Thanks to Norm K for adding and reviewing local hikes. Now I have yet another outlet for my Yelp addiction.
I only recently found out about Anniversary Narrows at the Yelp Helps event. I was at the Friends of NV Wilderness booth and I was fascinated by a photo they had of the narrows. I was surprised to learn that it's so close to town. I finally got the chance to do the hike on Black Friday with a hiking meetup group.
To get to the trail head, you have to enter Lake Mead NRA (fee area). It's near mile marker 16 on Northshore Rd. There's actually a dirt road that can take you closer to the wash, but what's the point in that? Park your car near the road, put one foot in front of the other, and get to hiking!
Anniversary Narrows gets its name from the old Anniversary Mine and the Lovell Wash Narrows. Because it is a wash, definitely do not hike this with the threat of rain. It's an easy hike with a very gradual elevation gain. It was a nice day when we went, but obviously got colder once we were hidden from the sun by the narrows.
The narrows of course are the best part and in my opinion, the payoff of the hike. I'm all about payoff. Sure I enjoy being outdoors, but I like to have something to see and photograph when I reach the end. Once you exit the other side of the narrows, you can return (as we did) or you can continue and eventually enter actual wilderness area. We had a large group of about 40, so it wasn't appropriate for us to continue into the wilderness area.
Round trip to the upper end of the narrows is about 5.4 miles. Overall, I consider this hike to be a leisurely stroll, but well worth it. I wouldn't mind returning and continuing farther up past the narrows.