Liberty Loop - 12/3/24

Morning sun shining through Liberty Bell Arch

Old Manganese Mine

O'Callaghan-Tillman Bridge in the colors of Lake Mead NRA

Starting down the wide gravel Wash

Dropping to the start of White Rock Canyon

For years now, the Around the Bend Friends have been hiking out to Liberty Bell Arch in the Lake Mead NRA when the weather was right. (It can get very hot out there in the summer.) Back in 2007, when I first joined the club, the new highway 93 had not been built and the new O'Callaghan Tillman Bridge had not been built and AZ SR 93 was only a two-lane road and "trailheads" were not very formal. We used to park up off the side of the road around MM 3 and crossed the road to start the hike. We began on an old abandoned dirt road that quickly turned onto a path. This path went to a place near where the trail now junctions with White Rock Canyon. However, the new divided highway 93, the bridge and a new route was constructed. And, now, we begin at the White Rock Trailhead located at MM 4 of AZ SR 93. It is a large parking lot with a restroom. The trailhead serves White Rock Canyon, AZ hot springs, Horse Thief Canyon, various other fun endeavors and Liberty Bell Arch.

After right turn at Sign

Nearing junction of old Trail

Doug pauses at the old trail Junction

Skiff Saddle

The abandoned Mangenese Mine

We dropped down from the end of the parking lot and went under the highway bridge down the wide gravel wash veering to the right. Not long after the canyon narrows down, there is a signed junction on the right side where we turned and continued on a trail. When the trail turns to the left to go up a little hill, we joined the old trail of years before. Admiring the views and seeing the arch in the distance, we came to a large old mining skiff still lying on a hillside to the right. The old manganese mine lies directly underneath the skiff as the trail drops down and curves around to the right into a small mine shaft. A visit here is always required! Returning to the trail, we followed down along a shallow wash then turned to the right to go up a hill and around to the left. There are a few short overlook trails in this area where you can get different photos of the arch which is now in view.

Trail from mine to Arch

Morning light on the Landscape

Returning from an Overlook

The Liberty Bell Arch

The arch with the bridge in the Background

The trail continues past the arch and up the hill behind it. At the top of this plateau, we took our break and had gorgeous views of the Colorado River and the Black Canyon Waterway. Directly across from the plateau and down at the river shore is a green area that holds Moonscape Springs. Down river below us, the White Rock Canyon cuts through the high-walled rock. Beyond that, you can make out Hot Springs Canyon in which lies the Arizona Hot Springs (Ringbolt Hot Springs). After the short break, we returned to the arch and continued straight at the next intersection on a different trail that would create a loop hike back to the trailhead. This trail circled around on the left side of the first hill and the right side of the second hill. Coming to a second small crest, the trail dives over the other side and down to the wash below. It isn't nearly as steep as I remembered from the first time I did it 7 years ago! Yes, it has been seven years since we had done the loop hike. Armed with our GPS tracks, we started up the wash. Nicely, the wash had occasional cairns set up on the sides to alert the route. However, as we hiked up the wash, the cairns became few and far between. Regardless, we felt our way up the moderate scrambles and dry falls having difficulty only when the wash forked a couple of times.

Trail on plateau Overlook

The Colorado River below the plateau Overlook

Fortification Hill from plateau Overlook

Starting out the loop Trail

The loop Trail

At the first fork there was not an obvious choice. A wash headed up to the right. With a sneaking suspicion, we chose the left fork. As it turned out, the right fork was a dead end. Next, we took a right fork because it seemed that the left fork was headed off into neverland! Small forks after that were more obvious and eventually, we saw the highway in the distance crossing the wash. Here, we knew that we needed to get up the hill to the right so we started looking for use trails in that direction. We took a couple of different trails in the same area and finally arrived up to the old road where we had started our hike in the past from that old trailhead. Next, the route was simple. All we had to do was follow the old road all the way around, down and over to that wide gravel wash in which we had begun.

The steep Descent

The last half of the steep Descent

Climbing up the Wash

Continuing up the Wash

Dry fall climb in Wash

I suppose that if you are feeling anxious, you can shortcut across the desert sometime in the final stretch to the wide wash. (There are a couple of arroyos.) I believe we did that seven years ago. But, on this hike, we followed the old road all the way over and hiked up the wash on the left side where there was a trail with less loose gravel. Easier walking. So much fun! And more interesting than the out and back hike that we have done for so many years. This hike shows some of the great scenery that Lake Mead offers.

Stats: 6.6 miles; 1300' gain; 4.75 hours

Another dry fall Negotiation

Climbing up to the old road Above

Following the old road back to the wide gravel Wash

Returning up the wide gravel Wash