Hiking Las Vegas

White Rock Hills Peak via North Ridge Route

2009-11-12T08:25:00.001-08:00

Yesterday (11-11), on Veteran's Day Davis and I found a much better route to White Rock Hills Peak from the north. The photo to the left is an approximation of the route. The boulder the route passes is amazing. Where did it fall from?

The upper part of the route hooks up with the Surprise Canyon route, a great route founded by Eva and Richard. In fact you have the option of descending via Surprise Canyon route.

Near the summit we saw a huge big horn sheep. I have not seen many big horns lately. On the flip side we saw burros as we drove the Scenic Loop. I thoght the BLM rounded them up and moved them. I just published the route. Members can download it now.

Hikers wanted: If you want to do this hike, let me know. I will let you download the hiking directions for free. All I ask is for you to give me your opinion on the route. How you liked it and how easy it was to follow. Email me if interested: BranchWhitney AT hikinglasvegas.com (replace "AT" with the "@" symbol.)

Note: We placed a sign-in book at White Rock Springs Peak.

Hiking Updates

2009-11-08T06:15:00.002-08:00

Lot's to write about today. First Joseph place containers and registers on White Rock Pinnacle and Wilson South Summit. Both are great peaks and needed new registers and containers.

Paul reported the rope is gone that use to assist hikers on the descent before the main hot springs at Gold Strike Hot Springs . This is not a big deal. The down climb is very easy. The main pool is completely dry! I have never seen it dry before. There are two pools further down the canyon that still have water in them.

On Thursday I went out and tried to improve the White Rock Hills Peak via the North Ridge route. I did find a better descent off of White Rock Springs Peak, but it's very loose in one spot. The traverse over to the ridge is very easy now. From there I followed a more direct route staying on the ridge as much as I could. Once near the peak the route deteriorated. It's loose and without any landmarks. I want to connect the route with the final climbs from the Surprise Canyon route. This would make it a good hike.

On Saturday (11-7), we hiked Pine Creek Peak, one of the best routes in Red Rock Canyon. Stats on this hike are: 7.5 miles, 2,240 feet of elevation gain and about 6.5 hours to complete. The route is in good shape and I placed a new sign-in book at the summit. Slide Show of this hike
Short video clip of the hike below:

Grand Canyon, North Bass Trail Trip Report, 10/28/09 – 11/1/09

2009-11-05T20:07:00.001-08:00

On an unseasonably cold Wednesday, October 28th, three hikers, Val, Atsuko, and I set off for the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. As we headed towards the canyon and went up in elevation the weather really deteriorated. Snow started to fall pretty steadily. Luckily there was little or no accumulation on the paved roads. We were headed to the Swamp Point trail head which requires about 30 miles of off road travel on forest service fire roads. The snow had stopped falling for the time being but there was still about 1” to 2” of accumulation on the fire roads. With all of the delays and slow going on the roads it was after 4 o’clock by the time we hit the trail.

Our plan was to hike down about a mile from Swamp Point to Muav Saddle and hold up in Teddy’s Cabin. Thank goodness that cabin was there. As we were getting ready to begin the hike the snow started to fall again and it was very cold up on the rim, around 30 degrees. It was a very short hike down to the cabin where we were safe and sheltered. It was a long, cold night and the temperature dropped into the teens. Midnight excursions outside to go to the bathroom were especially nasty. The next morning was still pretty cold but luckily the forecast called for continued clearing and increasingly warm weather for the duration of our trip. And the forecast was correct; the weather was perfect after that.

The North Bass Trail was greatly improved in 2005 by a group of volunteers and I must say they did a great job. I had previously hiked this trail in 2003 and at that time it was little more than a route, very primitive and very hard to follow. That is not the case now; the trail has been cleaned and reworked in a lot of places. Switchbacks have been installed where there were none and it is now very well marked with cairns where necessary. On Thursday morning we headed out from Muav Saddle down into Muav Canyon and White Creek. After about a mile or so and about 1’000’ of descent we were in the White Creek drainage. After a couple of miles you get to a pour off that is bypassed on the right. This is the top of the Redwall limestone that is notorious in the Grand Canyon for being an impassable obstacle because of its sheer cliffs. The bypass leads to a series of drainages that you must ascend and descend. There are campsites on the tops of the rises in between the drainages and we stash water for our dry camp on the way out at one of these.

