Parking
Follow Katherine Spur Road into Katherine Landing. Park in the marina lots and walk to the trail start between the boat shop and employee housing, south of the marina.
Overview
About Fisherman's Trail
Why go
- An easy, direct walk to a sandy cove
- Shallow, protected water and room for a picnic at the end
Heads up
- Too short for anyone looking for a substantial hike
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Lake Mead map
Full mapElevation646–686 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
4 active Lake Mead alerts
- CautionHarmful algae bloom at Nelson’s Landing and Cottonwood CoveA harmful algae bloom has been confirmed in recent samples from Nelson’s Landing and Cottonwood Cove; avoid contact with water where algae is visible.Official details
- CautionArizona Hot Springs bacteria advisoryLimit body contact with Arizona Hot Springs water: fecal bacteria in samples frequently reach high levels and can transmit human diseases.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Lake Mead Tour Guide
Your drive to Fisherman's Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Lake Mead National Recreation Area. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Lake Mead audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Katherine Landing: Boats, Coves and a Waterfront Meal0:00 / 0:29
“Up ahead is Katherine Landing, a base for boating and swimming on Lake Mohave. You can rent a boat at the marina or keep the day simple with the swim beach and a meal by the water.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake Mead Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Jobs Without Equal Treatment
- A Lizard's Ant-Sized Meals
- An Osprey's Fishing Feet
- Arizona Telephone Coves: Choose the Swim Beach or Launch
- 153 audio storiesacross Lake Mead’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bighorn Sheep, Burro, Bald Eagle, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 42 trails, 70 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Fisherman's Trail
A short walk to Turkey CoveFisherman's Trail is an easy out-and-back from Katherine Landing's marina to Turkey Cove.
Fisherman's Trail is an easy out-and-back from Katherine Landing's marina to Turkey Cove. The mapped path is about 0.3 mile each way, or roughly 0.6 mile round trip, over several low hills with little overall climbing. Allow about 30 minutes for the walk, plus any time you want at the beach. An older 1.8-mile figure is also in circulation, but its route and distance convention are unclear; this map follows the direct trail to the cove.
Follow the low hills to the sandThe trail rises and dips a few times, then reaches a long sandy shore beside shallow, protected…
The trail rises and dips a few times, then reaches a long sandy shore beside shallow, protected water. This is a good choice for a quick swim or picnic, not a substantial hike. Take a little time at the end: the curved beach, blue water and dark rocky hills make a much better view than the marina behind you. For a photo, frame along the curve of the sand toward the cove.
Start beside the marinaFind the trail start between the boat shop and employee housing, south of the marina.
Find the trail start between the boat shop and employee housing, south of the marina. Park in the Katherine Landing marina lots and walk over. The cafe, store, picnic tables and grills are back at the marina's day-use area. Pets are allowed on park trails on a leash no longer than six feet. The route has little shade, so bring water and avoid the hottest part of the day.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Lake Mead
525 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
116 sightingsBurroMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
18 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 4 PMSighting map
99 sightingsWhite PelicanMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
145 sightingsGreat Blue HeronMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
106 sightingsTurkey VultureMost seen around noonSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Lake Mead. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
