Mike O’Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge Plaza, Hoover Dam, Nevada

 

Since we had a couple days in Las Vegas during our roof fix, we drove around one afternoon basically to get out of the hotel room. Although we spent time at Lake Mead and biked to Hoover Dam when we traveled a couple years ago, Brad wanted to see the new bridge.  According to him, it’s something of a phenomenon.  Suzanne, on the other hand, stayed in the car and took a nap. However, the facts do side with Brad:

The Mike O’Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge was built to divert traffic from Hoover Dam. It has the longest concrete arch span in the western hemisphere at 1060’. The bridge deck is 1900’ and (give or take) 880’ above the Colorado River.

A Day of Boating on Lake Mead, Nevada

Want to see the “other” side of Hoover Dam? You know, the one from the water, the views that pedestrians walking along the dam do not see? We did, so we rented a powerboat at the Las Vegas Boat Harbor on Lake Mead, just down the road from our campground. Unfortunately, we forgot our camera, so you’ll have to believe us when we say the views were beautiful! (We were with friends who remembered their camera, so hopefully we’ll get some pictures soon.)

We were very pleased with the condition of the boat not only was everything in working order, as one would expect, but the boat was in top shape – no dirt, no trash, no torn/ripped seats – it looked new, in fact! After our tour of safety and how to drive the boat, with map in hand, we were off! Our first stop was Hoover Dam, and you can get pretty close, although due to security concerns, boats cannot get as close as they once have. It was an awesome view – on the water with the massive cement dam hovering above – definitely worth the money for the boat rental.

After enjoying lunch on the lake, we boated to various scenic areas along Lake Mead – we observed some beautiful orange rocks, sandy beaches where you can dock on the sand an swim (wait until summer, though – the water was NOT warm!), and down some beautiful channels where the rocks were beautiful white and peach colors. (Again, wish we had remembered the camera.)

We could easily have spent an entire day meandering the lake on the boat, but it was getting a bit windy and we were all cold, so after about 3 hours on the water, we headed back to the marina. This was a great time – if you have a few bucks to spare, then definitely rent one of these boats and enjoy the lake for a day – pack a lunch, some snacks, maybe some fishing gear – enjoy!!

Note – If you are not interested in captaining your own vessel, there are tour boats that will take you to Hoover Dam – check with the Visitor’s Center at the top of the hill for recommendations.

Biking Lake Mead Railroad Tunnel Trail, Boulder City, Nevada

Our adventure for today was biking the Lake Mead Railroad Tunnel Trail, which follows the old Hoover Dam construction railroad path 3.4 miles one way through a series of five tunnels.

Years ago, to support the construction needs of Hoover Dam, a construction railroad system was built - this network of railroads provided the means to get concrete and building materials from Boulder City and Las Vegas. The tracks were dismantled in 1962 and in 1984, a segment of track, including the five tunnels, were added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2001, the National Park Service restored tunnel 5 and reopened a segment of this historic route as a hiking and biking trail. This trail begins at a parking area just behind the Alan Bible Visitor Center, and after a quick ¼ mile path, you are on the old railroad track bed and on your way to Hoover Dam.

As you approach Tunnel 1, you get wonderful views down onto Lake Mead and the Las Vegas Bay Marina. Also, on the right side of the trail in the ravine, you will see a couple concrete plugs that were taken out of Hoover Dam for the installation of the first turbines. As you continue along this trail high above the lake, the views of the marina and the rugged rocky mountains are spectacular. Although we didn’t see any, keep your eyes open for this is an area frequented by desert bighorn sheep. Eventually, the trail works its way through the remaining 3 tunnels away from the lake and continues on the Hwy 93 side of the mountain. The last part of the trail is downhill (which means uphill heading back) and it ends at a sidewalk (near a field of transformers) which is about 50 yards from the top deck of the visitor center parking garage for Hoover Dam. The sidewalk is too narrow for bikes, so bike racks are provided (bring a lock).

From here you can walk to Hoover Dam and enjoy the views from above. While you are there, you go into the Visitors Center ($8 per person) and you can take two different guided tours (for an additional cost). In addition, there is a gift shop, sandwich shop and outdoor seating area (for picnic lunches too). There is soft serve ice cream, which we enjoyed after our picnic lunch. This trail is truly a fun and scenic way to get to Hoover Dam, while having wonderful views of the lake and the surrounding mountains.

As an added bonus, from the parking garage, you can see the new highway bridge that is being built below the dam - with the completion of this new bridge, there will be two human-made modern marvels to enjoy in one location.

Tips:

1. There are gates at the tunnel 1 and 5 that are closed at night to prevent people from using the trail. So make sure you give yourself enough time accordingly.