After the third major drainage the trail heads back over to the top of the redwall and a very cool traverse along the side of a steep canyon before descending. The descent is steep, loose and rocky in sections, but very much improved since 2003. At the bottom of the descent you are back in the drainage of White Creek amid huge boulders. This is one of the prettiest sections of the trail and the most pleasant to hike through. It is short lived though as you soon come to another pour off that is bypassed on the right. The bypass leads up and around to the right and out into the dry desert for about a half mile before returning to the drainage. Hiking through this section is probably the most unpleasant of the entire trip. The drainage is dry for the most part and you are boulder hopping and stepping on and over bowling ball size rocks.

After a couple of miles you get to a fork in the trail. From here you can take a bypass that leads you on a more direct route to Shinumo Creek and around the Tapeats Narrows or continue straight down the drainage through the narrows. Our plan is to take the bypass down to Shinumo creek and our campsite, and on the way back we will take White Creek through the narrows. It is nearing sunset by the time we get to camp at Shinumo Creek. There are numerous campsites here with a well established area for socializing and cooking. The creek is only a few yards away and it is running nice and clear this time of year, a great campsite.

The following day’s plan calls for a hike to the mouth of Shinumo Creek at the Colorado River. Hiking downstream on Shinumo Creek is quite challenging with numerous creek crossings and some route finding necessary. Needless to say it is quite beautiful, with small waterfalls and cascades and lush riparian growth skirting both banks. As the creek gets closer to the river the canyon narrows and at the river there is a fifteen foot waterfall. This waterfall prevents hikers from reaching the river from this route unless you brought along some basic canyoneering gear to rappel down a rabbit hole chute on the left side of the falls.

After a short break at the falls we turned around and headed back to try and find a shortcut to the river. A short ways back we notice we can scramble to the top of the canyon wall, so up we go and a short time later we’re on the trail towards the river. We made our way to the river where there was a boat party camped. Our plan was to pick up the old Bass Trail further up river and return to our camp that way. From the river it was a long slog up over a saddle and then down into the Shinumo Creek drainage and back to our camp.

The following morning we headed out and as mentioned our plan was to hike upstream to the confluence with White Creek and then up White Creek to Tapeats Narrows. This is also a very picturesque part of the hike with small waterfalls and cascades and nice rock formations. The further upstream we went the more narrow the canyon got until we were finally in Tapeats Narrows. The narrows are about a half mile long with walls about 100’ high and is about 15’ to 20’ wide. White Creek does not have a large flow so hiking is very easy and there are very few obstacles in the narrows. At the beginning of the narrows there is a pour off that prevents any further upstream travel. There is a short scramble out of the narrows and the trail once again drops into the White Creek drainage. At this point we were now just retracing our steps back up the canyon the way we came. We camped that night at the campsite where we stashed water a couple of days earlier. The following day we hiked out to the rim and our ride.

Carl Pantuso
www.mephotoman.com

BW: Thanks Carl. Sounds like a fun trip. Check out Carl's photos at his website: www.mephotoman.com

Walk Up Wall - It Ain't No Walk Up

2009-11-01T12:41:00.000-08:00

The route to Walk Up Wall is one of the most intense in Red Rock Canyon. It starts at Oak Creek trailhead and follows a hiker made trail into Juniper Canyon. The route ascends through the impossible looking Gunsight Notch and then the real hike begins!

The photo to the left is the main climb to Walk Up Wall. It's steep, exposed, and scary. Luckily, at the top of the climb there's a huge ponderosa that you can use as an anchor. From there the climbing lets up for a bit.

The route then traverses around a shoulder and ascends another steep crack. Here too, a fall would be fatal. It's then easy class 3 to the top. The views from the top of the wall are spectacular. Here's a panorama.

Notes: Eric donated a Tupperware container for the sign-in book at the summit.
History: Debbie Z. and I found this route back in 2003. I named the wall as a mockery; it certainly is not a walk up.

A Tour of Mt. Wilson

2009-10-30T20:10:00.001-07:00

Today (10-30) Davis, Kenny, Adam, Mike and I did a tour of Mt. Wilson, the highest peak in Red Rock Canyon, which is just 20 miles west of Las Vegas, NV. We hiked up First Creek about halfway and then followed the route to the Hidden Bowl.The route through First Creek is in great shape. It's well cairned and clean. And finally it's easy to find the "brush free" wash. In the past hikers have missed the wash and have had to hike through a very brushy wash. The only caveat is while on the trail leading into the canyon don't be lured by cairns off to the south. Those cairns lead to technical climbs.

