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Services, Getting There Hikes & Trails Related Areas Lake Mead National Recreation Area Map Information USGS topo: Boulder City NV, Boulder City SE NV, Ringbolt Rapids AZ, Willow Beach AZ Benchmark Gazetteer pages 84, 85. |
Wilderness Area Status Designated Wilderness Area Management Managing Agency: National Park Service Area Description The power of water and time is nowhere more clearly articulated than on the walls, cliffs and buttresses that comprise the Black Canyon Wilderness. Countless millennia of the Colorado River's diligent carving have created a truly spectacular landscape of indescribable scale. With sheer cliff walls towering over narrow slot canyons, countless waterfalls smoothing and cutting deeper into the limestone and immense walls dominating the terrain, this wilderness is as rugged as they come. Navigating the meandering canyons can be intimidating and confusing, so take your time and be aware of where you are. The utmost care must be given to every step when traversing and down-climbing the chutes. Do not mimic the bighorn sheep as they bound down the vertical walls, they are well adapted to this unforgiving terrain. Massive rappels are possible for the adventurous, however unnecessary to descend from the rim to the river. Also, there are some spectacular views of the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, if you are willing to navigate the rolling hills and cliff edges. Hot springs are a popular attraction in this wilderness area. If you can find these springs (best accessed from the river), you will discover that the water seeps from the cliff walls and rolls down the rock, growing thick mats of algae and ferns reminiscent of a tropical rainforest. Flora Fauna Sensitive Species Wildlife: Desert Banded Gecko, Peregrine Falcon, Ospery, Bald Eagle, Relict Leopard Frog, Chuckwalla, Canyon Wren, Cactus Wren, Barrel Cactus, Common Raven, American Coot, Phainopepla |
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