To experience many and perhaps most tight slot canyons, you need technical skills and equipment. But to gain entry into Lovell Wash Narrows, all you have to do is walk on in. Furthermore, the route is less than 2 miles round trip, with minimum elevation gain, so it can't be beat for hikers whose ambitions for adventure are temporarily restricted by time, convalescence from hiking injuries, or small children.
Located in the southern part of the Muddy Mountains Wilderness Area, a 48,000-acre preserve just northwest of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, this winter hike also takes you past some interesting mining history before you enter the corkscrewing slot.
From the trail head, descend an old jeep trail into Lovell Wash and go north, or right. Here you'll find a wide and easy-to-follow drainage that will serve as your trail for the entire trip.
After walking about five minutes or so, you will start to see remnants of the Anniversary Mine, first discovered in 1921 by F.M. Lovell and G.D. Hartman of St. Thomas. They soon sold the property to Francis "Borax" Smith, the famed developer of Death Valley Mines. Anniversary produced colemanite, a form of calcium borate, and the take was estimated at 200,000 tons. The mine closed in 1928, when producing and refining boron ores in California was proven cheaper.
Traveling up the wash, you can find evidence of this operation -- old timbers, open holes, tunnels and tailings. Most are visible from the main route, while others can only be found by exploring some spur trails.
Remember the Nevada Division of Minerals warning that abandoned mines are never really safe, and adhere to their motto, "Stay Out and Stay Alive." Besides offering the inherent dangers of cave-ins and falls, mine openings are a favorite hangout for rattlesnakes.
After about three-quarters of a mile, the wash appears to be blocked off and the canyon boxed in, but if you look carefully you will notice the dark slit, which will be your access route. Upon entering, you'll be walking into a whole other world. It is noticeably cooler, darker, and each bend brings a new masterpiece of water-worn and multicolored limestone.
In many areas, the sky is blocked by the tight and sculpted walls. Being in such an enclosed place, though, seems to enhance your eyesight.
Look around at the small plants, lizards and spider webs that are at home in this dark habitat, but would be easily overlooked in wider canyons.
The Narrows serpentine for about one-third of a mile, and in many spots you can touch both sides simultaneously without any effort. In some areas, the walls rise up several hundred feet. It corkscrews, so you won't be able to see what is around the next bend. After the Narrows, the wash opens up, yet the drainage is still easily hiked and will add another dimension to a journey here.
When my children were younger, they liked to run through this slot on the return. Running while hiking was usually not allowed in our family, and probably shouldn't have been here. It also was a great place to play hide-and-seek, or a variation we might call "hide-and-scare." The idea was to get ahead, hide behind one of the many twisting corners, and jump out with a loud "Boo!" Even though I knew they were somewhere in the canyon and would eventually reveal themselves, I still found this slightly unnerving. But looking through the telescope of time from the adult end, I can still see what fun it must have been to unnerve a parent.
This is a good place to be a kid, or just to remember being one.
Deborah Wall is the author of "Great Hikes, A Cerca Country Guide," published by Stephens Press. She can be reached at Deborah@hikingthewest.com.
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