The Hidden Bowl leading to the summit is steep. You gain over 1,600 feet in less than 0.75 of a mile! It's a thigh burner. Once up and less than 0.25 of a mile from the true summit, there's a great spot to eat lunch and take in the views. From the summit we headed over to the South Summit, which I think, is much better than the real summit.

We descended via the Hidden Bowl and then traversed over to White Rock Pinnacle, one of the airiest peaks in all of Red Rock Canyon. It's 400 feet down on the north side and over 1,000 feet down on the south side. There's no room for a mistake here!

We then descended White Pinnacle Gully and to our surprise it is very well cairned and clean. We got back to the cars around 4 pm. It was a fun day, though we were all tired at the end of the hike.

Notes: South Summit needs a new container for the sign-in book. White Pinnacle Peak needs a sign-in book and a container.

Web Site Down: Here's Why

2009-10-29T05:50:00.000-07:00

My web site is down again because of this person: Christopher Faulkner, CEO of CiHost, one of the worse web hosting companies on the planet. I will not go into the details, they are very technical. I have done everything I can and the site will be up again soon (36 hours from now - 6 am on 10-29-09).

If you are a member of my website and need a hike, email me and I will send it to you via email.

Don't take my word about this POS. Google his name: Christopher Faulkner
Personal note to Chris: I hope you follow in the footsteps of Kenneth Lay.
If you are looking for trouble, you have found it. BW

New Hikes Published and Various Updates

2009-10-28T06:58:00.001-07:00

I just published three more hikes to the Member's Only section of www.hikinglasvegas.com. Lava River Cave is just outside of Flagstaff, AZ. The hike takes you over a half mile through a cave in total darkness. It's an easy hike and a great hike to do the day before or the day after doing Mt. Humphreys, the highest peak in AZ.

Bandera Volcano Crater and Ice Cave is located in northwest New Mexico. The hike travels to a volcano crater that spans 1200 feet across and 800 feet deep. It's then on to the ice cave. The open air cave is less than 75 feet below the surface, but always has ice in it. You can feel the temperature drop as you descend to the cave.

The Inscription Trail is another hike I published located in northwest New Mexico. It has lots of history behind it. Four centuries of inscriptions are carved into the rock. You also hike pass a 13th century pueblo built at the top of a sandstone mesa. Both of these are easy hikes and can be done together.

Looking for a great insole? I starting wearing Airr Sofsole and love them. They cushion my feet and make them feel good. I found a great deal that I am passing on to everyone. Normally I publish this kind of information to members of HikingLasVegas.com. They are $17.99 and that includes shipping! Click here for more info and to order.

What Others Did:

It's snowing in Mt. Charleston today. Not sure how much of the white stuff will fall, but I will report here when I find out. Nick, Harlan and others hiked in Charleston this past weekend and had some of the clearest vistas of the Sierra I have ever seen. Nick sent me a photo.

Debbie, Shin and others did Mystery Canyon in Zion this past weekend. Mystery Canyon is a technical canyon requiring rappelling skills. If you are on Facebook, look for several videos and photos of their adventure.

Skip led 20 plus hikers to Liberty Bell Arch this past weekend. This is one of the best level 2 hikes in the Lake Mead area. Photos of the hike are on Meetup.com

Black Velvet Peak and White Rock Hills Peak

2009-10-26T14:08:00.000-07:00

Quick note before I start the blog: My web site was down. It's hosted by X7 hosting, one of the worst in the business. I am going to switch hosting companies in the near future to avoid problems like this.

We did a lot of hiking this past weekend. On Friday, a much slimmed down Davis (he lost 50 lbs so far) took an easy hike up Fern Canyon. The route is in good shape. For the most part I stay along the southern wall until coming to the seasonal waterfall, which is bone dry now.

Beyond the waterfall you can continue up the canyon to Bridge Mountain or head south and follow the northern route to Mescalito. There's also a route to a very obscure peak with the dumbest name in Red Rock: Yoga Peak.

