Below the North Bowl Cliffs - 2/12/26

North Bowl of Fire from hike high Point (stylized)

Base of cliffs from Wiggly Wash

Bighorn Ridge Trail above Wiggly Wash (R)

Muddy Peak (L), Wave Rock (R)

The Bowl of Fire was formed in an anticline - an up-arched fold that exposes older rocks at its core. These core rocks are 180 million year old Aztec Sandstone. Surrounding flanking rocks are members of the Horse Spring Formation (17 to 12.5 million years old). Further out, on each side of the gap leading into the bowl, are the Rainbow Gardens Member of the Horse Spring Formation. This is a very short history of the geology of this interesting colorful section of Lake Mead NRA. This hike explores the terrain that lies on the east side of the sandstone cliffs that are the northern section of the large area named the Bowl of Fire - aka the North Bowl of Fire. Behind the red cliffs, hikers will find multiple opportunities to scramble to famous landmarks such as the Rabbit Hole and Raven's Balcony. Bighorn sheep live in this area and have made a few nice trails that travel through the cryptobiotic soil of the eastern terrain of the bowl. It must be said that the cryptobiotic soil MUST BE PROTECTED. Mindless hikers could ruin the terrain. Therefore, I write this blog with great trepidation. For areas with this type of terrain, hikers must stay out of the cryptobiotic soil by hiking only on worn trails or inside washes, no matter how small and curvy the washes may be. 

Sunrise climb up to high Point

Bitter Springs Cliffs

High point View

Northshore Summit Ridge Trail

Two Lady Hikers parked at the Northshore Summit Trailhead on Northshore Road MM 20.5, a paved parking lot with a restroom. We hiked the familiar trail up the hill where there are amazing views of the Bowl of Fire, the Muddy Mountains high point (Muddy Peak) and Bitter Spring Valley. Of course, the best time to view the fantastic colors of all this is in the morning light. At the top, we turned to our right and began a narrow trail across the top of the summit ridge. The trail continues along the ridge with the west side offering a precipitous drop. After the climb, the trail begins a descent of varying degrees down into a small wash. Take note what this junction looks like as you will be climbing back up the same way you came down. The small wash winds its way down until you can turn left onto a vague dirt road and, then following, a right onto a larger dirt road (aka Callville Wash Road). At Callville Wash, the route crosses on a diagonal to the right and finds a trail to take hikers up onto the plateau in front of you. This plateau is a relatively new route to take you to a North Bowl entrance saddle which will be called the 5-Way Saddle in this blog due to the five different trails emanating from the saddle at the top. When you reach the top of the saddle, the eastern terrain of the North Bowl opens wide with the cliffs still being 0.75 mile away.

Small wash from Northshore Summit Ridge Trail to Callville Wash

Plateau Route

Meeting Rock

Follow the well-worn Trail

We followed the trail that dropped over the other side of the saddle and came to a large pale-colored landmark rock, I'll call the Meeting Rock. On the opposite side of this rock outcrop, a worn trail through the cryptobiotic soil is the usual trail to the entrance canyon of the inside of the North Bowl of Fire. (Has been for many many years.) We found the trail and followed it, with one cairned turn to the right, all the way to a down climb into a large wash in front of the cliffs ahead. However, we changed course here. Just before we came to the down climb, there was a fork in the trail leading to the right. This was our choice for our exploratory hike. The right fork trail took us down into a medium large wash. This was a very windy wash I called the Wiggly Wash. We hiked the wash staying to the left when given a choice, for about 1/2 mile. In this area, there is a trail you can climb up to the ridge to the right of the wash. It will take you to the Bighorn Ridge Trail - a fantastic way to skip some of the Wiggly Wash. At the other end of the ridge, we continued following the bighorn trail until we found ourselves in the next wash over to the right. Here, we found a very old road/trail to follow out of the wash and sat on the hillside to take a break.

Large Peak to Right

Left fork leads to large wash and North Bowl entrance Canyon

Right fork leads to Wiggly Wash

View back inside Wiggly Wash

As we sat, I noticed that I was sitting on a big rock right on top of a vague trail that led exactly where we wanted to go next. Still conscious of the limits of the terrain, I was very pleased that this trail took off right through the rocky stuff that did not include cryptobiotic soil! I'll mention that there is another trail up above this trail on the side of a large rocky peak. That trail is the one we use for the Camel Trax hike. Our newfound trail was a better answer to getting back over to the Meeting Rock for this hike, and eliminated what would have been the required climb up to the upper trail on the Large Peak. Our trail circled around the bowl of delicate soil on the right with the Large Peak on our left, and following, the craggy ridge above. Although the trail is difficult to see at times, if you are accustomed to finding trails where no one else seems to see them, you will find this trail. As we turned the corner around the craggy ridge, we saw a huge gray rock outcrop that looks like a Tombstone! Just past this rock and to the left, we saw the Meeting Rock.

We always used the trails. NEVER the cryptobiotic soil!!

There is a lot of cryptobiotic soil!! It's alive! USE the trails.

Following a bighorn trail above the Wash

Face of the Cliffs

If you want to change it up and return to the trailhead in a slightly different way than how you got to the Meeting Rock in the first place, you can go straight. There are huge rock fins in front of you where you can hike through or around. After this, find a similar vague trail on the other side to take you down to a wash that leads out to Callville Wash Road if you take a right. Take a left on the road and, around the corner, arrive at the big intersection where you turn right and start your trip back. Instead, we took a left at the Meeting Rock and followed the familiar trail up to 5-Way Saddle and on across the plateau where we dropped down to Callville Wash Road at that same big intersection. Go straight from the plateau and gradually climb the small wash you descended in the beginning. Don't miss the cairned "road" turn to the right and the cairned trail fork up to the left to begin your climb out and onto the Summit Ridge Trail. If you hit the wrong time of year, it WILL be hot!

Last wash before climb up to Lower Trail Across

View to South Bowl from break Spot

Following the Lower Trail Across. Look closely!

Lower Trail Across - And, Tombstone Rock

All that was left for us was the hike along the Summit Ridge Trail, a convenient shortcut trail to the left and down to the cars.

This hike has a lot of twists and turns. Become familiar with the route before you go ... even if it means a couple of research pre-hikes. Remember the crypto rules. And, look for bighorns. We didn't see any but we know they are there!

Stats: 6 miles; 1200' gain; 5.75 hours

Have careful fun exploring!

Colors abound as we crossed over to Meeting Rock

From Northshore Summit toward Lake Mead

Northshore Summit Trail Return