Callville Ridge Plane Crash Site & Canyon Loop - 2/3/25

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. 

Rocks everywhere!

Taking in the View

Lake Mead from Callville Ridge

Muddy Mountains, Rainbow Ridge and Redstone

A few pieces of the debris field still exist. Nothing valuable. Just interesting. Leave it there for others to wonder over. The ridge is strewn with volcanic rocks leftover from eruptions that happened 10 to 8 million years ago from cinder cones located to the east. Many hikers leave their first hike here with thoughts of, "So many rocks!" It behooves the careful hiker to pay close attention to where and how they step. (This can be exhausting!) As we hiked the undulating ridge, we continued to climb, watch rocks, and stop once in a while for the terrific scenery. Occasionally, we would pass a cairn that only suggested that we were taking the same route others have taken. 

Callville Ridge Peak 662E

Game trail leading to plane crash Site

Following vague Trail

Small pieces at plane crash Site

The first minor peak we came to was Peak 662. There is a log book there with someone's suggestion that the peak should be named Blowing Peak. We side-stepped the next peak (Peak 662E) by following an extremely vague trail on a lateral route to the left. At a trailing ridge, we turned to the left and found the trail continuing around and down to the next ridge seen across a deepening wash. (We noticed that there is a trail leading from this U-shaped ridge into the wash between us and the plane crash ridge.) The next ridge has the road scar. We followed the road scar up to the plane crash debris field, walked around a little and took our break. There is a log book at the top of this minor peak as well but we forwent the privilege. After the break, we headed over to the cliff above the wash to the west (toward Black Mesa). Knowing there was a negotiable slope down to that now very deep wash, we turned to the left and spotted it in the near distance. The slope was covered with treacherous volcanic rock. SLOW would be the name of this descent game.

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