Northshore Peak

Overview

Northshore Peak rises in Lake Mead National Recreation Area to the east of Las Vegas, Nevada. The peak is officially un-named. Its north face creates a wall/steep slope that rises 1000 ft above North Shore Road, a 50 mile long scenic desert drive that parallels the northern shore of Lake Mead on Colorado River behind Hoover Dam. Northshore Peak does not have an established trail but can be easily hiked via its northeastern slopes. Only below its summit, a short section of Class III hand and foot climbing will be required.

I had a cold and my ears were ringing. I had decided not to do any hiking today. Woke up in our hotel on Las Vegas Strip at 7:30 a.m. While still in bed, I thought that if I don’t do any hiking, I will be bored to death. It was quite ironic that I could not keep myself busy in the entertainment capital of the world and had to run to the dust and dirt of the wilderness. At 8:00 a.m., I suddenly decided that I wanted to climb Northshore Peak.

Getting There

Left our Hotel on Las Vegas Strip at 8:30 a.m. and got on I-15 south to I-215 East which became Lake Mead Dr. Turned north onto North Shore Road and paid the entrance fee into Lake Mead National Recreation Area. After 20.6 miles on North Shore Road, I reached a parking area on the left (north) side of the road.

Hike Statistics

Place	Elevation	Distance
Parking Area	730 meters	zero miles
Northshore Peak Summit	1015 meters	1.30 miles

The Hike

Started my hike at 9:45 a.m. It was sunny and the temperature was in the mid 50s degrees F. I did not see any hikers in the area. From the parking, the north face of Northshore Peak was visible.



To the west, I could see a part of the red hills of the Bowl of Fire.



Headed south, crossed the road and began walking the desert floor to reach the base of the peak.



I first went up a hill to the northeast of the peak. Some of the rocks in the area looked very interesting. At first glance, it appeared as if black mud had been splattered all over white rock. Closer examination, however, revealed that the black material was not mud, but rock embedded into the white rock.



I was then walking up the easy northeastern slopes of Northshore Peak.




I then reached the false summit. The true summit and the Class III approach to it came to view.



Staying on the crest of the ridge-line, would have led to a 10 ft wall that would have needed to be descended. Instead, I went down the southern slopes a short distance to a place where a cairn came to view. This led me through a pathway below the mentioned wall to reach the base of the true summit.



Reached the summit at 10:40 a.m. It was windy and cool. The views were spectacular.












Left at 11:00 a.m. and was back to my car by 11:50 a.m. On the drive back, I stopped in two places to take pictures of Northshore Peak from North Shore Road.

Images

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