Saturday, December 23, 2017

Lone Palm Trail - Lake Mead - Arizona

Lone Palm Tail


A difficult, but beautiful trail that takes you down to the Colorado River near the Hoover Dam. The views of the bridge over the dam, spiraling red rock formations, steep rock cliffs, and  Liberty Bell arch in the distance are spectacular. The destination can be attained via several different routes.  The routes have changed somewhat since the new bridge was put in.  Also the routes are not well marked so make sure you bring printed directions and look back on the route you take every hundred feet to remember how to return.

Even with a map we had difficulty finding our way and did some backtracking. Unfortunately we didn't make it all the way to the river.  We took the long route that descended into the canyon (wash) and then climbed back out through another wash that entered from the left.  The wash took us south along the freeway about one mile and then we descended into the main canyon following a trail that petered out on a smooth slope.

There are two other routes one that takes down the main wash almost to the end and then turns south. (This is the shorter way.) There is also another trail that takes you the same way we went but you don't go down through the canyon but say on the ridge above the canyon.

Once you get down into the canyon you have to climb up and around several dry falls that are way to high to navigate without ropes.
This is part the route around the highest dry falls on the hike.  Once you get to the bottom you can see how the dry falls which has an over hang and soft sandy floor.  It would be amazing to see these fall in a flash flood, but not advisable. The red rocks only found in this area of  the hike.


Falling the main wash down this is the first dry fall you have to circumnavigate. This is a view from the top of the first trail that goes around the dry falls. The hike down is through loose rock that break easily.  My friend fell coming back up this trail because a rock broke under her foot. Be very careful and don't hike too close together to avoid falling rocks. 

There are several other dry falls that you have to circumnavigate that take you over steep hills with loose rocks. A hiking pool helps tremendously. This hike is not that long, but the footing is unsteady so you really have to watch every step you take.

View from inside the main canyon (dry wash)


There are several small slot canyon that are fun to go through.


Steep cliff walls make great scenery.. The trail we came is up above these walls. This picture is from down in the wash. 


There are great views of Liberty Bell that is located across the Colorado River.

Travelling down the main wash. The new bridge bypass  can bee seen in the distance.

Local Fauna on the trail - Tarantula that seemed dead.


We couldn't find the wash that went back down into the main wash. Too tired to keep searching we ended up digging under the fence to get to the road so we could get to the parking area. Mark your trail as you go, it can be very confusing.





















Saturday, December 16, 2017

Fortification Hill Hike

Fortification Hill from Kingman Wash Road. The Trail is on the backside of the Mesa.
Fortification Hill is a steep hike up the ridge of a hill to the base of  the mesa wall where you make a short scramble over the wall to the top of the mesa. At the top you can see Lake Mead, the bridge over the Colorado River, Boulder city and much Las Vegas.

To get to the trail head take exit 2 to Kingman Wash Road just over the bridge on the Arizona side. Travel 4 miles until you see the outhouse.  Turn right towards the outhouse and take the road to the right another 2 miles.  Keep going until you see the trailhead sign and parking area.  The road is a bit rough and 4-wheel drive is recommended, but a car would be able to navigate it.

The trail follows the ridge up to the base of the rock wall surrounding the mesa.
The trail starts ascending at the very beginning. Climb up the ridge to the right or take the wash to the left of the ridge until it meets up with the ridge trail about half way up.

There is a short scramble at the base of the mesa. 
Once you get to the rock wall there is a short scramble that isn't difficult up over the ridge.

Helicopters fly by taking tourist to the Grand Canyon.
The view from the top of the mesa is spectacular! Helicopters fly through the valley below taking tourists to the Grand Canyon.

View of the mountains to the south
View of Lake Mead, Bridge over the Colorado River, Boulder City and Las Vegas from the top of Fortification Hill






Monday, October 2, 2017

Havasupai Falls Hike

Havasupai Falls Hike - September 2017

Havasupai Falls near the campground. This is a great place to hang out after the 10 mile hike in. The water was probably about 70 degrees and there was a great place to jump in and hang out to relax your tired muscles.

Havasupi Falls is a great place to spend the day relaxing and jumping into the water.


The trail head for Havasupai Falls is about 4.5 hours from Henderson, NV.  It is a 10 mile hike to the campground mostly through a shaded canyon. At the 8 mile mark you stop at Supai where you check in and then hike another two miles down to the campground. You must have a permit to hike down into the canyon. To obtain a permit contact the Havasupai Tribe by calling them and making a reservation at least 3 months ahead of time. You must pay the full amount upfront and there are no refunds for cancellation.

We stayed overnight at Peach Springs, but found that we didn't get a lot of sleep because of the trains that went through every 15 to 30 minutes. The front desk gives everyone earplugs when they check in. We got up at 3:30 and drove 2 hours to the trail head and arrived at dawn. Some people were camping out just below the parking lot which we thought we might do next trip since we ended up not getting much sleep at the motel, at least we would have two extra hours to sleep.

The first mile and a half is a somewhat steep descent down to the bottom of the canyon and is the slowest part of the hike. Hiking poles are very helpful on this part but aren't necessary on the rest of the hike and only get in the way so if you really don't need them, don't bring them.

Hiking through the canyon early in the morning.

Pack horses come up and down the canyon regularly.

The next part of the hike is through a shaded canyon. There is a lot of loose gravel and sand especially since the pack horses use it constantly.  You must get out of the way when the pack horses  come through. They are pretty loud in the canyon so you usually have lots of warning before they approach.

The last two miles of the hike to the campground is steep in places and also mostly in the sun.

