Description

At the lower end of Las Vegas Wash where the river of runoff from the Las Vegas Valley flows into Lake Mead, there is a deep, narrow, steep-walled canyon that is full of vegetation. The vegetation (e.g., honey mesquite, saltcedar, saltbush, and cattail) and water create a riparian corridor that attracts birds and other wildlife from miles around.

The Wetlands Trail starts on top of the bluffs on the north side of the wash and runs eastward across sparsely vegetated desert pavement. At the edge of the bluffs, the trail follows a narrow ridgeline down to the bottom of the wash. At the wash, birders can walk upstream and downstream along the wash. The trail loops back to the northwest following a dirt road in a side-canyon back to the trailhead. The park Service says that the loop trail runs for about 1.25 miles, but the main loop is only 0.7 miles, plus extra for walking along the wash. For a complete description of the trail, see Wetlands Trail Hike.

The edge of the bluffs overlooks the wash and provides an elevated position to look down into the water and see birds in the shrubs; however, watch your footing out to the edge. Birders can access the edge of the bluffs directly south of the parking lot, or for a better view, from the end of a spur trail that starts 200 yards out the main trail.

The water isn't safe for swimming (it is, after all, urban runoff), but it does attract many birds, and as one hiker on the trail said, this is about the only place in southern Nevada where you can go to hear the sounds of running water.

The Park Service has been rehabilitating the area using native vegetation, so this should be an interesting to watch the developments over the next few years.

Location

The Wetlands Trail is located east of Las Vegas at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The easiest way to get there from downtown Las Vegas is to drive south on Highway 95 to Henderson. Exit the highway, turn left onto Lake Mead Drive, and drive east out of town, over the mountains, and down towards the lake. About 0.3 miles past the Lake Mead entrance station, turn left (north) onto Northshore Road (Table 1, Site 0654), and drive for about 1.2 miles to the Wetlands Trail parking area. The parking area is on the right (east) side of the road, just north of the bridge over Las Vegas Wash, and on the outside edge of a sharp left-hand curve in the road (Site 0560).

Hours

The National Recreation Area is always open, but this area probably should be considered day-use only. This is a no camping area.

Fees

It costs $25 per vehicle to enter the Recreation Area (various passes accepted); after that, there are no extra fees for using the Wetlands Trail.

Specialties

This is a good place to check the thickets and wetland vegetation for desert residents (e.g., Verdin, Black-throated Sparrow, House Finch, and Gambel's Quail) and to look for migrants during spring and fall (e.g., flycatchers, warblers, Cliff Swallows, Tree Swallows, Common Nighthawks, and Lesser Nighthawks). Bats are attracted to the water and the insects, and coyotes are attracted to the water.

Keep an eye out for dragonflies too.