Hike North Wilson Ridge and Canyon Ridge Loop Lake Mead National Recreation Area, AZ

Mar 13, 2023 — North Wilson Ridge was my primary objective for the day, but it's a bit of work to reach from any direction. Unable to easily determine an obvious best approach, I poked around some more and realized Canyon Ridge (another peak) was located just to its north, and then of course that there were multiple other peaks nearby, all significantly lower than North Wilson Ridge. After mapping out a potential route, I determined it made the most sense to do them all as one big loop. I noticed I'd pass over the Cohenour Loop Road a couple of times, but the loop mileage was similar to just out-and-backing each of the peaks individually from the road. If it's your first time to this part of Lake Mead, you might be more interested in checking out Arch Mountain instead.

The roads leading out to the trailhead were fine overall, except for a couple of short sandy/rocky spots along Cohenour Loop Road, but mid-clearance would be fine. I parked where I did since it was the point of lowest elevation for the loop. I started clockwise, my reason being that I wanted to be able to scope out a route from below up to North Wilson Ridge rather than blindly descend that way.

First up was Peak 3448, which seems to have equally tall summits, each very different in character. I took the major drainage to their north, ascending to the saddle separating the twin summits. The northern peak had plenty of Class 2 and a nice view to the north. The southern peak had a small cliff to wrap around, but was mostly just a wide and uninteresting lump.

I continued to Peak 3602 along the sweeping mesatop, the terrain very pleasant for travel here. Peak 3602 required a steep Class 2 slope, followed by a bit of route-finding to locate a Class 2/2+ ascent option on its northeast side. I descended a Class 2+/3 route on the south side and slipped down loose terrain to Cohenour Loop Road. Looking at North Wilson Ridge far above, I was faced with a similar issue in person as I was when staring at it on a map. None of the spur ridges leading to the main crest were a good fit. Some seemed rocky or steep, while others required too much trudging through little arroyos to reach. I sort of just gave up and decided to take the most direct ridge to gain the crest and then traverse from there, efficiency pretty impossible to determine without knowing anything about the peak. In hindsight I still couldn't say if there would have been a better option. Maybe another one farther south would prevent all the extra ridgeline scrambling I'd soon have to do?

My ascent ridge choice worked nicely, starting as a steep slope with some Class 2 mixed in. Granitic boulders were introduced higher up and then the last quarter mile required some true Class 2/3 boulder-hopping to gain the crest. Here I got a fantastic view toward Lake Mead and Fortification Hill far below. North Wilson Ridge was still very far away, and it seemed to be separated by a spine of endless boulders. I scrambled around and over many obstacles, annoyed that this hike would probably be more effort than I thought, and all this extra tedious work could force me to run out of water and need to bail. Fortunately, the heavily-packed boulders only lasted a short time and I was able to make quicker progress after that.

The ridgeline had pockets of boulders, as well as a few undulations that I'd have to repeat on the way back. While there was nothing particularly dangerous to note, this traverse was certainly no quick feat. The last half mile was the most riddled with boulders, but I was able to weave in and out of them for the most part and only occasionally pulled a Class 3 move. The summit area was mostly sandy and had some sort of small human-made structure. I could also see Mount Wilson to the south.

After a long slog back along the ridgeline, I passed the point I'd joined the crest earlier and then continued north, now descending toward Indian Pass. Nothing exceeded Class 2, but the going was steep in a few sections. This portion was thankfully less muddled by boulders, but I did have to wrap around a few cliffy outcroppings and boulder clusters to keep the descent more tame. I also stumbled on an occasional animal trail that helped expedite my descent.

Indian Pass is an unimpressive overlook toward Fortification Hill, but a dirt road leads to it and a few small campfire rings have been constructed, so I guess people do come out here. I continued north, Canyon Ridge my next peak. I was surprised to find an excellent trail leading much of the way up to the summit, speeding up my progress significantly and helping me to willingly ignore my dwindling water supply. The views of Lake Mead improved the higher up I hiked, and this peak turned out to easily be my favorite of the day. At around 3800' I reached a rocky section of spine along the crest that can be avoided on the right as Class 2. I chose to stick to the ridge and was able to locate a short scramble puzzle with some exposure, though not exceeding Class 3. I'd recommend adding this little bit of fun if scrambling is your thing, but it would have been trivial to keep to the right of the ordeal and instead use the less dangerous slope option. A short dip led down to a final, steep slope to the summit of Canyon Ridge. This was acually a pretty amazing viewpoint, the Muddy Mountains and their various minion peaklets clearly visible across the Colorado River.

I backtracked to the dip and descended Class 2 into the wash below. There were a couple of avoidable (or fun Class 2/3) dryfalls along the way. I followed this wash for a mile or so until it opened into the desert floor. Peak 3091 was next, my final peak of the loop. The wash I was in would lead me in the wrong direction, so I left it and hiked up to a humpy, low, eroded ridge. The humps shifted from white to orange to green, and blooming wildflowers kept my waning mood from dehydration high. After more navigating over the lumpy terrain, I ascended Peak 3091 via its southwest ridge, which became steeper and rocky toward the top. My descent back to the car was trivial, a nice wash leading me all the way back.