Lake Havasu City, AZ
On Sunday friends Norm and Lisa (Those Young Guys) arrived here in Lake Havasu State Park. They stopped by for a visit and we arranged for a hike the next day to one of the most popular hikes in this area, the Crack in the Mountain.
On Monday we drove the short distance south of town to the north entrance road to SARA Park, the location of the trailhead. Construction on the entrance road forced us to drive a bit further south to the south entrance road to access the park. This created a bit of confusion as to which parking area we ended up using, since they are not labeled. Our map had us getting on the trail at parking lot number one. But the map was not very precise and we ended up wandering for about an hour before locating the correct trail.
John and Norm wandering through the desert
Finally, Lisa spots a trail marker!
A large apple above the trail?
Entering the Crack in the Mountain
The Crack in the Mountain (some call it SARA’s Crack, but we don’t want all those “wisecracks” about that name!) is a slot canyon about a half mile in length. The highlight of the slot is a pour over almost ten feet high. Our information about the hike said to just slide down it, but we thought it was a bit steep for such a long slide. Fortunately, someone left a rope hanging over the drop, making the ride down a bit more controlled. Lisa and Norm enjoyed the ride without a problem. John also enjoyed the trip.
The nimble hiker really enjoys these types of adventures and contemplated not using the rope for her descent.
In the starting blocks!
But she ended up using the rope and enjoyed a very lady-like ride to the bottom!
Oh boy, hold on tight!
The eagle has landed!
Lisa maneuvers through the slot under Norm’s helpful instructions
After exiting the canyon, the trail follows the wash for another mile or more to Balanced Rock Cove along Lake Havasu.
After enjoying lunch along the water, we headed up an alternate trail, going up and around the Crack in the Mountain.
Balanced Rock Cove
Along the return trail we had a good view of another local landmark, Arch Rock, in the distance.
Arch Rock
The return trail goes over the saddle in the distance in front of us
Going over the saddle with Lake Havasu in the background
We crossed the main trail (that goes along in the sandy wash) and joined a parallel trail with better footing. Our map showed this side trail re-joining the main trail just before the parking area, but that didn’t prove to be accurate. We ended up on the main park road and, after some scouting and calculations, found we were just south of the parking area. Returning to the Jeep, the hiking app said we had hiked just over six and half miles.
We had a great time hiking with Norm and Lisa, and the slot in the Crack in the Mountain was very interesting. We plan on joining them for more hiking later in the week so stay tuned for more exciting posts!
Oh, the Places They Go! 
Its a secure woman who can post those pictures……Loved this journey!
Thanks for a good chuckle….. lady like indeed. That was one of our favorite hikes. We also enjoyed strolling from your campground to the skate park along the shores of Lake Havasu!
Haha, love the photo of you, Pam, sitting at the top of the “slide” — so cute! I’d be asking Eric to catch me at the bottom! Or at least to cushion my landing. 🙂 Looks like a great hike with friends and a lot of fun.
Pretty, pretty header.
Listen girlfriend…we all know how nimble you are but use the rope! Always! You make me nuts sometimes.
Awesome photo of you two! Frame-able, I say!
Of course you need a selfie. Good one.
Your picture of balanced rock cove is stunning. This really looks like a fun hike with the slide and all. I’m glad no one pushed the apple down as you were going by.
There was no rope when we were there in 2009 and 2010. We slid down the first time but scrambled around it the next year. The rope would have been so much better! Say hi to Norm and Lisa for us.
Wow! We’ve stayed in Lake Havasu a few times but we’ve never been to the places you found. Terrific photos!
What fun! Can’t wait to do this one…
Love the rope slide…great job Pam!
Lovin’ the selfie … not so sure about the rope decent … was wondering how you were gonna make it back … glad you took the easy route! LOL! 🙂
YAY! New hiking friends!
We use an app called Runkeeper that not only tracks your mileage and time but also creates a map of your hike, thus allowing you to look at the map near the end of your hike to see where you are in relation to your vehicle. Very helpful if you return a different way than you started!
We’ve never spent much time around Lake Havasu, done some shopping there when staying over in the Parker area–will look forward to more photos of the area.
“wisecracks” – good one John! So a perfectly round boulder just chillin’ on the side of the canyon?Makes me so curious 🙂 What the nimble hiker may have lacked in speed on the descent, she certainly made up for in style! The cove is beautiful and the weather looks perfect. A lot of fun to share with fellow hikers/photographers – great to get pictures of the two of you together.
Happy Thanksgiving to you both!
Yes, yay! We had a great time and enjoyed not only the hike but the time with John and Pam. More please!!!
That looked to b e a fun slide down the rock face. Just imagine how much more fun it would be if there was water as well. Cheers
Whoah…that’s quite a drop down the canyon crack. Fun hike!
Nina
Not sure about the “lady-like” slide but I admire you rising to the challenge Pam. 🙂 Looks like a hike to add to the ever-growing list.