Northshore Summit Trail

Northshore Summit Trail is the short signed loop off milepost 20.6 on Northshore Road. It follows a natural-earth path up a low ridge and circles the hilltop for a wide desert panorama. The mapped circuit is about 0.6 mile, including the shared approach out and back; allow about an hour. One arm climbs steeply over loose gravel, so the short distance does not make this an easy stroll. It suits a brief outing if you are comfortable on rough, exposed ground.

The approach rises gently before reaching the loop junction. One arm takes a shorter, steeper line onto the ridge; the other traverses more gradually. They circle the hilltop and meet again at the upper junction. To finish the circuit, follow the right-hand descending arm down the gentler eastern slope, cross the low saddle, and return on the original approach. The route continuing north at that junction heads toward the separate Bowl of Fire North hike.

The summit is a small, open perch above the desert. Look north to the Muddy Mountains, east across Bitter Springs Valley and the Overton Arm, south toward Northshore Peak, and west to the Bowl of Fire. Only a little of Lake Mead is visible, so come for the colored ridges and eroded desert rather than a lake panorama. For a photo, include the banded red and pale hills with the Bowl of Fire beyond them, and keep well back from the exposed edges.

West of the summit, erosion has exposed a pale gypsum dome within a folded ridge; the hilltop itself shows thin red sandstone layers and harder gray conglomerate. Chuckwallas sometimes bask among the crags in warm weather, though a sighting is never guaranteed.

Park at the Northshore Summit lot just past milepost 20 on Northshore Road. Park admission is required. Accessible pit toilets and trash receptacles are at the trailhead, but there is no drinking water. The tread is unmaintained, uneven and mostly unshaded; the ridge arm is steep and loose, and the summit has exposed edges. Carry water for the whole outing and choose cooler hours in hot weather. Dogs are allowed on leash no longer than six feet.