Just outside Boulder City, in a quiet corner of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, a 3.6-mile loop through the White Owl Canyon offers a compact but rewarding journey through the stark beauty of the Nevada desert.

The hike begins with a brief but steep descent 33 Hole Road trailhead into the sandy entrance of White Owl Canyon. Quickly, the land closes in. Smooth sandstone walls rise on either side as the trail winds southward for nearly a mile through the narrow passageway, ducking beneath a concrete culvert under Lakeshore Road where barn owls occasionally roost in the shaded overhangs.

At the canyon’s end, the trail climbs a short, rocky path to reach the River Mountains Loop Trail—following the roadway of the old Lakeshore Road—for a half-mile stretch that runs northwest. Though popular among cyclists, this section sees few hikers.

Roughly halfway through the loop, the route veers north onto an unmarked trail that leads into a second, unnamed slot canyon. Though less dramatic than White Owl, this narrow passage has its own quiet appeal—subtle curves, layered rock, and shafts of evening light that pool along the canyon floor. At times, the path all but disappears into the gravel, but the natural contours of the land pull you forward.

After roughly six-tenths of a mile, the slot opens into a wide wash that bends eastward. From here, a faint trail threads back toward the main wash below White Owl Canyon, completing the loop with a 1.1-mile traverse across low hills and dry channels.

While short in distance, this route offers a rare combination: solitude, geological variety, and a rhythm of movement shaped by the land itself, a trail that feels discovered rather than designed.