Hiking Grapevine Canyon: Petroglyphs and Rock Scrambling

Hiking Grapevine Canyon is a cool experience as it mixes history with beautiful desert scenery and some good ol’ rock scrambling! Grapevine Canyon is located in the Spirit Mountain Wilderness of Lake Mead National Recreation Area. There is no fee for hiking Grapevine Canyon and there are many other recreation opportunities nearby!

There is a great display of petroglyphs in Grapevine Canyon that only requires a short walk from the parking area. According to the National Park Service, these petroglyphs are among the earliest and largest petroglyphs site in Southern Nevada. And Grapevine Canyon is sacred to the indigenous Yuman-speaking tribes and the indigenous Numic-speaking tribes.

After viewing the many neat petroglyphs near the canyon entrance continue wandering through the canyon via faint trail and bursts of rock scrambling! The cacti, boulders and rugged landscape make hiking Grapevine Canyon a rather impressive and fun desert adventure.

Quick Info: Hiking Grapevine Canyon

Directions: Click here to get directions to Grapevine Canyon parking area

Distance: 1/4 mile to the petroglyphs at the entrance to the canyon and then wander as far as you’d like! We followed Grapevine Canyon for about 3 miles one way.

Difficulty: Easy to access the petroglyphs but moderate when climbing and hiking Grapevine Canyon further.

Good to Know: There are vault toilets at the parking area

Hiking Grapevine Canyon Video

Our Experience Hiking Grapevine Canyon

When we arrived at the trailhead on a weekday morning we were a little surprised to see a number of vehicles there. The trail begins near the information sign and descends into a wide sandy wash. We followed the wash for a quarter mile to the entrance of Grapevine Canyon. And that’s when we started noticing the petroglyphs on the boulders all around us. There were more than we expected, high and low but mostly congregated in the area near the canyon entrance.

From there, we wandered deeper into the canyon. This is where hiking Grapevine Canyon gets a bit more technical. And that’s when we realized that most of the people parked at the trailhead just come to see the petroglyphs then turn back. The terrain in the canyon includes lots of boulders, a diversity of plants and cacti and even a little bit of water!

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As we were hiking Grapevine Canyon, we experienced a variety of trail conditions. Initially, the trail was full of boulders and we had a lot of fun scrambling around.

After the initial rocky section, we encountered a more mellow and narrow sandy trail until it turned into a wide wash. The scenery in the canyon is beautiful! The huge boulders, cool formations, blue sky and unexpectedly tall trees were cool to see surrounding us.

From here, there is a mix of washes, boulders and a cool narrow section. As we neared an area of massive boulders we took a break for lunch. Then we continued hiking Grapevine Canyon until we made it to a narrow, twisting, steep dry fall. We wiggled our way through it and made it to where we couldn’t go any further. That’s where we decided to turn around and head back the way we came.

We had a lot of fun exploring a new area that had such pretty scenery and fun, rugged terrain! After hiking Grapevine Canyon, we continued driving Christmas Tree Pass Road until we reached Highway 95 on the other end. Along the way we noticed that there were a lot of cool areas that we would love to come back and explore one day. But the drive through the beautifully rugged scenery was a treat too!

Thanks for Reading!

We love taking the opportunity to explore new places on foot. If you’d like to read about more of our hiking adventures, check out the articles below:

• Hiking and Swimming the Amazing Point Trail
• Off the Beaten Path Hiking and Rock Scrambling in Joshua Tree
• Backpacking Oh Be Joyful Trail + Blue Lake
• Best Hikes in Badlands National Park

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