NV 167 – Lake Mead Northshore Road (LMNRA)

This page last updated on 04/293/2019

(Fig. 01) Click to Enlarge Daytrips Bordering Lake Mead's Northshore Road and the Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LMNRA): As you can tell from the map in (Fig. 01) the Northshore Road does not offer anywhere near the number of views of Lake Mead as the south shore drive, however, it provides unbelievable views of exposed rainbow-colored layers of rock in every direction. There are literally dozens of excellent hiking and birding opportunities along Lake Mead’s Northshore Road (NV 167), located on the north-western side the vast 1,495,665 acre Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LMNRA). The locations noted below range from short stops of between 1/2 to one hour, up to all-day hikes. By combining some of these into a single daytrip, one can make several drives here without ever having to repeat any stops. Click on the titles below for more pictures and full descriptions of each area.

Lower Las Vegas Wash. Las Vegas Wash is a 12-mile plus tributary that channels more than 150 million gallons a day of storm water, urban runoff, shallow groundwater and highly-treated wastewater through various valley wetlands and into the Las Vegas Bay at Lake Mead.  Near its terminus at Las Vegas Bay, the wash is called the Lower Las Vegas Wash as it passes under the man made Lake Las Vegas through two 7 foot pipes and under NV-167 on its way to Lake Mead. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography

Lava Butte & Rainbow Gardens. Composed of Dacite, an igneous volcanic rock, Lava Butte is part of a geologic wonder called Frenchman’s block that may have been a volcanic dome formed over 13 million years ago.The dark outer coating on these iron oxide rocks is desert varnish. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography Gypsum Cave: Located in Sunrise Mountain, less than 20 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Gypsum Cave is a six-room limestone cave that is considered to be among the oldest aboriginal sites in North America. The cave measures 300 feet long (deep) by 120 feet wide. Its rooms are filled with dry, dusty deposits. Gypsum Cave is significant because it has yielded artifacts related to early human occupation and information about the region's ancient ecosystem. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography

Bowl of Fire. The Bowl of Fire lies within the 48,000-acre Muddy Mountains Wilderness Area on the west side of NV-167. This is an area of brilliant-red Jurassic-Age sandstone outcrops surrounded by gray limestone mountains. The dark pink sandstone is most common and generally forms the uppermost parts of the region, though there is a line of red cliffs that rises higher to the northeast. These outcrops are separated by open land of sand dunes and dry washes, some of which are lined by patches of very nice, smooth, banded sandstone. A geologic wonder. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography Northshore Summit Trail: To find this location begin looking for hiking and photography signs just past the 20-mile marker while driving north on Northshore Road. At 20.5 miles, the parking area for this trail is on the left side of the road. The round-trip loop trail climbs 200-feet from the parking area to the top of a distant bluff and offers a small taste of the many beautiful geologic wonders of this region. This trail is too short by itself to constitute a daytrip, however, combined with other stops such as the Redstone Loop Trail/Picnic area and Rogers Spring, etc, it can still make for a nice daily outing. Hiking and Photography

Redstone Loop Trail. This is a scenic area where the bright red sandstone outcrops contrast with the gray limestone mountains. This is short 1.6 mile walk is a loop that surrounds several red sandstone outcroppings and ends up back at the trailhead. Because this trail is so short, it really doesn’t warrant a trip by itself, however is a great place for a picnic stop to or from a longer hike. Hiking and Photography