2. The trail area is mostly packed dirt and gravel but you can expect a few rocky areas that are loose.

3. Bring a light for the tunnels if you have trouble seeing in dimly lit areas.

4. The trail is probably wheelchair accessible, but double check if you decide to go.

Katherine's Landing at Lake Mead NRA, Arizona

We explored Katherine’s Landing one afternoon not sure what to expect, but finding ourselves pleasantly surprised.

Katherine’s Landing is part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area (NRA) on the very clear and very blue Lake Mohave, where you can camp, stay at a hotel, hike, boat, swim and more. The cost to enter Katherine’s Landing is $5/vehicle, but holders of any of the America the Beautiful Passes get in free. (It should be mentioned that we spent $80 last October for our pass, and we would have definitely paid more along the way if we paid for each place separately.)

Upon entering the Katherine’s Landing area is a marina, where many people either dock their boats permanently (including some large houseboats), or use the launch to put-in for a day (or more, I suppose). The docks were fun to meander, and we enjoyed seeing how the “water RV’ers” live! =) If you’re interested in getting out on the lake, there is a concessionaire that rents fishing boats, pontoon boats, houseboats, sea-doos, etc… There is a large campground, but with little shade in the summer, a hotel, restaurant, and small grocery. When we checked-in at the Visitor’s Center, we were told that a pack of wild burros had visited the campground the previous night! Now that’s something different than your typical deer or elk!

After enjoying the marina for a while, and seeing a school of fish which included three large stripped bass, we got in our air-conditioned car (it was hot!) and drove along the roads, enjoying the many areas at Katherine’s Landing, such as Telephone Cove, which has a lovely beach in which to swim and various other coves, many with boat launches and swimming holes.

This was definitely a nice way to spend an afternoon, and it you’re in the area, this would be a great place to set-up camp, enjoy Lake Mohave, and perhaps rent a boat, if you don’t have one already. Enjoy!

Hiking and Viewing Petroglyphs in Grapevine Canyon, near Laughlin, Nevada

As break from the casino action, we got up early so we could hike Grapevine Canyon which is a part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, just minutes outside of Laughlin, Nevada. From the parking area, you take an easy flat ¼ mile hike over fine gravel to the entrance of Grapevine Canyon. Once you get close to the rocks that form the entry-way into the canyon, you will immediately notice many panels of petroglyphs on both sides of the canyon. Hiking down into the wash and past the entrance looking out, you will find even more. The many large rock panels that are easy to see are covered with a saturation of patterns. You will see typical animal, human and sun like figures but also square geometric patterns that are unique to this site. Also, make sure you look around the numerous large boulders for there you will find many patterns as well. We spent probably half-an- hour just exploring and viewing all the petroglyphs in this small area. This prehistoric site is not fenced off, so you can get intimate views of all these wonderful petroglyphs.

According to National Park Service literature, recent research indicates that some of these petroglyphs were made as recent as 150 – 200 years ago, with others dating back to over 800 years. It is believed that the Amacava people (ancestors of the modern day Mohave and perhaps Southern Paiute people) camped in this canyon for days a time and are probably creators of these rock carvings. This site made us realize how much symbols are a fundamental element of human societies not only for people a thousand years ago but still even today.

From here we decided to hike to the end of the canyon, which is about 2 miles one-way. The canyon itself is narrow with a small spring of water that supports an abundance of trees, plants, animals and patches of canyon grape vines from which the canyon got its name. The trail follows the wash of the canyon and often required us to scramble over large boulders and through narrow rock passageways. This made the hike very diverse and interesting the whole way. In the wetter areas, you’ll find yourself hiking through dense brush and plants. Throughout the hike, we had small lizards at our feet for almost every step of the way. We haven’t experience this many in all our desert hikes combined. It was fun seeing all these guys, but we got really excited when we encountered the large lizard shown in the picture below (whom we named Gary, for no reason than he needed a name). This was by far the biggest lizard we have seen in the wild. We’re not sure if he was more curious about us than we were about him.

The canyon ends at the sixth Cottonwood tree grove. Here we had another unexpected surprise and that was a large swarm of bees that had gathered near some fallen hollow logs. We heard them before we got too close, so we hiked up the side of the canyon to give them plenty of space. This canyon with its diverse terrain, interest rock formations, abundance of wildlife and of course the amazing concentration of petroglyphs, made this a MUST hike when you are in the area. If you are unable or are not interested in a hike, then at least go see the petroglyphs…you won’t be disappointed.

How to get there: Take Christmas Tree Pass Road located off Hwy 63 in Nevada at mile marker 13. Travel down a good dirt road (no problem for cars) for about two miles where you’ll see signs pointing the left. This small road leads to the parking area for Grapevine Canyon.