On Saturday (10-24), we hiked Black Velvet Peak in southern Red Rock Canyon. This is one of the best hikes in Red Rock. No crowds, no brush and a great route make this a must do hike. Unlike some groups we hiked all the way to the real peak. Although the real peak is lower, the view straight down the 2,000 foot Black Velvet Wall is certainly worth hiking a few hundred extra yards. Both summits have sign-in books.The latter having an ammo box.
Stats: 8 miles, 2,400 feet of elevation gain, class 3, difficulty 5
Slide show of the hike

On Sunday (10-25), instead of drinking beer and bad mouthing the country like Kathy wanted to do (An Officer and a Gentleman), we hiked White Rock Hills Peak via Surprise Canyon. The route was founded by Richard and Eva, one of several routes they found on White Rock Hills Peak. It's a fun route, but there are some loose sections so caution must be used.

The sign in book has plenty of room left, but it's a plastic container. It would be nice if there was an ammo box instead. We descended the same route, thus avoiding a boring walk on a trail or a car shuttle.

Stats: 5 miles, 1,850 elevation gain, class 3, difficulty 3

Notes: I just updated the Black Velvet hike with waypoints. Members can download it now.
Even though there's road construction on US 93, it has not effected parking for the Liberty Bell Arch hike.

My Favorite Desert Peaks

2009-10-22T04:41:00.000-07:00

I am not a big fan of the typical desert peaks. Most have boring approaches, crappy rock, and long drives. I do not consider the peaks in Red Rock or Mt. Charleston as desert peaks. The rock there is much different. So I "cherry pick" the desert peaks I do climb. Here's a list of my favorite:

Mopah and Umpah Points-
Great peaks located near Needles, CA. They look impossible to climb without ropes. The rock is amazingly good.
Stats: 9 miles (both points); Elevation gain: 3,800 feet; Class: 4 Panorama

Eagle Mtn:
This is a great peak located west of Pahrump, NV. The route has a pseudo knife-edge ridge and great vistas from the summit.
Stats: 3 miles; Elevation gain: 1,800 feet; Class 3 Panorama

Moapa Peak
This is one of the classic desert peaks. The route has the famous knife-edge ridge.
Stats: 6.5 miles; Elevation gain: 3,351 feet; Class 3 Slide Show

All of the routes to these peaks and another 350 routes are available for members of HikingLasVegas. More information here.
If you have a favorite desert peak, let me know.

Is Google Ruining Itself?

2009-10-21T13:14:00.000-07:00

We all use Google to search the Web, but recently during my research for a new project I have seen an alarming trend. Some of the search results are worthless because of Google Ads. When I searched for "Mesquite, NV and camping" the results were horrible. The top listed entry had a huge Google Ad in the top center of the page. When I scrolled past the ads, the rest of the page was blank! Really helpful.

The second entry was even worse. In the center of the page were Ebay listings for various items, none related to camping. Why don't these web sites try and sell a quality product or information, instead of placing misleading Google Ads? Don't get me wrong I like Google and still only use their search engine. I would hate to see them go the way of Microsoft.

Again, HikingLasVegas.com does not have Google Ads. All the information on my site is on my site. When you click on a link, you are going to a page that you expect to go to with the information you want. I find it funny that other websites claim to be the source of hiking information for southern Nevada. They don't even come close. I have found, documented and led more hikers to peaks than all the other websites combined. Oh, I was NEVER a ranger and I don't look like a 65 year old, homeless, meth head. Ouch!

Zion Trip and Grafitti Traverse in Red Rock

2009-10-18T19:36:00.000-07:00

This weekend we did a lot of hiking and scrambling. We drove to Zion National Park in Utah, on Friday and hiked Angel's Landing. This easy and fun hike is also one of the most popular hikes in Zion. The hike starts off as a paved trail and climbs to the back of Angel's Landing. From there it's a classic ridge ascent that looks very scary. Chains have been installed to assist novice hikers. Stats: 5 miles - 1,500 elevation gain

We camped at Watchman Campground in Zion so we could get an early start on Saturday for the Bridge Mountain hike. The route is 7.5 miles, with 3,000 feet elevation gain and takes around eight hours to complete. Kelly, Mike, Kathy and I set off on the route around 7 am. It was just getting light at that time. We moved quickly and I found all the key landmarks on the approach to Bridge. It's a few miles to the start of the climb. There's lots of exposure on some crappy rock as the route makes its way to the peak.(See video below).
We were on the peak before 11 am with perfect weather. I was the last one on the peak according to the register and that was two years ago! This hike is uphill both ways! There's a lot of elevation gain on the hike back to the trailhead. We were back to the cars before 2 pm and back in Vegas around 5pm.

