Ride 23 - Clives Landing to Virgin River

HEY... we finally made it to the river! OK, we were aiming for the lake, but what the hey! [For a free Google Earth file of this route see: Ride 23 - Clives to "lake"]

This is our last week here at snowbird headquarters so we decided to take a quick ride down to see the lake (Mead) which we haven't seen since last year and which seems to have come up a bit.

We trailered to Clives Landing trailhead before realizing that we needed to go back to get the keys to the rig! Fortunately mom was "willing" to meet me half way and it didn't delay us too much.

At the 112 - 113 fork we turned to the right, down toward the Virgin River "Landing" - at least that what the sign says. As it turns out there is no landing, just post and cable blocks to the end of the trail in some willow flat-lands.

It also said "street legal vehicles only" but the sign is NOT at the Lake Mead NRA border, and ATVs are legal on the adjacent BLM land.

We went back around and took the road to Fisherman's Cove. It was rougher and down a wash but got a bit closer to the lake.

May all your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view, where something strange and more beautiful and more full of wonder than your deepest dreams waits for you.”
Edward Abbey

The trail sort of ended in a deep, washed-out drop-off; so, we considered it a hiking trailhead and had only walked about 300 yards down the wash before we stumbled upon the real, live Virgin River.

The wildflowers still haven't bloomed out yet, but there were some willow-looking things with juniper type leaves just barely starting to sprout some lilac-looking violet flowers. It should be beautiful and fragrant next week.

We ate lunch on the river bank, which seemed fairly brisk, before deciding it was late enough that we had better turn back home.