 |
Lava Butte and Frenchman Mountain as seen from Callville Ridge |
 |
Terrain on Callville Ridge |
 |
Callville Ridge surrounding Area |
 |
Summiting the ridge from the Trailhead |
Nine club hikers drove out to the Lake Mead NRA and turned right on Callville Bay Road just after passing Black Mesa at Northshore Road's MM 11.5. One third of a mile down this road, there is a large round pullout on the right. We parked there, stepped over the tortoise fence across the road and climbed up to the top of the ridge in the 2:00 direction from the trailhead. This is Callville Ridge running west to east between Black Mesa and West End Wash. On the ridge, there are three minor peaks (Peaks 662, 662E, and 653). Just below Peak 653, a military experimental airplane crashed. There was not a fatality and, for the most part, the wreckage was cleared. A road that was built for this task still leaves a scar on the landscape.
 |
View from summit above plane crash Site |
 |
Taking a break above crash Site |
 |
Treacherous descent to Wash |
 |
Taking it Slow |
The descent down to the wash below was
very carefully accomplished. On the maps below, you will compare that we did not go down to the canyon overlook from the break area and work back up the cliffside. Instead, we came to the descent from the other direction. Happily, we all made it down still healthy and started down the wash into the canyon. This is a beautiful black canyon with switchback walls and a few challenging pour-overs. Everyone was having a lot of fun when someone in the back of the line exclaimed that there was a bighorn on the opposite wall at a curve in the canyon. I was barely able to grab my camera and shoot. See what I ended up with in a photo below.
 |
Finally in the Wash |
 |
Canyon Scramble |
 |
Zigzagging through Canyon |
 |
Find Waldo, the Bighorn |
At the last walled switchback, the deep canyon curved to the left and a tributary canyon turned up to the right. Carefully turning the corner on a ledge, we started up. At first the canyon offered a few more challenges, then it began to flatten out a bit. As our climb wore on, we took right forks when offered and finally, summited over a saddle. Working our way over to the right, we found a descent wash, came to the paved road, turned right and walked up the road a little to the cars. The climb out of the amazing canyon area was the hardest part of the hike but all accepted it as part of a hiker's morning. Fun day!
Stats: 5 miles; 1050' gain; 3.75 hours
 |
More canyon Descent |
 |
Turning the Corner |
 |
Starting the ascent back to Cars |