Sunday morning came and we were off to hike Graffiti Traverse route in Red Rock Canyon. This hike follow the route to Rocky Gap Boulder and then ascends Graffiti Ridge to the famous Graffiti Traverse. (See the video below.) It was a great hike and the newbies did well considering the amount of climbing and exposure on the route.

I will be staying in town for awhile now and hiking some more of the classic Red Rock hikes.

Notes: I will be publishing a panorama from Angel's Landing later this week.The Rocky Gap Boulder hike will be updated with waypoints later this week also.

Cathedral Rock Trail to South Loop Trail - Mt. Charleston

2009-10-15T20:47:00.000-07:00

This is a little known hike in Mt. Charleston. Once it intersects the South Loop Trail you can hike to Griffith Peak or even Charleston Peak. Hurry if you want to do this hike. Snow is coming soon and as you will read, it's getting cold in Charleston.

On Oct. 14th, Paul A did this hike. Here is his trip report:

Inspite of the weather, I decided to solo hike the Cathedral Rock Trail to South Loop Trail. The directions on the members only section are right on. Probably could have chosen a better day to do this and I forgot how cold it is up there with the clouds, rain and wind. I was prepared however, and I always tend to overpack my Kelty for worse case weather. For navigation I used the trail guide from the members only section, USGS 1:24000 Map, and a Garmin HCX GPS with the Topo Map software. This trail offers a lot of solitude.

The cairns on the trail are fairly easy to find and they really helped. Without them, it would be easy to loose the route if you don't pay attention. It appears that the path actually follows the base of three different walls from the same ridge - first wall, then steep climb, second wall, then steep climb, and finally paralleling third wall, steep climb. Where the trail hugs the first wall is a good place for a break and shelter if need be. The route is for the most part, mostly a steep climb with just a couple of segments that are somewhat level.

Some parts of the trail, are very slippery - it seems even on a dry day the trail would have quite a few areas where footing could be poor. Today the trail was damp/wet and I slid a couple of times, but caught my balance. I would recommend hiking poles for this trail.

I had a hard time finding the trail halfway between waypoints 2 and 3. In fact I didn't really see a trail and it seems that, if there were cairns in this section, many of them have fallen down - or I just missed them. I basically hiked straight up the hill, following "center mass" through Waypoints 3 and 4 until I intersected the South Loop Trail. I contemplated descending back to the start point via South Loop but the wind, cold and low clouds/rain convinced me not too. Much to my benefit, this route sheltered a lot of the wind today. I hiked down the same way I hiked up. Even then, it's easy to lose track of the exact route that I hiked up. On the way down, after passing the last "wall" I had to think hard where to join the trail back to the metal cover (Waypoint 2) because the trail fades away. I skirted the edge of the ridge towards the drainage and luckily found it quickly.

On this route, I counted 17 deer , all on the descent back down which was around 4-5pm. Most of the deer I observed were vicinity Waypoint 2 (metal cover water). I also spotted about 5 deer on the Cathedral Rock Trail just past the first wooden cut-out bench on the left as you're hiking down. These deer were around 50 yards from me and just stared back at me, probably wondering who in their right mind wanted to hike in the wind, clouds and rain today. Interestingly enough, the weather calmed down quite a bit towards the late afternoon. Other than chipmunks, I didn't see any other animals.

Even though its a "quick 2.5 miles" one way, this is a tough hike. This was my first time attempting this hike, and I did this one solo. I am always extra cautious when I hike solo and spent more time being deliberate on the trail. The sleet and rain did not stick and I did not see any snow up there. At the summit ridge today the visibility was rather poor with the clouds blowing through at that elevation. The mist blowing through the bristlecones was eerily beautiful but telling at the same time. Season is changing. It is, as I previously mentioned, getting cold up there. All in all, a great hike! I enjoyed this one.

BW: This trail is indeed steep and actually I would call it a hiker's path. Once leaving the Cathedral Rock Trail, it's not maintained by the Forestry Service. A GPS is very useful for this hike. Come to think about it, I also have seen deer on this hike.

REI has an in-store sale going on through this Sunday and it's a good one!

Expanding the Content of the Blog

2009-10-14T22:17:00.000-07:00

It's hard to come up with new topics every other day. I am now starting to publish other hiker's trip reports. I believe this will expand everyone's knowledge of what's happening. Obviously I can't hike everywhere. If you have recently done a hike and want to write a trip report, contact me. It does not have to be an out of town trip.
So let's get started!