Rogers Spring. Rogers Spring is a hot spring which is caused by geothermal activity deep within the ground at the base of the hills. This super heated water comes up and then forms several pools within the area of Rogers Spring that eventually flow into Lake Mead.There are many unusual fish and turtles that live in the pond. Though there is a small trail that leads up the hill behind the spring, this is another of those places that really doesn’t warrant a trip by itself, however is a great place for a picnic stop to or from a longer hike. Hiking and Photography
Lovell Wash and the Anniversary Mine/Narrows. Lovell Wash, a tributary of Callville Wash, cuts into a ridge in the Gale Hills at the south edge of the Muddy Mountains. This area, once home to a borax mining operation, provides some very interesting geology, ancient petroglyphs, Mojave desert flora and one of Nevada’s best slot canyons. This land was laid down as sheets of mud in the bottom of some vast playa lake where ancient animals once roamed. The mud turned to stone, and tectonic activity jumbled the area and turned the lake bed on edge. You can see several mountain-sized ridges of sedimentary materials (sandstone, limestone, and mudstone of various colors including purple, red, green, yellow, and gray) that have been steeply tilted up; some nearly vertically. Hiking, Rock-hounding and Photography

Cottonwood Springs:This roadside pullout provides access to Cottonwood Spring, Hamblin Peak, Razorback Wash South, Razorback Wash North, and Pinto Valley to the south, and the Bowl of Fire (Southwest) to the north. With an elevation of only a little over 100 feet, this easy Cottonwood Spring hike is a 2.10 mile out and back trail. This peaceful hike follows a wash down to a spring and a couple of cottonwood trees*, from which the spring got its name

Valley of Fire State Park. Valley of Fire is Nevada's oldest and largest state park, comprising more than 46,000 acres. The valley derives its name from the many red sandstone monoliths and formations found throughout the park. There are several sites within the park that contain many fine examples of 3,000 year-old rock art (petroglyphs) left by the ancient peoples that once roamed the area. Ancient trees are represented throughout the park in the form of petrified wood. The 10.5 mile Valley of Fire Road that runs through the park was designated as a Nevada Scenic Byway on June 30, 1995. Hiking and Photography

Callville Bay. Callville was originally established in 1864 by the Mormons as a steamboat port on the Colorado River. There was a large warehouse, a landing, a post office and a corral. In October of 1866 the steamboat Esmeralda delivered 100 tons of freight. However, after the transcontinental railroad was completed in northern Nevada in 1869, its use as a supply route via the Colorado was eventually abandoned.  Today, with over 860 boat slips, Callville Bay Marina is not only the largest on Lake Mead, it is the largest inland marina in the U.S. Unfortunately, our present eight-year drought has caused lake levels to recede to the point that the boat bay is struggling. Hiking and Photography

St Thomas, Nevada. St. Thomas, Nevada, is a ghost town in Clark County, Nevada, located in Mopa Valley near where the Muddy River flows into the Colorado River. St. Thomas was purchased by the US Federal Government and was finally abandoned as the waters of Lake Mead submerged the town. It is now located within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Due to a 10 year drought that has lowered the water level in Lake Mead by as much as 80 feet, the towns remaining foundations, walls, and grated cisterns and numerous alkali-crusted trails branching in all directions lie exposed and ready for exploration. The ruins of St. Thomas are protected by the National Park Service as a historic site. Hiking and Photography

Lost City Museum. The Lost City Museum is located in Overton, Nevada and operated as one of the six Nevada State Museums by the Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs. It was built by the National Park Service in 1935 and houses an extensive collection of Virgin Anasazi artifacts from Pueblo Grande de Nevada. The museum was on the ruin of an actual Virgin Anasazi pueblo and offers a reconstructed Anasazi building that is open to visitors. A later extension was actually built on top of some ruins in order to protect them.  It was established as a place to move the artifacts from Pueblo Grande de Nevada which was going to be partially covered by the waters of Lake Mead as a result of building the Hoover Dam. Once the dam was finished, about five miles of sites had been inundated or undercut by the water. Photography

Logandale Trails Recreation Area. (LTRA) is the grouping of more than 200 miles of recreational trails, suitable for a variety of OHV types, as well as hiking and horseback riding, in the spectacular landscape that exists between the township of Logandale and Valley of Fire State Park. It is located between the Overton Ridge and the Weiser Ridge in the north Muddy Mountains. Its southern boundary is the Overton Wash, just north of the Valley of Fire State Park. OHV Riding, Hiking, Biking, Horseback Riding and Photography