We did this hike in September and the weather was perfect. It was 90 during the day and 65 at night.  Many people left at 3 am when it was still dark to hike down, but we found that it really wasn't necessary because it wasn't that hot.  We left at dawn and made it down in about 4 hours so it was  around 10 am when we arrived. If you were doing this hike in the middle of the summer, 3 am might help you beat the heat, but there are too many things in the trail to trip you up and I don't think it would be worth the risk of getting hurt.  We talked to one couple who had hiked in years earlier with friends and one of them ended up falling and breaking an ankle. They had to wait many hours before they got any help out of the canyon. The last part of the hike is along a creek so if you get hot you can just wet yourself down.

Some people leave really early to get a good campsite.  We went at the busiest time of the year. They said there would be over 285 campers, but we found the the campground really wasn't busy and found a campsite right next to the only water source in the campground.  Most people preferred to camp lower down near the river, but we found the water location convenient and more desirable than an amazing view.  The campground is a mile long and many of the campsites hold up to ten tents.

Bridge at the campground.

According to the rules the campsites are first come first served, but we found that some tour groups left tents behind to reserve their campsites for the next group they brought in.  You are given a permit that you hang on one of your tents.  You are only supposed to put tents in campsites if you have a permit and attach the permit with the current date on your tent. If you don't see a permit on a tent in a campsite with the correct date, then that campsite is available to use.

The campground was very quite and most people were in their tents and asleep by sunset.

We decided to hike down and carry all our camping gear which was about 35 lbs each.  I had planned to fly out on this trip because I knew that we would be tired.  This worked out okay since I knew that we would have to wait a long time for a flight. Some people got very upset because they had to wait about 7 hours before they could get on a flight even though they showed up at dawn to sign up and pay. The residents get first flights out even if they don't show up until noon. You can see them returning from their trip to town before you even get to board. But they do warn you of this before you fly. It was interesting to watch the helicopters land, and hang out with the Supai Indians. There were dogs roaming free everywhere even on the landing pads. No one seemed to care. They were very entertaining at times.
Dogs hanging out near the landing pad

Dogs hanging out of the landing pad while they unload.

Next trip I will pay for the pack horses both ways and bring an extra backpack to just carry water. While the hike down wasn't difficult, I'm sure the hike out would be much more strenuous since it is all up hill on loose rock and sand. But without the heavy packs it would not be that hard, just tiring.

Mooney Falls

Mooney Falls is amazing but the trail down is steep down the side of the canyon wall. If you are afraid of heights, don't do this hike.

It isn't as scary as it seems because there are chains for both hands to hold onto all the way down. The only problem at the bottom is that the chains are constantly wet by the spray of the waterfall. You have to stop and wipe the mud off your hands often before proceeding. We used gloves on the way up which helped a lot.

The trail is only about a mile but it is very slow going because everyone wants to stop and take pictures in the tunnel area and you really can't go around very well. Plus you have to watch every step you take and make sure your footing is secure before proceeding which takes a lot of time. It's interesting to look at old photos of this trail to see how the route has changed over the years.

Mooney Falls is amazing but not as many people hang out here because it is mostly in the shade and can be kind of cold with the mist from the falls in the air.  Most people continue on to Beaver Falls.  We didn't go to Beaver Falls because we heard thunder, we took some pictures and then went back up the trail to Havasupai Fall to hand out.


Notes:

Make sure you bring water shoes to hang out by the falls. The rocks are very slippery in bare feet.



This is not a place for children or for people who not physically fit. There are many places to get hurt and it is really difficult to get medical attention. The hikes are long and difficult. Older children would enjoy it if they were in good physical condition.  Even if you fly in and stay at the motel, you still have to hike a 4 miles round trip to  Havasupai Falls. We saw no children on this trip, but we did go in the middle of September when they were in school.

Mooney Falls from the trail.

Looking Down on Mooney Falls
Hiking in to Supai

Bridge near Supai


Thursday, March 30, 2017

Kodachrome Road - Rainbow Gardens - Las Vegas

Kodachrome Road - Rainbow Gardens - Las Vegas

View near Kodachrome Road at the base of Frenchman Mountain
Kodachrome Road - Rainbow Gardens
Kodachrome Road - Rainbow Gardens

Kodachrome Road - Rainbow Gardens

Kodachrome Road - Rainbow Gardens

Brittlebush in bloom


Brittlebush and Barrel Cactus

Brittlebush - Kodachrome Road

Kodachrome Road
Las Vegas Bearpoppy
View from Kodachrome Road

Brittlebush in Bloom

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Frenchman Mountain Las Vegas

Frenchman Mountain Las Vegas


This is a very steep and treacherous trail. You climb 1,788 feet from the bottom on a dirt road littered by large gravel. You have to watch every step you take, and it is very easy to slide.  Take a hiking stick to help keep your balance. The trail head is 6.6 miles from the park entrance on Lake Mead Blvd or 2.1 miles from Hollywood Blvd.  The views are spectacular.  You can see all of Las Vegas and Henderson if you go out on the far summit.




This is not actually on the Frenchman Trail, but is a wash not far from the trail.



Prickly Poppies

Prickly Poppy leaves

View from trail to Lake Mead Blvd

Steep trail with Steep Switch Backs.

View of Mt. Charleston from Frenchman Mountain



Hikers at a summit

Mount Charleston from Frenchman Mountain

View of Las Vegas from Frenchman Mountain

Frenchman Summit

View from Frenchman Mountain

Four wheeler at the summit

A long way up. Four-wheeler coming down