This hike was very challenging but oh so worth it! This is one of those hikes where you really need to listen to the reviews on All Trails and be prepared!
There is hardly a trail to follow so it’s extremely easy to get off course once you’re fully into the trail (the start isn’t too bad). Make sure you track your hike with your all trail app so that you can tell if you are going the right way or not.
I got off trail SO many times and wouldn’t of made it if I couldn’t use my app to find my way back. I rarely track my hikes but I wouldn’t recommend this hike without doing it! It’s easy to do.
Make sure you start to record your while you have service. I had service at the parking lot of this trailhead so I started it there. It still works if you loose service AFTER you have started it.
In this article I will be going over do’s and don’ts for this confusing hike. I took pictures of the spots of where I went the wrong way so other people can avoid them. I’ll post them below!
Location
This hike is located inside the Lake Mead Nation Recreational area, which is about 30 minutes outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. This park is in both Nevada and Arizona; the hike is just over the boarder on the Arizona side, right off the main highway! It’s extremely easy to get to.
Coming from either way on HWY 93, you will take exit two onto Kingman Wash Access road. The trailhead is just off to the west side of the hwy, I would guess about .2 miles from the main HWY.
What to Bring
- Water, WATER, and more water! I drank 140oz on this hike. The air is dry, the weather is hot and it’s a hard hike. Bring more than you normally would for a hike. Don’t let the 4 mile trek fool you into bringing less. Camel backs are great for hard hikes. If you don’t want to buy or use the camel back backpack, you can buy a bladder and secure it in your regular backpack and slip the hose through a small gap in the zipper. Click here for a bladder, they are very affordable.
- Hiking shoes with good grip! The rocks are slippery. I have some badass keens, here are the ones I have… they have great traction and grip!
- Snacks. I always bring snacks on every hike I do, you never know when you’re going to need an energy boosts. Snacks are great for this.
- Swimsuit (optional)
- Towel (optional)
- Backpack for all your belongings. Keep your hands free incase you slip or fall!
The Adventure Up! (with my mistakes and tips)
Believe me when I say that this hike was a real doozy! Physically it’s doable but very confusing. Make sure you leave early so that you have plenty of sunlight for the hike back to your car.
I started this hike right away going the wrong way. I went right at the trailhead…. That leads to a cliff. Go left and follow it around in what looks to be like an old riverbed. I followed it right once I got to the split off.
I followed the riverbed for about 1.5-2 miles. I continued to follow it too far… went through this little canyon:
…. Which lead to this branch… which I then climbed down stupidly. DO NOT GO DOWN THE BRANCH. If you see the brand…. Probably about 15-20ft, you have gone the wrong way… but only by a little bit, don’t worry. I was able to find an easier way to get back where I went the wrong way.
Instead of turning right down this canyon, go straight up the gravel hill. It doesn’t look like much of a trail until you go up it a little. You’ll see some rock sharon’s (Those balanced rock towers) and you’ll know you are going the right way.
Go up and over that hill. Make sure you continually check your app to make sure you are going the right way… I checked mine every few minutes and still got off track. I can’t emphasize how important this is on this specific trail!
Keep following the rock sharon’s and the app until you see the Colorado River and the small stream going into it.
Once you get to the stream, you are going to walk along the stream until you find the two separate hot spring pools. One is further back away from the river and fits about two people, it’s hotter than the other.
The second one is all the way down at the end towards the Colorado. It’s bigger but more of a luke-warm, which is perfect temperature in this part of the country usually. It overlooks the river and turns into a waterfall where you rest your back. It was so amazingly beautiful.
There was people in it when I first got to it so I deicded to follow the little trail down to the river to see the Lone Palm up close. The trail down in this section has a ton of thorn bushes so be careful, I got a few minor cuts.
The Colorado river right here is a beautiful emerald color and super clear! I don’t think I have ever seen water in a river that looks this beautiful. Pretty places make me feel oh so jazzy!
I cracked an IPA and relaxed in the sunshine, swam a little and took some photos.
After about an hour I headed back up to the bigger hot spring with the waterfall, the girls that were in it before had left so I hopped in! It was perfect temperature for relaxing for a long time on a 70-degree day.
I decided to go back the same way I came since I had such a hard time finding the trail. I was alone and didn’t want to get lost in the dark incase my phone died. I got lost way less on the way back but still got off track about 3-4 times. Look out for those rock sharon’s, they are super helpful if you are on the lookout for them. Build more if there are some confusing areas. I built a few more when I was on the hike!
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My-Outdoor-Guide 