Callville Ridgeline-Canyon

The Callville Ridgeline-Canyon hike is a worthwhile hike on a trail-less route tracing some of the lower peaks near the Callville Bay area of Lake Mead.

The hike is moderately hard, mostly owing to it being very rocky, requiring navigation, and tracing a route through the bottom of a canyon wash that might require some techical scrambling, depending on recent conditions. The two main points of interest along this hike are the high panoramic views over the Lake Mead area, with jagged peaks dominating the view across three directions and the lake's calming distant blue visible in the other direction, along with the debris of a 1950 plane wreck where parts were left behind owing to how remote and hard to reach the site was. This trail is unsigned and not noted in park literature, and while it is a known route that sees a fair amount of users, you will most likely have the path completely to yourself.

Hikers need to note that the entire path is along the rocky surface of the mountains with full exposure to sun and wind. There is no trail at all, so navigational aid is essential.

The hike begins in a large parking turnout about a quarter mile down Callville Bay Road on the right. From here, continue down the road a short bit more before crossing and passing over a low tortoise fence. The hike begins here with a solid climb in order to gain some elevation. Very quickly, hikers will find themselves in the backcountry of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The route essentially climbs up a series of peaks, before dropping down a saddle right before making the final climb. Along this climb, a bare section of land marks the spot where a temporary road was put in to access the remains of a plane wreck. Online information about the crash is hard to find, however it's stated that it was a 1950 military flight with no casualties. The debris field is spread across the side of a slope, with it still possible to see the rocks that were at the point of impact. 

The route climbs past these remains and up to a final peak with several cairns marking the spot.

From here, hikers can retrace their route back down to the saddle, and then descend further into the wash rather than climbing the peaks they hiked in through. This gradual wash soon becomes a narrow canyon, with the landscape changing drastically and the path in enveloped by walls of stone and there are some leaps and slides required to head down through the rocky mix of pebbles and shale. Eventually the route forks with another wash, where hikers can begin ascending, before emerging from a the canyon and wash, back to the slopes of the first hills.

Along the way there are tinajas and clear signs of animals who drink from the area.

At 6 miles in all, the hike is not very far, however it is more difficult owing to the challenging landscape.

Hikers should be aware that there are no amenities of any kind along the way. This is a rocky, backcountry hike with the ridgeline near completely exposed to sun and wind.

Entry to Lake Mead National Recreation Area is required to access this hike.