Rim to Rim Hike in the Grand Canyon by Paul K. -- October 10th, 2009

After numerous emails and phone calls, we finally ended up with four hikers on the north-to-south hike, and three hikers on the south-to-north route.

Our group (Mike, Malia, Marianne, and me) started hiking from the North Rim at 5:30 in the morning on October 10. As expected, it was very cold (26 degrees and windy). We put on several layers of clothes, and headed down the North Kaibab Trail using headlamps. After hiking for about 30 minutes, it became less windy and we began to shed layers. By 8:00 in the morning, it was much warmer and most of us were down to one layer.

Just before Phantom Ranch, which is located near the Colorado River, we met Hecktor, Sirak, and Kiwi. They had gotten a later start, but were making good progress. After taking a few pictures, we continued on our way.

At Phantom Ranch, we took a break. The temperature was in the mid-80s, which was about 60 degrees warmer than the temperature at the trailhead. We crossed the Silver Bridge over the Colorado River, followed the River Trail for about a mile, and then headed uphill towards the South Rim on the Bright Angel Trail.

The four of us made steady progress up the trail, taking many pictures along the way. After a break at Indian Garden (elevation 4,000 feet), we headed up the steepest part of the trail and arrived at the South Rim before sunset.

We had a strong group, and everyone felt fine after the hike. The south-to-north group drove my Chevy Blazer back to Las Vegas that night. Not sure about the details, but a deer ran across the road and hit my car, leaving a large dent in the fender.

It took a lot of planning prior to the hike, but I'm glad we went. The weather was perfect, and our group had a good time and took lots of pictures. Malia did a great job of documenting this hike with her photos.

BW: Paul makes an excellent point about the wide range of temperatures when hiking in the Grand Canyon. Bring layers to keep comfortable. Also, note that the lodge at the North Rim closes in October and Highway 93 in AZ is a mess. A better alternative is going through Laughlin, NV, to Kingman, AZ.

Harlan placed a new sign-in book at Kraft Mountain!

Crabby Appleton Pk, Rainbow Pk and Wall and Bridge Mtn

2009-10-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

On Saturday (10-11), 16 hikers followed the wild route to Crabby Appleton Peak, a little known summit in Red Rock Canyon. This is one of my favorite moderate hikes in Red Rock and it's a loop hike. The route travels through Pine Creek Canyon before starting the ascent to the summit. There's lots of class 3 scrambling to reach the top, but the views from the summit are worth it.

Now the interesting part comes: a very exposed downclimb to reach the descent gully. In fact I had to tie a swami belt for a few people and lower them down. Once past this obstacle, it's a fast descent to the trailhead. Everyone had a good time and I am sure a few hikers will never forget this hike!

On Sunday we hiked Rainbow Peak and Rainbow Wall via the Rainbow Peak Without the Ledges route, one of the best in Red Rock Canyon. The real route starts at the base of Rainbow Wall with a long pull up a rope. The route then descends 200 feet of exciting and exposed rock before starting back up over 1,000 feet to the summit. We were at the peak by high noon.

One peak was not enough, so we hiked over to Rainbow Wall. We climbed the famous "ledges" on our way to the 1,200 foot wall. Just past the ledge is Photographic Ledge, another cool spot in Red Rock Canyon. Another 15 minutes of hiking and we were looking down Rainbow Wall. We descended via Gunsight Notch and were back to the cars by 4 pm. Panorama from Rainbow Peak.

Since Monday was a holiday for some, Nancy, Kathy and I hiked Bridge Mountain via the North Peak Wash route. I rewrote the hike description and included more waypoints. This is a great route to Bridge and cuts the drive on the Rocky Gap Road in half. The Rocky Gap Road is in about the same shape as always. Panorama from Bridge Mtn.

During the descent I almost step on a baby rattlesnake. This is the time of the year the snakes are most active. Despite what many books say I have never seen snakes on ledges, only on the ground and mostly on trails.

Notes: Book on Crabby Appleton is in good shape. A new book was placed at Rainbow Peak. There's a small sign in book at Bridge Mountain.

