Liberty
Bell Arch is in the Lake Mead NRA. It is a 5 mile round trip with 100 feet
of "net" gain that comes in the form of maybe 500' down and 600'
up. From the parking lot we could clearly see our
destination, an overlook 1,000 feet above the river, and the formation
that holds the arch.
Along the trail we came to an abandoned gold mining operation. Carol and Howard decided to reach it by going over the ridge behind the abandoned machinery, and scrambling down the slick rock (descending from the right in this photo). What's left of the mine is maybe 100' of tunnel with two openings, probably resulting from cave-ins. The camera caught our intrepid duo in the spotlight of sun's rays streaming through one of the cave-ins.
Our next stop along the trail was the arch. We scrambled up loose scree to reach its base but couldn't find a (safe) way into the opening itself. We were proud of Howard for not trying!
Our
final ascent to the viewpoint was rewarded with the contrasting colors of
the green river flowing through the dark rock of the canyon. This has to be
one of the most spectacular views in Las Vegas. We had lunch
at the edge of the cliff 1,000' above the Colorado River and watched as a
couple of boats disturbed the mirror-like surface of the water.
On our way back to the car, we could see Fortification Hill in the distance. We'll be watching for the road to reopen so we can add it to this years hike list.
