Overview
One of my favorite hikes just outside of Las Vegas, which is ironic considering that Vegas is known for being extremely hot during the summer.
During the winter months, the weather is perfect for hiking and the hot water is so comfortable to dip in. Be warned that it is a nudity friendly spring, so if you are not comfortable with that, you may want to skip.
Other notes about this hike:
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Distance: 6.5 miles
- Duration: 4-5 hours
- Distance from Las Vegas: 30 minutes to an hour
- Season: Winter and fall. AVOID in summer.
Tips before you go
- Bring water: Remember that this is the desert and you will be hiking for a few hours, so it's important to stay hydrated
- Bring swimwear: If you are not comfortable with nudity, you can still enjoy the hot springs with your swimwear on
- Start early: Hiking in the dark can be very scary, so start early enough so that you can get back to your car before the sun sets.
The trailhead is located near a parking lot off of Highway 93 a bit after passing the Hoover Dam. The trailhead is easy to find and there are restrooms available for you to use before you start your hike (highly recommended).
The first part of the trail begins as soon as you cross the bridge. Once you cross, you will walk until you pass a sign, or until you see the path open up to the left (whichever comes first). You'll follow this path and it will lead you directly to the hot spring.
Somewhere along your route towards the hot springs, you'll cross a picturesque canyon where the light shines just right in the day.
It's a great spot to take a break and to snap some photos before you continue through the hike.
You'll know you're getting close to the hot spring once you start getting to a very narrow canyon with a gradual change in the rock color. As you get closer, you'll start to hear water. Be careful as you get closer to the hot spring as the water can be pretty hot until you acclimate to the temperature.
The hot spring here is absolutely beautiful to relax in. The sun tends to shine towards the exit, and it creates a beautiful glow. It can be pretty busy, but me and Jen were lucky to get the entire place to ourself for a good 30 minutes, leaving us with some great photos 🤘.
Once you're finished, head to the exit on the other side of the hot spring to continue the trail as a loop. The trail is a bit longer on this side, but it leads you to a beautiful hike alongside the Colorado River - totally worth it if you have at least 2-3 more hours of sunlight.
You won't be hiking through any more hot springs so you can put on your clothes, however you will be walking through very shallow hot spring rivers, so keep your water shoes on if you brought them.
Once you reach the other side of the hot springs, you'll encounter a ladder. Be careful on your way down.
Eventually the trail will lead you back to a dirt canyon trail. If you follow the trail all the way down, it will lead you to boat docks, but we recommend going off trail at about this location to reach a viewpoint and the White Rock Canyon trail.
Once you see the mini arch, you can either continue on the canyon trail for a short distance to reach the water, or you can climb up the rock and take a right to continue through the loop.
After taking a right from the mini arch, you'll reach a crossroad.
The left will take you to a viewpoint atop a rock - highly recommend getting there for a sweet top-down view of the Colorado River.
The river looks absolutely stunning from up here. Personally I was surprised by how green it was, and how visibly deep the water was. It felt like there was a whole other canyon down there.
Make sure to watch your step when you're up here since it's a long way down if you slip and fall.
As you continue down the right path, you'll scramble down to the river briefly before reaching the entrance to White Rocks Canyon. This is where the trail will loop back to the parking lot.
In my opinion, this was the hardest part the hike since the journey up feels never-ending. The canyon, as beautiful and large as it as first, doesn't change scenery for the next hour. The soft gravel also feels like it steals away some of your progress with each step.
That said, it's a very mild hike up compared to the rest of the trail. Even in the dark, it's pretty easy to figure out where to go since there's only one way out.
On my third trip through the trail, my friend Shori was able to spot a ram on the top of the canyon - I had no clue that they frequented this area, so keep your eyes on the top of the canyon as you walk through this part. It was a pretty cool experience to see one in the wild.
Overview
One of my favorite hikes just outside of Las Vegas, which is ironic considering that Vegas is known for being extremely hot during the summer.
During the winter months, the weather is perfect for hiking and the hot water is so comfortable to dip in. Be warned that it is a nudity friendly spring, so if you are not comfortable with that, you may want to skip.
Other notes about this hike:
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Distance: 6.5 miles
- Duration: 4-5 hours
- Distance from Las Vegas: 30 minutes to an hour
- Season: Winter and fall. AVOID in summer.
Tips before you go
- Bring water: Remember that this is the desert and you will be hiking for a few hours, so it's important to stay hydrated
- Bring swimwear: If you are not comfortable with nudity, you can still enjoy the hot springs with your swimwear on
- Start early: Hiking in the dark can be very scary, so start early enough so that you can get back to your car before the sun sets.
The trailhead is located near a parking lot off of Highway 93 a bit after passing the Hoover Dam. The trailhead is easy to find and there are restrooms available for you to use before you start your hike (highly recommended).
The first part of the trail begins as soon as you cross the bridge. Once you cross, you will walk until you pass a sign, or until you see the path open up to the left (whichever comes first). You'll follow this path and it will lead you directly to the hot spring.
Somewhere along your route towards the hot springs, you'll cross a picturesque canyon where the light shines just right in the day.
It's a great spot to take a break and to snap some photos before you continue through the hike.
You'll know you're getting close to the hot spring once you start getting to a very narrow canyon with a gradual change in the rock color. As you get closer, you'll start to hear water. Be careful as you get closer to the hot spring as the water can be pretty hot until you acclimate to the temperature.
The hot spring here is absolutely beautiful to relax in. The sun tends to shine towards the exit, and it creates a beautiful glow. It can be pretty busy, but me and Jen were lucky to get the entire place to ourself for a good 30 minutes, leaving us with some great photos 🤘.
Once you're finished, head to the exit on the other side of the hot spring to continue the trail as a loop. The trail is a bit longer on this side, but it leads you to a beautiful hike alongside the Colorado River - totally worth it if you have at least 2-3 more hours of sunlight.
You won't be hiking through any more hot springs so you can put on your clothes, however you will be walking through very shallow hot spring rivers, so keep your water shoes on if you brought them.
Once you reach the other side of the hot springs, you'll encounter a ladder. Be careful on your way down.
Eventually the trail will lead you back to a dirt canyon trail. If you follow the trail all the way down, it will lead you to boat docks, but we recommend going off trail at about this location to reach a viewpoint and the White Rock Canyon trail.
Once you see the mini arch, you can either continue on the canyon trail for a short distance to reach the water, or you can climb up the rock and take a right to continue through the loop.
After taking a right from the mini arch, you'll reach a crossroad.
The left will take you to a viewpoint atop a rock - highly recommend getting there for a sweet top-down view of the Colorado River.
The river looks absolutely stunning from up here. Personally I was surprised by how green it was, and how visibly deep the water was. It felt like there was a whole other canyon down there.
Make sure to watch your step when you're up here since it's a long way down if you slip and fall.
As you continue down the right path, you'll scramble down to the river briefly before reaching the entrance to White Rocks Canyon. This is where the trail will loop back to the parking lot.
In my opinion, this was the hardest part the hike since the journey up feels never-ending. The canyon, as beautiful and large as it as first, doesn't change scenery for the next hour. The soft gravel also feels like it steals away some of your progress with each step.
That said, it's a very mild hike up compared to the rest of the trail. Even in the dark, it's pretty easy to figure out where to go since there's only one way out.
On my third trip through the trail, my friend Shori was able to spot a ram on the top of the canyon - I had no clue that they frequented this area, so keep your eyes on the top of the canyon as you walk through this part. It was a pretty cool experience to see one in the wild.