Description

Shoshone is a small town with a bit of water and green amid a very arid piece of desert. This isn't a birding destination, but it is a nice place for traveling birders to stop for the night and do some evening and morning birding.

There are five birding trails in town. The Aqua Trail connects the far end of the Blue Trail loop (in the south) with the far side of the Red Trail loop (in the north). The Aqua Trail runs along the east side of the Amargosa River (the far side from town), so birders can walk a loop by, for example, starting on the Blue Trail, walking north on the Aqua Trail, coming back on the Red Trail, and walking back through town to the starting point.

Link to trail map south-half and trail map north-half.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ...this hike is pretty safe when the weather is cool. If the weather is hot, this area can be unbelievably hot, so bring some water. Most of the trail is cross-country (that is, no real trail), so the footing can be uneven, making sensible shoes a good idea.

While hiking, please respect the land and the other people out there, and please try to Leave No Trace of your passage. This trail is short, so just bring what you need of the 10 Essentials.

Getting to the Trailhead

Because the Aqua Trail connects to two other trails and can be walked in either direction, there are two trailheads: the Blue Trailhead and the Red Trailhead.

The Blue Trail Trailhead is located in downtown Shoshone, between the Visitor Center and Crowbar Cafe. The Red Trail Trailhead is located at the north end of Shoshone opposite the campground.

The Aqua Trail

The Aqua Trail can be walked in either direction (north or south), but it probably makes most sense for birders to walk south to north, thus putting the sun at their back and making it easier to spot birds flitting among the mesquite trees.

From the Blue Trail Trailhead (Table 1, Waypoint Blue-01), follow the Blue Trail east to the far side of the main loop and the junction with the Aqua Trail (Wpt. Blue-06).

Turning left and jumping across the "river," the trail runs southeast over low ridges to a large spring pool (Wpt. Aqua-01) full of water. Continuing through the trees towards the hills to the east, the trail runs out to the edge of the mudhills (beyond the mesquite thickets) and a trail marker (Wpt. Aqua-02). Here, the trail turns 90-degrees to the left and starts heading north.

The trail continues north running up along the Amargosa River for about 1/2-miles. In general, there is no trail, but birders can see a string of trail markers indicating the direction. Some markers are on highpoints and can be seen from a distance, but hikers need not tag each marker.

Near the north end of the Aqua Trail, the trail runs up over a low mud ridge, gaining some 10 or so vertical feet. Atop the low ridge, birders can walk a few yards west to the edge of the bluff, which provides a nice overlook (Aqua-03) where birders can see out across the top of the mesquite. The view includes buildings in Shoshone town, giving hikers some sense of orientation.

From the overlook, the trail continues north for a few minutes to another trail marker (Aqua-04). Here, the trail again turns 90 degrees to the left and heads west into a salt grass meadow (Wpt. Aqua-05) that can be damp. The trail then continues west to a junction with the Red Trail (Wpt. Red-05). Turning left, the Red Trail returns to the Red Trail Trailhead (Wpt. Red-01).