Investigate Lake Mead National Recreation Area's hidden wonders

Deborah wall/Special to viewRogers Spring features a hot spring, a pond, palm trees and views down to the Overton Arm of the lake in Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Deborah Wall/special to ViewA rocky outcropping of Aztec sandstone can be found along the Redstone Dune Trail. Advertisement

If you have family and friends visiting from out of town during the holidays, a good place to show off some of our vast outdoor spaces is Lake Mead National Recreation Area. One of the ideal ways to do this is by pairing up a scenic drive with a few choice spots to stop at along the way.

Northshore Road is probably the best route for this purpose, packing several different outdoor experiences into a route easily done in a day.

Ask for a map at the entrance station. This will let you get your bearings as you drive and identify landmarks along the way.

There are three places that shouldn't be missed, as each is unique, and when put together, really showcase the diversity of the region. One, Rogers Spring, is a pretty pool of water, heated to hot-tub temperatures by natural geothermal energy, which will utterly charm the many newcomers who have never seen such a hot spring before. Visitors may be equally charmed by the Redstone Area, which has a trail through some formations of red sandstone as vibrant as any seen in a Technicolor Western movie. And Northshore Summit Trail offers far-reaching panoramic views, spreading a visual feast before us as if nature had planned a smorgasbord.

Assuming you will drive to the farthest stop from Las Vegas and work your way back, your first stop will be Rogers Spring. Part of its charm is the sudden appearance of an oasis after an hour or more of traveling through dry desert landscape. The spot is marked by lush vegetation, including numerous palm trees lying at the foot of a low but steep hill of volcanic rock. Here, a substantial pond, about 30 yards across, feeds a small creek that meanders off toward Lake Mead, flowing some 700 gallons a minute year round.

Just walking around the pond is enchantment enough for many people; look for small fish and even turtles, a sight Las Vegans are not used to seeing. The spillway over the pond's low dam is bridged, so you can walk across to the hillside for a closer look at the spring mouth, or climb to a small rock overhang higher on the hill, which in its time doubtless sheltered primitive men and women.

Many Western hot springs are hot enough to boil eggs or cook meat, but this one is just the right temperature for a soak. Be aware that all hot springs are thought to contain Naegleria fowleria, an amoeba that can make you very sick or worse. But as long as you don't submerge your head or splash your face with water, you should be safe. Because most people do take these precautions, it's rare for anyone to actually get the disease.

There is a short, half-mile round-trip trail that heads up the embankment on the southwest side of the pond. It's easy, but has an elevation gain of about 100 feet. You will be treated to excellent views down into the Overton Arm of Lake Mead and beyond to the South Virgin Mountains to the east.

The next stop should be the Redstone area, which will be on your left if you're heading south as suggested. It would be hard to miss, as the brilliant red and orange sandstone formations are a striking contrast to the surrounding muted colors of the nearby limestone hills.

All ages will enjoy taking the short Redstone Dune Trail. It has no drop-offs and is only half a mile long, so even a young child can do it. The trail begins at the parking area and heads in a southeast direction. About 50 yards out, the trail travels through a small drainage and can be confusing as which way to continue. Look around for the next interpretive sign and then pick up the worn path that heads in that direction.

These rocky outcroppings of Aztec sandstone were sand dunes during the age of the dinosaurs. Eons of erosion have robbed them of the pleasantly rounded shapes of wind-blown dunes, but as you travel, you will be able to see cross bedding in the rock, where layers of sand, deposited by the wind, hardened into inclined layers.

Erosion has filled the rock with thousands of holes, pockets, windows and overhangs. Children will delight in seeing the whimsical shapes nature carved from the soft old stone; maybe they'll even see a favorite character from TV or a book.

To avoid disturbing the fragile cryptobiotic soil, made up of lichen, moss and bacteria, stay on the official trail.

The final hike is the North Shore Summit Trail, which is both moderate and short, at a mere half mile. The parking area will be on your right, 6.3 miles south of Redstone. Look around you before you start and notice that it's a pretty bland landscape. A couple of hundred feet in elevation can make an enormous difference in the desert, and here is a good example. Once at the summit, the views will be anything but bland, taking in the Bowl of Fire, Bitter Springs Valley, the Muddy Mountains and Lake Mead's Virgin Basin.

There are very high drop-offs on the ridge, so I wouldn't recommend bringing your children. You can traverse the ridge over to a saddle and then loop back to the trailhead. The trail is scree-covered, especially tricky on your descent, so be sure you have good tread on your hiking boots, and bring a hiking pole to help you balance.

All three trailheads have ample parking, restrooms and trash receptacles. Rogers Spring and Redstone Dune Trail have picnic areas. There are no services on Northshore Road, so be sure to gas up in Las Vegas or Anderson before heading out, and bring along plenty of drinks and picnic food to satisfy your guests' appetites, which will surely be honed by a healthy day in the Western outdoors.

Deborah Wall is the author of "Great Hikes, A Cerca Country Guide," published by Stephens Press. She can be reached at Deborabus@aol.com.