake Mead Pkwy). Pass the park entrance fee station and keep driving straight at the first road junction.

From the junction drive 4.1 miles and you will see a road leading to the left too few parking lots.

Take the first entrance to the left, here you will find the trailhead.

If you are coming from the direction of Hover Dam and Boulder city, get into Lake Mead NRA, Lakeshore Rd and pass the park entrance, from here you need to drive north for 8.4 miles until you see the turn right to the parking lots.

Google Map Link

When? :

The best times to visit this trail are October through April.

For the hot summer months that has extreme high temperatures, mid-day may be too hot to enjoy.

The temperatures during the long summer months are extremely hot, easily reaching over 115f and even early morning temperatures are above 80f.

Due note 1:

Lake Mead National Recreation Area is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Admission fees for Lake Mead National Recreation Area are $25 for vehicles. These passes are good for up to seven days. Campgrounds are $20 per night. You can use here the National Park Year Permit.

Only electronic card payments are now accepted for entrance, lake use, and campground fees. Entrance stations will continue to sell passes but will no longer accept cash for payment.

Due note 2:

There are shade and picnic table at the parking lot.

There are restrooms but no source for water filling.

You have cell reception in most of the area near Las Vegas.

Due note 3:

During summer month it is extremely hot and although this is not a long or challenging hike it is not recommended mid-day, come as early in the morning as you can or late at the afternoon.

Due note 4:

Dogs are welcome to Lake Mead NRA but must be on a leash.

Due note 5:

Overnight camping is not permitted.

Due note 6:

Bring enough water with you for half day hiking.

The trail is exposed to the sun and do not have any shad, except in the narrow canyon.

Due note 7:

As always in the desert I recommend long sleeves shirt, heat, sunblock, and sunglasses.

Due note 9:

Because you are near Arizona the time zone may change in your phone, be aware of that when you are hiking, make sure you have enough sunlight for the long hike back out to your car.

Due note 10:

This is a very popular area for hiking, so you'll likely encounter other people while exploring the area.

Due note 11:

I did not see any owl during my visit (Dec. 2024), I think they are nesting early spring….

Due note 12:

I see this hike as family friendly where kids, as adults, will enjoy the canyon section of the hike.

There almost no climbing, most of the walk is in riverbed. Yong kids might need some help overcoming the 10ft waterfall in the far canyon, so maybe it is better to do the loop counterclockwise, so you climb the waterfall, which is simpler for most.

My thoughts:

This is a fun hike, not so long and no elevation gain, with interesting small canyon. When I visit here during Dec. 2024 there were no owls, I will probably come back to visit here when they can be found.

The trail extension to the river section is fun and it is interesting to see the water environment in the harsh desert.

The Hike:

This area was entirely submerged beneath Lake Mead, Owl Canyon was exposed as lake water levels dropped, in recent years the lake level are far away.

The hike start at the parking lot, you can clearly see the trailhead signs on the left side. From here the trail descending steeply to the dry riverbed below.

This short steep section is unstable sand so walk slowly

The trail crosses the dry bead, climb a small hill and start heading left into the large wash, going upstream walking over loose river pebbles and sand.

Soon the wide wash start to narrow, and you will see the canyon entrance.

This is not a deep slot canyon; it curve it way in the riverbed gravel conglomerate rocks and it walls are about 100-foot tall.

The canyon is winding and twisting and, in some sections, it become relatively narrow where the rocks almost closing on you from above.

In this section of the canyon, you can find owl nesting.

This usually happening during the early spring months.

The only evidence for owl nesting I saw was the white bird-pop marking on the rocks below the alcoves.

This narrow section of the canyon is not so long, about quarter of a mile.

Keep walking up the dry wash and after 0.7 mile from you hike starting point you will reach the section where the road is passing above the canyon.

Here, two large drainage metal tunnels are crossing underneath the road.

Keep walking and after a short distance you will see another underneath road passing tunnel, here the “old road” passes above.

Today this road is a bike trail that span over 40 miles loop.

Cross underneath the bike road, pass it to it far side, this time the tunnel is smaller compared to the first one.

After crossing the tunnel the wash open-up, keep walking and you will see the trail climbing up backward to the road level, this will be on your right side.

This will be 1.1 mile from your hike starting point.

When you are climbing back to the road you need to turn left (north).

Be careful from bike riders when you are walking on the bike trail.

The bike trail paved road passes few small washes and after 0.5 mile you will see a clear hiking trail off the road heading to the right, getting into a large dry creek.

Take this trail and get into the creek.

After a short walk you will pass under to road, short after the creek get narrow and after a turn to the right you will reach a small 10 feet tall dry waterfall.

Here you need to climb down the waterfall, there are rock ledges and platforms to put your feet when you are climbing down.

Keep hiking down the creek and after a very short walk the canyon open-up into a large dry riverbed. Soon after you will reach Shoreline Trail.

Here you have 2 options:

The first option is to find Shoreline Trail heading to the right of the dry wash, this will be the shorter way back to the parking lot and the “official” loop hike. On your way you cross a high elevation before the trail start to head into the direction of the trailhead.

You will pass 2 large red rock formations (“mini mountains”) and get into the relatively wide Owl Canyon wash.

From here you will climb back to the parking lot and the trailhead.

The second option is to hike and explore the lower section of Las Vegas wash, you can find Shoreline Trail leading to the left.

In this area the Las Vegas wash passes through dense riverbank vegetation and marshes area.

The smell of the semi-treated sewage water is notable but not so bad.

You can see here some interesting red rock formations, here the wash has a short narrow “river rapid” bending section, vegetation and water birds.

I did some short exploration here before I start to head back to the direction of the trailhead.

I walked on Shoreline Trail and reconnected with the “official” loop hike.

After additional short walk I saw the parking lot on the hill and climb up.

With my extension this was 4.95 miles long hike and it took me 2.5 hours.

Overall, this is a fun hike passing through interesting narrow canyons.

Fun winter activity.

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