Canoe Outfitters Article

No matter how many times you visit Hoover Dam, the first impression is the same: That is one big dam.

Massive and white, Hoover hunkers down like a nose tackle on a goal-line stand, holding back the Colorado River and reducing its passage through Black Canyon to a steady, controlled flow.

Then there's the second impression: As brutally functional as the dam needs to be, there's beauty in the beast. Hoover's concrete face curves elegantly for more than 1,200 feet between the canyon's volcanic-rock walls.

Hoover Dam sits at the heart of the million-acre Lake Mead National Recreation Area, which stretches for more than 100 miles across Nevada and Arizona. While the dam is one of the country's most visited landmarks, few visitors explore Lake Mead's prime Southwest terrain: Water covers only 13 percent of the recreation area.

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In fact, the drought that began in 1999 has dramatically exposed more land as the lake has fallen. While early-winter rains and runoff will increase the lake level, they won't be enough to reverse the Southwest's worst drought in 500 years. But hopes are high for wildflowers and some of the best exploring in years.

Hike the canyons

Just as Hoover Dam can overwhelm with its size, so too does the recreation area's vast, empty landscape. But if the dam's real beauty is in its details, the same is true of Lake Mead's desert.

There are a wealth of hiking options near Hoover Dam and along the Northshore Road. A few miles south of the dam, White Rock Canyon winds through serpentine passageways deep within towering walls of volcanic rock and is one of the few routes where you can easily reach the Colorado River. The peaks and rock walls that enclose the river are reminiscent of the Grand Canyon. Plus there's another payoff: a side trail that leads to a hot springs. (The downside of hot-potting here is that a long soak can fondue both your legs and ambition, turning the modest 3-mile return into a sandy slog.)

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Although Lake Mead's Northshore Road is near Las Vegas, its volcanic buttes and sandstone formations are worlds from the Strip's artificiality--look closely and you may even see bighorn sheep melting into the terrain. A leisurely and scenic drive, the road also accesses several good trails.

Walk through the expanses near North Callville Wash, and it's hard to imagine that much awaits ahead. Then the route drops into Lovell Wash, and the walls close to form Lovell Wash Narrows. Here the tilting and winding layers of sandstone have a dizzying effect as you pass through the labyrinth that closes to an arm span across.

Just off the road, the Aztec sandstone outcrops at Redstone Picnic Area are actually petrified sand dunes. The intricate layers of sediment, as well as wind-sculpted caverns, have surfaces as graceful and smooth as Pueblo pottery.

This area marked the western reach of the Ancestral Puebloan culture. Before Lake Mead filled, excavations saved artifacts from Lost City, a group of pueblos along the nearby Muddy and Virgin Rivers. The lake was an equal-opportunity inundator and also swamped early Mormon settlements, such as St. Thomas, a community founded in 1865. Now, as Lake Mead has receded, foundations and chimneys of St. Thomas have reappeared.

Once an arm of the lake, the delta here is today choked with thick stands of invasive tamarisk. To see St. Thomas offers a glimpse of the past and, if the drought persists, serves as a harbinger of a drier future too. Hoover Dam may be big enough to tame the Colorado River, but some forces of nature remain far beyond our control.

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Hoover Dam is 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas via . 93. Traffic may be delayed near the dam due to construction of the Hoover Dam Bypass.

Boulder City (.com or 702/293-2034) is the closest town to the dam with food and dining options. For Las Vegas information, visit .com or call 800/332-5333.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Alan Bible Visitor Center (8:30-4:30 daily; 3 miles west of Hoover Dam on . 93; .gov/lame or 702/293-8990) has trail information and flash flood warnings. $5 per vehicle day-use fee; ranger-led hikes offered weekly Oct-Apr.

Hiking trails

Anniversary Mine/Lovell Wash Narrows. There's no formal trail, but both a wash and a road lead to the slot canyon. 5 miles round-trip; moderate. Park at North Callville Wash at milepost 16 on Northshore Rd. Walk on Approved Rd., on the right, for 100 yards or so, then go left toward mountains. Stay to the left at a series of intersections. In about miles, you'll see a sign for Ore Car Mine; continue for mile and descend into Lovell Wash. Turn right and continue to slot canyon.

Railroad Tunnel Trail. Hike and bike on a railbed used during dam construction. 5 miles round-trip; easy. Access from Alan Bible Visitor Center.

Redstone Picnic Area. mile round-trip; easy; on Northshore Rd. at mile-post 27.

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St. Thomas ruins. 2 miles round-trip; moderate. Take Northshore Rd. to Approved Rd. 109; turn right and drive 2 miles to parking.

White Rock Canyon. Hike to Colorado River, then follow river mile south to canyon containing Arizona Hot Springs (accessed via a 20-foot ladder). 6 miles round-trip; moderate. Parking is miles past Hoover Dam on . 93 in Arizona.

Attractions

Black Canyon. Canoe and kayak trips explore 11 river miles below dam. Permits and licensed outfitters are required. Launch Permit Office (702/293-8204).

Hoover Dam. The Discovery Tour includes a stop in the Nevada wing of the power plant. Tours every 15 minutes 9-4:30 daily; $10. .gov/lc/hooverdam or 866/291-8687.

Lost City Museum. Includes pueblo replica and artifacts from a nearby Ancestral Puebloan site. 8:30-4:30 daily; $3. 721 S. Moapa Valley Blvd., Overton; .org or 702/397-2193.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY KERRICK JAMES