Bowl of Fire, NV

Overview
Located in the Muddy Mountains Wilderness Area, the Bowl of Fire is a bright orange-red outcropping of sandstone encircled by gray limestone. The hike out to the Bowl is easy with small elevation gains/losses as you travel across washes. Once at the Bowl, explore to your heart's content.


Hike
Starting from the paved pullout at mile marker 18.2 on Northshore Road, follow the well-beaten path across the open desert to the north. (Note that there's also a trail that heads south, but we didn't have the time to see where it went.) The trail is cairned, but, really, there's no need for them. You'll wind your way around a hill and then get your first peek at the Bowl. After going around the hill you'll head northwest, continuing on the trail in and out of several washes. We saw tire tracks in the wash so we assumed you could drive to that point and shorten the hike. But why?Eventually you leave the wash and start a gradual ascent near some chalky, green rock. From here the rock changes colors from gray to red, to brown, to conglomerate limestone. At this point you'll have a full view of the Fiery Bowl. Wander and climb wherever you feel the urge. Having a commitment later in the day, we only stayed for about a half hour. However, you could spend hours exploring the area, poking your head in the countless mini-caves, checking out the windows and arches, and just plain having fun! You could also make a loop out of the hike by traveling in a clockwise direction as the orange-red sandstone extends to the east.

2018-01-06 Steph_and_Blake