Nestled within the beautiful Lake Mead Recreation Area, lies Owl Canyon, where its visitors are hikers and its inhabitants are owls! Starting the hike with a steep downhill descent, while pondering the steepness of the climb back to the car, is an interesting experience of…should we turn back now! There was too much excitement, however, of where the trail would lead. At first it looks as if one will wander out into the abyss of the desert and then a trail pops up at the base of the hill. Following this path up another incline leads to a wonderland of seashells. Yes, I wrote seashells! In the middle of an arid desert, there are seashells scattered across the land. This led to much conversation about how Lake Mead was once under water and how the shells got there in the first place. After the windy path of shells there is open desert and the trail is unmarked. On the internet it says it is easy to get lost and I can understand this. We went left toward what looked like the canyon. We read prior that there was a slot canyon and this is why we wanted to go in the first place. Also, for the chance of seeing owls.
The trail had a lot of foot traffic on it but we were fortunate to have a very long time of it just being us and our dog. We kept him on leash just to be safe and were super happy we did. Eventually, there were many people and dogs of all sizes walking through the canyon. We spotted owl droppings, nesting areas, nests, feathers, pellets, all while walking through the cool canyon shade. The rocks spoke to me and danced around in my mind. Later I would find a restless night’s sleep due to how much inspiration I encountered in the canyon. The sound of the rocks and stones beneath our feet is still ringing in my ears with pure enjoyment. I love digging my shoes into sandy or rocky paths and getting a nice leg workout while exploring. My favorite part of the hike had to be watching our daughter look up and all around in such wonder. This is definitely a family friendly trail and there is so much to see as well as touch. Our child loved it! Stay tuned for more of the story and descriptions on Thursday. Until then, thank you for reading and have a marvelous Monday!
-Karen Hilliard