Take a Hike

Fish Creek

Sat, Feb 14 · 9:00 AM MST

Location not specified yet

Details:
Hello everyone. On Saturday, February 14, we're going to hike Fish Creek. Tucked deep within the heart of the Superstition Wilderness, Upper Fish Creek remains one of Arizona’s best-kept secrets. This hike trades manicured trails for a true “off-trail” experience—an adventurous journey through a dramatic volcanic canyon. (borrowed this description from AAA). This is not a well-defined trail but rather scrambling over rocks down a creek. The rock scrambling is not particularly difficult. We'll only go a couple of miles down the creek, then turn around and return. I'd consider this to be an intermediate level hike. On the one hand, it is fairly short and there is no elevation gain, but you do need to be athletic enough to scramble over rocks. Important note: There might be water in the creek so bring shoes you do not mind getting wet. Friendly dogs are always welcome on my hikes. We can stop off at Tortilla Flat for food and drink afterwards if people are interested.

What to bring:
plenty of water (bring more than you think you will need)
comfortable hiking shoes
snacks
sunglasses
hat
sunscreen

PARKING:
There is no fee to park at Fish Creek.

HOW TO FIND US:
Take the Apache Trail east from Apache Junction. You will go past Canyon Lake, past Tortilla Flat, and drive down Fish Creek Hill. At the bottom of the hill is a bridge going over the creek. You can park either before or after the bridge. I drive a blue F-150 with a solid blue (no windows) camper shell.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/tHSoBcqVvqWV9fms7

REMEMBER:
The AZ sun is strong. Use plenty of sunscreen, reapply, don't forget to cover the tops of your feet and your ears and every other exposed surface. Wear a hat and sunglasses. Drink lots of fluids.

DISCLAIMER:
Please note that neither myself, nor any other trip leaders are professional tour guides, nor do we have any special training in first aid or rescue. You are entirely responsible for your own safety.

PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY. I'd like to begin hiking as close to 9:00 am as possible.

Lake Mead, Colorado River, and Las Vegas

Sun, May 3 · 4:00 PM MST

Location not specified yet

In May we will be exploring Lake Mead, the Colorado River, and Las Vegas. The itinerary will be as follows:

Sunday, May 3: Arrive and set up camp. I will host a Happy Hour (5:00 pm) at my RV site which is on a plateau overlooking the lake. I will provide beer, white wine, margaritas, and snacks. Just bring a chair and enjoy the sunset over the lake.

Monday, May 4: Kayak Lake Mead leaving from the beach near our campgrounds. This is the southwest corner of the lake.

Tuesday, May 5: We'll drive over to Callville Bay on the northeast side of the lake and kayak there for the day.

Wednesday, May 6: Take Hoover Dam tour. Then drive into Las Vegas and park at the Venetian. Go see the Wax museum, the Marvel 4D Universe, the Carnival of Carnage, and wander through the canal shoppes. Maybe hit the casino for a bit. You are of course free to spend the day exploring Lake Mead or anything else if this does not appeal to you.

Thursday, May 7: Take a backhaul service to the Hoover Dam and kayak down the Colorado River to Willow Beach.

Friday, May 8: Return home.

Further details:

Camping:

Most of us will be camping at the Boulder Beach campground. Jill and Kari already have campsite #79 in D loop so please choose a campsite near to that, and you can all be together. The campgrounds have bathrooms and water spigots as well as tables and fire rings. The cost is $20 per night. Please reserve your spot at: [Boulder Beach Campground, Lake Mead National Recreation Area - Recreation.gov](https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/10075120).

Although the campgrounds allow RVs, I wanted full hook-ups, so I am staying in the RV park adjacent to the campgrounds. If you wish to reserve a spot there the cost is $50 to $70 per night depending on type of site: Lake Mead RV Village. If you wish to camp next to me, I am taking a "Lake View" site. I cannot pick the exact site # in advance but when you reserve the site there is a place for comments and you can request to camp next to me if you wish.

Happy Hour:

So that you can find me, as soon as I pull in and set up, I will post my campsite number to the Meetup group. You can also call me (assuming we get reception) 480-241-6721. Or you can ask at the main office of the RV Village for Adam Scalettar. Or finally, you can easily find me by driving around. Head to the back of the RV village, closest the lake. There is one row of RV spots at the very far end of the park, overlooking the lake. I have an Imagine RV trailer towed by a blue Ford F150 with a blue camper shell, no windows. I hope you come by Sunday evening; it will be a great way to start our trip.

Hoover Dam tour:

I will be going on the guided tour, which costs $40. They take you down the inspection tunnels and other cool places. This tour cannot be purchased in advance; it is first come, first serve. If instead you wished to take the self-guided tour which is more limited but only costs $15, you can purchase tickets in advance here: Exhibits Only — Hoover Dam

Las Vegas:

You can buy one ticket for combined admission to the wax museum, Marvel Universe, and Carnival of Carnage game at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas Tickets | Madame Tussauds Las Vegas This would be the gold ticket ($35.99). The platinum ticket includes a cocktail ($42.99).

Colorado River Kayak:

We will be using the touring company Desert River Outfitters. The cost is $80 (assuming you have your own kayak, $110 if you need to rent one) plus a fee for entering the Hoover Dam area which is $18 if you have a National Parks pass or $33 if you don't. Assuming you have a kayak and parks pass; the total cost would be $98. You must have a life vest to do this trip. Dogs are allowed to accompany you, but they are required to have a life vest as well. There is no white water on this paddle; it's an easy trip with plenty of stops to sight see. You must bring ID for this event. Hoover Dam will run a background check on you first and then you must present ID to verify that you are the one that they checked out. They are very careful about allowing people at the base of the dam.

The outfitter has the website fixed and you can now register online. Just go to

DesertRiverOutfitters.com

and sign up for the self-guided Hover Dam Day Trip for May 7. If there is a section for comments or such, mention that you are with Adam's group. Again, they have 15 slots available so if you wish to go, please sign up as soon as you can.

That's about all I can think of for now. If you have any questions or comments, just leave them in the discussion area below.

This trip is cross listed with Arizona Paddle.