Gold Strike Hot Springs
The Las Vegas Strip is an adventure in itself but there are actually a number of great hiking and longboarding adventures in Las Vegas and the surrounding areas. One of the coolest adventures that we did on the outskirts of Vegas was the hike to Gold Strike Hot Springs. This hike is in Boulder City, about 45 minutes from the Strip. This hike had it all: beautiful scenery, boulder scrambling, ropes to repel down, hot springs, and a cold river!
Quick Facts
- Distance: 6 miles roundtrip
- Difficulty: moderate with some fun challenges along the way
- Highlights: rock scrambling, using provided ropes for some obstacles
- Know Before You Go: closed in summer (May 15 – Sept 30) due to heat
How to get there: If you’re coming from the Las Vegas Strip, take the I-15 South to I-215 East then merge onto the I-93 South. Take exit 2 towards Boulder City. Once you exit, make your first right and then an immediate left onto a dirt road. You will then see a parking area. There will probably be other cars there. This hike is relatively popular, but for good reason!
Our Experience: Gold Strike Hot Springs
We did the Gold Strike Hot Springs Trail in March and the weather was perfect for it. The hot springs were enjoyable and a cool dip in the river didn’t sound bad either! The trail is closed from May 15 to September 30 due to the danger of the extreme high temperatures mixed with the hot waters.
The hike is about 6 miles round trip. From the parking lot the trail is mostly dirt with some rocks. The trail enters a beautiful red rock canyon that is dotted with wildflowers and green shrubs that have great contrast with the red of the canyon. Mixed in with the plant life you’ll notice random car parts scattered around.
The destroyed cars in the canyon are kind of an eye sore, but it was kind of interesting too because each of those cars fell down the canyon from the highway above. Eventually the canyon narrows a bit and the rocks on the path turn into large boulders. This is where the fun begins!
From here, there is some boulder scrambling as well as route finding based on how easy or exciting you want to make it. Then there is the first descent where there is a rope in place to add to the sense of adventure! This descent also was made a lot easier with some steps carved into the canyon wall. Further on the trail, there is a fun dry fall that can be slid down like a slide. This is followed by another rope repelling opportunity. Although some of these ropes weren’t completely necessary they definitely gave the trail an exciting aspect.
After some more fun on the rocks, water makes its first appearance! Here, the water is slightly warm already. The trail follows and crosses this little stream for a bit. We had unexpected visitors here. A police helicopter flew right overhead through the canyon, the noise from the blades were seriously amplified by the canyon walls.
Shortly after we made it to the first large hot spring tub! We passed it up and checked out the next one. It had quiet a few people in it so we just returned to this first one and enjoyed a nice soak. The water was pretty warm, but not too hot. We then headed back to the parking lot and on our way we were lucky enough to see a few mountain goats!
From the first couple hot springs, the trail does continue to all the way to the Colorado River but we didn’t make it that far this time. There are multiple hot spring tubs, a hot waterfall and some more challenging sections of the hike. On a hotter day I would think that the river would be even more of a destination than the hot springs! I think the scenic canyon itself was destination enough.
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There are so many perks on this hike! You can pick and choose the length, difficulty, and destination to your own desires and skill level. Be sure to take the temperatures into consideration and be mindful of the return hike back. Bring plenty of water! Also, be aware of the dangers of immersing your head in the hot springs. This hike was very beautiful from the very start and a lot of fun!
We really enjoyed hiking to Gold Strike Hot Springs! Hiking in this beautiful red rock canyon reminded us of a few other canyons that we’ve explored. Click the article links below to check them out!
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