Overview

The Bowl of Fire is an area inside the Muddy Mountains Wilderness Area where brilliant-red Jurassic-Age sandstone outcrops are surrounded by gray limestone mountains. The limestone forms the sides of the bowl, and the red sandstone forms the fire in the bottom. The southwestern section of the Bowl of Fire is a place to wander about in a wonderland of jumbled piles of red sandstone; a place to go and just hike about with no particular destination. Hikers with a map can keep track of where they are (more or less), but confused hikers can just hike downhill to get out.

From the pavement, getting into and back out of the Bowl of Fire requires about 2-1/2 miles round-trip, but the length of the hike depends on the desires of the hiker.

Link to map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ...this is fairly safe hiking area if you stay in the washes that dissect the sandstone outcrops. The outcrops are inviting, however; so for those who climb on the rocks, watch your step and watch your kids. This is a backcountry area, so rescue would be time consuming and fairly difficult. It would be easy to get turned around in the maze of side canyons and boulder piles, so if you get "lost," just hike down any wash (always go downhill) and you will come out were you went in.

While hiking, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. Also, this hike is moderately long, so be sure to bring the 10 Essentials. This hike goes into the Muddy Mountains Wilderness Area, so pay particular attention to respecting the land.

Getting to the Trailhead

This hike is located along Northshore Road in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, about 45 minutes northeast of Las Vegas. From town, drive out to Lake Mead.

In a 2WD vehicle, drive north on Northshore Road to Mile 18.2 Trailhead. Park here; this is the 2WD trailhead.

In a 4WD vehicle, drive north on Northshore Road to the Mile 16.0 (Anniversary) Trailhead. Turn left into the dirt and drive up Callville Wash North Road (Road 94) for about 1.8 miles to the mouth of a large wash that comes in from the north (Site 0786). Park here; this is the Bowl of Fire Wash trailhead parking. For hikers using the 4WD Trailhead, see BOF SW 4WD Trailhead and Approach.

The Hike

From the Mile 18.2 Trailhead (Table 1, Waypoint 01), the hike runs north across the open desert towards the northern toe of Hill 651 (Wpt. 02). There is no trail until the route nears the toe of Peak 651, but then a use-trail wraps around the south side of the hill. The use-trail fades away past the toe; but from there, the route runs northwest across Callville Wash and heads towards the red sandstone cliffs that can be seen ahead in the Bowl of Fire.

Hikers can look for a faint use-trail that runs towards the entrance to the Bowl of Fire. Crossing the desert flats, the use-trail hits Bowl of Fire Wash just below an outcrop of red rocks (Wpt. 03).

Dropping into the wash, the route runs upstream. The wash forks (Wpt. 04), and the route stays left into the south fork. The wash eventually narrows, and the canyon walls rise as the route approaches a narrow point between two limestone ridges.

At the narrow spot between limestone ridges (Wpt. 05), the wash cuts through a layer of gray conglomerate rock where a jumble of boulders create a small pour-over that is passed towards the right. The conglomerate is composed of coarse limestone fragments set in a matrix of smaller limestone fragments, which is interesting enough, but where it was polished by flowing water, the color is blue and very pretty.

Above the pour-over (Wpt. 05), the wash splits and hikers are on the edge of the Bowl of Fire. From there, hikers can wander about the washes admiring how the eroded red sandstone outcrops contrast with the surrounding gray limestone hills. The red rocks seem to go on forever, or at least to the mountains in the distance. This is a place to hike about with no particular destination.

An easy route starts at the jumble of conglomerate boulders (Wpt. 05) and runs up the right-most fork, heading north. Shortly, the wash forks (Wpt. 06), and the route stays left heading for a deep cleft between red sandstone crags. Beyond the cleft, the wash forks again (Wpt. 07), and again the route stays left.

The wash curves hard to the west (Wpt. 08), forks again (Wpt. 09), and again the route stays left. Still following the main wash, the canyon splits three ways (Wpt. 10), and the route stays left.

Shortly, the route encounters a 5-ft pour-over in the wash at the base of a sandstone crag that forms the left side of the pour-over. The pour-over is easily climbed or bypassed on the left. Atop the pour-over, the route exits the wash to the left and loops around the side of the sandstone crag heading south.

It would seem that looping around the crag would deposit the hiker back in the wash, but instead the route climbs onto a low saddle (Wpt. 12) where it becomes apparent that the wash runs more to the west. The route continues south on the low ridge to a bit of a highpoint. This is a good place to stop and enjoy a snack before returning back down the wash and out.

With a map, hikers can keep track of their location in the Bowl of Fire area (at least in general), but for hikers who get disorientated in the maze of boulder piles, just hiking downhill in any wash (always go downhill) eventually leads back out to Callville Wash.