My Favorite Short Hikes in Red Rock Canyon

2009-10-09T07:10:00.000-07:00

So you only have a few hours and you want to go for a hike. We all know driving the Scenic Loop at Red Rock Canyon takes time, so instead do a hike out of Calico Basin. This will cut the driving time by 75%.
Here are my favorite hikes out of Calico Basin area: (Calico Basin is two miles before the turnoff to Red Rock Canyon)

Kraft Mountain - Up and Down the Backside (2 - 3 hours)
Kraft Mountain Loop - (2 hours)
Turtlehead Jr - Double Slot Route (3 hours)
Calico Tank - Red and White Route (2.5 hours)

All of these are fun scrambling hikes. The Double Slot route to Turtlehead Jr is one of my favorite hikes in Red Rock! Of course, all of these routes can be found in the Members Only section of my web site.

Did you know Google Ads are at best confusing and can be dangerous. Many web site owners place Google Ads in such a way to make you think they are part of the web site. When you click, you are taken to another web site. But it gets worse. Criminals are signing up for Google Ads. When you click on their ads, your computer will get infected or your personal information might be stolen.
Guess what web site does not have Google Ads? Yes, www.hikinglasvegas.com. NO confusing ads and safe.
To be fair Google is working on the problem, but it will be sometime before they can eliminate the unsafe ads.

Road Construction - Big Time Delays

2009-10-07T07:12:00.000-07:00

US 93 past Hoover Dam is a mess! AZ is making it a dual highway, which is good, but expect big time delays. The parking for Liberty Bell Arch is gone right now. In fact we saw a bulldozer on the Liberty Bell Arch trail. This will make the trail hard to find.

Also the short road to AZ Hot Spring has been changed slightly. It appears you can still drive down the road to the trailhead, but this could change. If driving to Kingman, AZ, a faster route is through Laughlin, NV. Although there was road construction on that road also, it was minor.

This is kind of funny. I had a person email me about Mopah Point outside of Needles, CA. I went into the Member's Only section to look at the route and discovered I never published it! This is a fun hike with lots of climbing. I will publish it later this week. It's a great winter hike, though you do need to camp at the trailhead. It would make for a very long day to drive from Vegas, do the hike and drive back to Vegas.
Panorama from the summit

I found a great deal on the perfect daypack for Red Rock. It's a Kelty daypack for $55. Where? You need to be a member. I post great deals on gear for members. More information on how to become a member HERE.

New Mexico Trip Report

2009-10-05T05:49:00.000-07:00

Kathy and I just returned from a nice and relaxing five day trip down in New Mexico, NOT! We were mostly non-stop hiking and peak bagging. We drove to Flagstaff passing Hoover Dam on the way. Kathy took a good photo of the new bridge being built. Once in Flagstaff we hiked a Lava Cave, which was very different and very dark. Stretching a mile in length, it felt like walking in a sewer without the smell.

The next day we got up early and hiked Mt. Humphreys (12,633 feet), the highest peak in AZ. This was Kathy's first state high point. I had done the hike several years ago. We got lucky and had decent weather, though it was pretty cold. This peak is known for being extremely windy and having violent thunderstorms during the Monsoon season.

We were back to the car by 1pm and took off for Santa Fe, NM. It was a longer drive than I thought. People know how much I like to sit in a car and do nothing for hours. We arrived there after dark and quickly went to sleep. Wheeler Peak was waiting for us the next day.

Wheeler Peak, (13,161 feet) is the highest peak in New Mexico. It's located near Taos, NM, which is less than 60 miles from Colorado. The drive to the trailhead is long no matter where you are coming from. It took us over two hours from Santa Fe. The trailhead is located at Taos Ski Village, which sits over 9,000 feet above sea level.

It was very cold as we started the hike. As we walked past a stream we saw icicles! Now that's cold! The hike initially follows a road and then a ski run. After three miles we followed a single track trail through the woods and into a meadow. From there the route ascends a ridge to the summit. It was extremely windy along the ridge. Luckily I had my technical jacket on and stayed warm. The descent was non-eventful and we got down to the car by 4 pm. (We did not get started until 9 am!)

The following day we went to the Balloon Festival in Albuquerque. It was interesting, though I am not going to stop hiking and start ballooning anytime soon! We left Albuquerque around 10 am and headed back to Flagstaff. On our way we stopped at Bandera's Volcano and Ice Cave. The ice cave was very interesting. The temperature was around 65 degrees as we walked to the cave. We only descended 75 feet and the temperature dropped to below freezing! It's always below 32 degrees at the ice cave!

We also stopped at El Morro National Monument and did a quick two mile hike. This was a nice way to break up the drive to Flagstaff.

