Get ready to discover one of Lake Mead’s best-kept secrets: Owl Canyon! Just 30 minutes from Las Vegas, the White Owl Canyon Trail (or Owl Canyon Trail, for short) takes hikers on an exciting journey through a once-underwater portion of Lake Mead, twisting through narrow slot canyons and traversing across remote washes.
Before hiking the Owl Canyon Trail, there are some things you should know. From trail conditions and cell service to flash floods and fees, here are eleven things you should know before you hike the Owl Canyon Trail in Lake Mead National Recreation Area!
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LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA AT A GLANCE
Before diving in, here are a few highlights for planning a trip to Lake Mead.
- Getting There: The closest airport to Lake Mead is Harry Reid International Airport, which is about 30 minutes from the Lakeshore Road entrance. Find affordable flights here.
- Entrance Fee: $25/vehicle or FREE with America the Beautiful pass
- Where to Stay: Boulder Beach Campground OR Hoover Dam Lodge & Casino
- How to Get Around: You’ll need to rent a personal vehicle to get around Lake Mead.
- Best Time to Visit: Spring and fall
- How Long to Visit: 1-2 days
Owl Canyon Trail: 11 Things to Know Before You Go
1. The trail is unmaintained and relatively unmarked.
The Owl Canyon Trail is unmaintained and relatively unmarked, so hike at your own risk.
Since the trail isn’t maintained, rock falls are possible, debris could be blocking the trail, the terrain could be unstable, the trail could be impassible at times, etc.
Also, there are no real signs or markers along the trail aside from a few rock lines. The only official sign we noticed was at the trailhead.
The sign at the trailhead states three things: the trail name (Owl Canyon), the fact that it’s not maintained, and that hikers should descend into the wash and the canyons at their own risk.
Since the path isn’t always clear, and there’s very little cell service in the area, it’s important to download maps ahead of time. That way, you can navigate offline. I recommend AllTrails!
2. Service is spotty.
To our surprise, we actually had a little bit of cell service on the roads leading to the parking lot and at the Owl Canyon trailhead. (We have Verizon).
But as soon as we descended into the wash and ducked into the slot canyons, we lost service completely.
3. Owl Canyon used to be underwater.
Lake Mead’s water level has unfortunately been dropping dramatically over the last several decades. In fact, as much as 150 feet of Lake Mead’s water has disappeared since the year 2000.
The silver lining to Lake Mead’s rapid decline is that new discoveries are being made as the water level drops. Owl Canyon is one of those exciting discoveries!
Owl Canyon, with its wavy brown walls and rock-speckled floor, was once entirely submerged beneath the vibrant blue waters of Lake Mead. As soon as the water level plummeted, Owl Canyon was exposed.
Who knew there were such cool things beneath the water’s surface?! It makes me wonder what else is hiding under there.
4. The trailhead is off 33 Hole Road.
The Owl Canyon trailhead resides in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, right off 33 Hole Road. The road and parking area are paved so any vehicle can access the Owl Canyon trailhead.
From Lakeshore Road (one of the main scenic drives in the recreation area), turn onto 33 Hole Road. Make the first left turn to access the Owl Canyon trailhead and parking area. The trailhead parking area has a picnic pavilion, pit toilet, and trash bin.
If you type “Owl Canyon Trailhead” into Google Maps, the app will direct you to the trailhead. Or you can click here for directions.
5. The first part of the Owl Canyon Trail is steep and slippery.
The 50-yard journey from the Owl Canyon trailhead down into the wash is steep, slippery, and somewhat treacherous. The hillside is littered with loose rocks and sand.
I remember standing on the hilltop, looking down at the wash, and wondering if the steep descent was truly the right path. It is indeed the right path!
Slips and falls are common on this first 50-yard stretch of Owl Canyon Trail, so I’d recommend using trekking poles to help keep your balance! Also, hike slowly and don’t race down the hill.
While some other parts of the trail are paved, much of the rest of the trail is made up of loose uneven rock and sand as well. No part of the trail is as steep or as treacherous as the beginning, but it’s still worth noting that you should watch your footing throughout the trail!
