Hiking Grapevine Canyon and Petroglyphs in Laughlin

Visiting the petroglyphs in Laughlin was on the top of my to-do list during my stay in Bullhead City. They are located in the Grapevine Canyon which is part of the Christmas Tree Pass section of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

From Laughlin, go west on the 163. After you see the Christmas Tree Pass sign, turn right on a dirt road. Don't worry if you don't have a 4 wheel drive. I made it just fine with my Civic. Keep on going and you'll see a parking lot on the left with a drop toilet stall. The petroglyphs are a short walk from the parking lot.

Beyond the petroglyphs lays a pathway through the canyon that requires some boulder scrambling. There is a trail to follow but it is not well maintained. Some of the fallen trees in the oasis can get in your way.

It's a relatively easy hike, but maneuvering through the boulders can be tricky, especially if you have bad footing (like me).

I bumped into two guys name Mitchell and Omar during my hike. Mitchell is originally from this area but has family in Orange County. He gave me some helpful tips about which path to take to avoid strenuous boulder scrambling. He also informed me that there was a waterfall and slot canyon section. He also mentioned how surprised he was to see me hiking alone. He said he's never seen anyone hiking alone in the area.

I eventually found the granite slot canyon. It's quite a challenge to get out of it at the end, but luckily with my Vibram 5 fingers and Mitchell's hand, I was able to safely climb out of it.

After that point it's a smooth trail to the dried up waterfall. There's where I stopped my hike. Mitchel and Omar carried on by climbing over the boulders of the waterfall. Maybe next time I'll try it!

Hiking from the parking lot to the waterfall and then back will take about 3 hours.

Another work of caution, be careful when you scale up the boulders. Make sure there are no cactus to fall back on.