Wetlands Trail

This was a nice little hike. Keep your eyes on the trail, it looks like a lot of it was washed away. Most of this trail is actually a wash but if you follow it down, you’ll meet the river. I got some great pictures of a little waterfall too.

Wetlands Trail is a short hike (10 – 15 minute walk) that wanders along a canyon ridge line and descends to a very short walk along the Las Vegas wash as it flows towards Lake Mead.
Vegas is in the desert, so this is the best thing we have to a river and it’s a pretty thrilling sight to see rushing water (moving fast as it leaves man-​made Lake Las Vegas and runs downhill towards Lake Mead). Sure, the Las Vegas wash is recycled waste waster from the Vegas valley and that’s a little gross, but it produces a beautiful green canyon full of grass and shrubs at the bottom of this hike. I wouldn’t go for a swim in it, but if you’re feeling dried out, it can be nice to walk along a river and feel moisture in the air.
The main negative of the walk is the short distance. Lake Mead park management does not maintain the Wetlands Trail. So over the years, the grass and shrubs have grown thick and it’s not really possible to follow the trail down to Lake Mead. I’m sure it’s good for the river and for getting pollutants out of the water before it hits Lake Mead, but the lack of maintenance ensures the trail is more of a brief overlook walk rather than a hike.
That said, if you just want a short walk, the Wetlands Trail offers dramatic views of water in the desert and a nice ridge-​line walk to see the lake in the distance and the surrounding mountains. It’s also a good spot for bird watchers. There’s occasionally a blue heron bathing in the water and lots of other bird species migrate towards the water and grasses.

Wetlands Trail is a small trail within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. It is located on North Shore Drive between the Lake Mead Parkway (Nevada Route 564) and Lake Mead Boulevard (Nevada Route 147) Fee Stations ($ 10). The gravelly parking lot is just off the windy hilly section east of Lake Las Vegas
The leading Wetlands Trail segment travels on a bluff. A canyon dominates the landscape. Within the canyon is the rushing waters of the Las Vegas Wash bound for Lake Mead. A few hundred footsteps further, the Wetlands Trail ascends downhill. The trail surface is loose gravel requiring some «be in the moment focus.» Straight ahead is the rushing water, treated sewage water I might add. Rushing water is rare in the desert. Where else can you see rushing water in the Mojave Desert? The only place I know of is in Desert Wetlands Park on the other side of Lake Las Vegas. Nature has control here. The vegetation has grown to the point that it is impossible to walk the Wetlands Trail to Lake Mead. There is no spellbinding scenery of rushing water feeding into Lake Mead. On the small segment of scenery overlooking rushing water, quality takes over quantity. The sound of the rushing water and bird chirps with the aroma of the water is just as suitable for a meditation session as hiking. Passing the downhill segment, the trail proper is to the left. A few hundred footsteps further to the left is a canyon. The Wetlands Trail travels uphill through the canyon to the parking lot.
The Wetlands Trail hike requires some improvisation. On my hike, I went past the canyon turn off a short distance and followed the rocky topography along the Las Vegas Wash. After passing through a cut in the cattails, there is a few hundred feet of shoreline until nature takes over. After the downhill segment, you could walk toward the east border of Lake Las Vegas under the North Shore Bridge. I do warn that the obnoxious graffiti could spoil the scenery.
The Wetlands Trail displays scenery that is one component of a major ecosystem that is interrupted by a man-​made lake. To appreciate the Wetlands Trail, on a cool day, I highly recommend walking along the Wetlands Park segment of the Las Vegas Wash to Lake Las Vegas. You will see that Lake Las Vegas made the Las Vegas Wash a discontinuous natural eco system. The Wetlands Trail is a continuation of the rushing water and natural landscape of Wetlands Park that is interrupted by Lake Las Vegas.
******Did this hike on Saturday, June 2, 2012.