Anniversary Narrows Trail

Anniversary Narrows Trail is a 5.8-mile stem-and-loop from the Callville Wash North 2WD lot on Northshore Road. Walk down into Callville Wash, follow the old mining-road approach to Lovell Wash, then head upstream through the slot. Turn around where the canyon opens at its upper end, retrace the narrow section, and return to Northshore Road by staying in Lovell Wash. The last stretch follows the highway shoulder back to the lot. The slot itself is an out-and-back spur within the loop, so the mileage includes the full approach and return, not five miles of canyon. Allow about three to four hours; a typical outing takes around three and a half.

The usual route crosses a private mining parcel between the Northshore Road access and the public canyon. The narrows are on public land, but no current public easement or landowner permission for the customary southern approach has been confirmed. Older reports describe an access closure, while later hikers reported seeing no barrier; an open-looking road is not proof of permission. Confirm lawful access before setting out, and do not cross posted or gated land. The marked 2WD lot is the route’s starting point; farther mine roads are rough and are not needed for this itinerary.

Most of the mileage is on broad gravel washes and old mining tracks, with loose stones, sandy patches, and uneven footing rather than a maintained path. The approach is mostly open and sunny, and the long walk comes before the tight canyon. The grade is not the main challenge; distance, heat, and keeping your footing in the wash matter more. There are short rocky steps in the canyon, but the named route is not a technical climb. If you want a quick slot-canyon stop, this is a bigger commitment than it first appears.

The payoff is about 500 yards of twisting, water-polished canyon. Layered walls in cream, orange, peach, red, and purple rise steeply around the wash, and the passage narrows to roughly four or five feet in places. The slot winds through several turns before opening suddenly into a wider valley; that upper opening is the sensible turnaround for this trail. A photo looking along one of the bends catches more of the folded walls than a close shot of the rock alone.

The approach passes old mine-road traces, short ore-cart tunnels cut through rock fins, and remnants of a dam and ore-loading works. Anniversary Mine produced borax, including colemanite, in the 1920s. These remains explain why the route follows a rough industrial corridor before reaching the narrows, but the mine openings are hazardous and are not part of the hike. The canyon walls expose tilted sedimentary layers deposited as mud in an ancient lakebed and later lifted and eroded into the ridges that Lovell Wash cuts through.

The route has little shade, so summer heat makes it a poor choice; cooler weather is much more comfortable. Do not enter the narrows when rain threatens anywhere in the drainage. Flash floods can run through the confined slot, and pools in the wash change after floods, so water in the canyon is neither reliable nor a safe source. No dependable drinking-water stop is documented along the route. Stay out of every mine opening and keep to the wash rather than climbing onto fragile slopes.