REMEMBER: The trail is unmaintained, so that adds an extra element of danger and unpredictability.
6. Lake Mead charges a $25 entrance fee.
Lake Mead is a National Recreation Area; the park unit charges a $25/vehicle entrance fee. There are not always attendants at the entrance gates, but a ranger could ask to see your pass at any of the trailheads or parking areas in the recreation area.
I find it most convenient to have a valid America the Beautiful pass with me at all times. This pass gets you into all National Park sites, including Lake Mead, for FREE!
Buy your National Park pass on REI for just $80 (for an entire year!)
7. Get to the trailhead early and avoid hiking in the summer.
Hiking to Owl Canyon early in the morning is a good decision for three reasons:
- It’s cooler. There’s pretty much zero shade on the trail, so hiking in the morning means you avoid the harsh mid-day sun and heat.
- The light in the slot canyon is better. During midday, the sun shines harshly into the canyon, making the colors less impressive, and dulling photos. The colors in the slot canyons are much better in the morning before the sun slides over the canyon walls and bathes the interior.
- It’s not as crowded. Due to its proximity to Vegas, this has become somewhat of a popular trail recently. But we had the canyons entirely to ourselves at 7:00 AM!
This part of southern Nevada experiences excruciatingly high heat in the summer months. Avoid hiking this trail (and all other trails in the area) during the summer. If you decide to hike in the summer, ensure you hike very early or late, when the temperatures are cooler.
The best time of year to hike to Owl Canyon is October – April.
8. Avoid hiking the trail during monsoon season (and in the rain).
Hiking in slot canyons, including Owl Canyon, is never advised when rain is forecasted. And hiking into the canyons during monsoon season (July-September) is definitely unadvisable because the canyons are at an increasingly high risk of flash flooding.
The canyon walls are 100 feet tall in some areas, making emergency escapes nearly impossible.
9. You can shorten the trail if you’re short on time.
The entire Owl Canyon loop is around 3 miles, but we only hiked to the first slot before turning around. Why? Well, I read that the first slot is the best of the two slot canyons on the trail and that hiking the rest of the trail isn’t exactly worth the trek.
Part of the trail (beyond the first slot) traverses a paved bike path, and many hikers have shared that the views are poor on this stretch.
The route we took was incredibly scenic and I’d highly recommend doing what we did, especially if you are short on time. In our shortened version of the trail, you get to see this gorgeous, decently-long section of Owl Canyon (pictured below).
After the first 50-yard descent down the hill from the trailhead, we walked over the wash and veered left at the loop to reach the first (and supposedly, most scenic) slot canyon.
Once we hiked through that first slot (it ended at a drainage tunnel), we turned around and retraced our steps back to the trailhead. But the slot does continue on for a bit before ending at another drainage tunnel. (You’d have to walk through the drainage tunnel). This would also be a good turnaround point.
This custom route would convert the 3-mile loop to between 1-2 miles out & back, ensuring that you see the tallest, narrowest, and most scenic slot canyon and cut out the boring stretches. The second slot is much shorter and smaller, and the journey to the second slot isn’t as exciting.
10. Dogs are allowed on the Owl Canyon Trail.
Dogs are permitted to hike with you on the Owl Canyon Trail. However, I don’t recommend doing so. With the treacherous stretch at the beginning and the lack of shade, it would be quite challenging to navigate the terrain with a dog. Especially in the heat!
11. Owls are frequently spotted on this trail.
Unfortunately, we didn’t see any owls on our hike, but supposedly they are frequently spotted in the slot canyon! Hence the name, Owl Canyon.
Oh, and if you see whitewash on the canyon walls, that’s owl poop.
Discover Your Next Adventure
Where to next? I’ve got some suggestions!
- Death Valley National Park
- Kanab Sand Caves
- Zion National Park
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- Antelope Canyon
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I absolutely love the Lake Mead area! We did a similar trail there called Cathedral Wash and it really blew me away. I’ll have to do Owl Canyon next time.
Ooh, I’ll have to add the Cathedral Wash to my list for next time!