Notes: The sign-in book at Humphreys Peak in AZ needs replacing. The hike description to Wheeler Peak is already in the Members Only section. I will also add the Ice Cave and the two mile hike in El Morro later in the week.

Bridge 360 - Trip Report

2009-09-27T07:48:00.001-07:00

On an unusually hot September 26th, 13 hikers did one of the best hikes in Red Rock Canyon, a 360 degree traverse around the dome of Bridge Mountain. The route includes one rappel, lots of class 3 and some class 4 climbing, and tons of route finding.

The hike starts at Pine Creek trailhead and enters Fern Canyon, the north fork of Pine Creek so named for the numerous ferns in the first part of the canyon. Due to high winds this past summer, numerous trees are down in the canyon making for several close encounters with brush.

Once out of the wash we followed the shortcut route to the saddle before Bridge Point, a route Davis and I found years ago. From here the real route begins: a complete counter clockwise traverse around the dome of Bridge Mountain. We traversed along the east face of Bridge Mountain, which looks impossible from the Scenic Loop some 2,000 feet below. We hiked just below the Hidden Waterfall, which leads to, guess what, the Hidden Forest that sits just below the summit of Bridge Mountain.

From there it's a wild traverse to the Hidden, Hidden Forest on the NW face of Bridge.These are the trees you see from North Peak or Ice Box Peak. Once out of the trees, the route ascends a gully and crack that leads to an incredible ledge of the west side of Bridge Mountain.

Since it was hot, we decided to only go to the arch and not the summit. This proved to be a wise choice. Some of the hikers, including Kathy, had not been to the arch on Bridge Mountain. It is indeed a special place. We quickly descended from the arch and across the slickrock traversing east to the rap. We used a rope for one down climb just to be safe.

It was then onto the rap. We had some first-timers and they all did well. Though we tried to be as efficient as we could, it still took over 25 minutes to get everyone through the rap.We had one more tricky climb, but lucky a strap Ed, Mark, and I had placed was there waiting for us.

We followed the normal descent route from Bridge Point into the wash. It was slow going in the wash as everyone was out of water by now. The hike had taken too long due to too many breaks we had taken so hikers could catch up. We did not get back to the cars until 7 pm with the last hikers not reaching the parking lot until 9 pm!

Notes: Fern Canyon needs cleaning. The route to Bridge Point is well cairned. With less daylight now, you have to move faster so you don't hike out in the dark.

Fast, Easy, and Safe

2009-09-25T06:31:00.000-07:00

Hiking Las Vegas.com, my web site, might be the only site on the web that does not have Google Ads. And this is a good thing. How many times have you visited a web site and accidentally clicked on a Google Ad by mistake? Many site owners disguise ads for this very purpose. They get paid for everyone who clicks on an ad.

But it gets worse. Criminals sign up for Google Ads under false pretenses. Now if you click on one of these ads, you will be in trouble! Your computer could be infected with spyware, rootkits and keyloggers all things you do not want. Since I don't have Google Ads, you do not have to worry about these things.

And how about downloads? How many times have you tried to download a program etc. only to be redirected to another page and another page? It gets very frustrating, but not at Hiking Las Vegas. When members want to download any of 351 hikes, they just click on the link. That's it. Simple, fast and easy. Don't you wish all web sites did this?

And if you are a member you would know where to buy women's Five Tens rock scrambling shoes for only $62.62.

Search and Rescue Seminar and More

2009-09-24T09:56:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to a talk given by Metro's Search and Rescue. I will highlight the important points:
* There's NO charge to be rescued by Search and Rescue. Of course you have to pay any hospital bills etc.
* Do not hesitate to call them if lost or injured.
* When they approach you, do what they say and remember time is critical.
* If you see their helicopter while hiking, do not wave at them. This is confusing for them.

It was very informative and the officers really like their job, a rarity these days. Good for them.

When buying a base layer (clothing) what's the best color? I would have to say gray. Why? White shows dirt and black is too hot for Vegas hiking. If you have been on my hikes, you will get dirty. White is not a good choice. Even in winter the sun can be hot and black is the worse color.
Where can I get the best deals on these clothes? If you are a member of my web site, I post deals on all kind of gear in the Member's Only section.

Slide Show At the Mountaineers Club Meeting

2009-09-22T10:35:00.000-07:00

I will be presenting a slide show of the best unknown hikes around Las Vegas and beyond tonight (Tuesday, Sept. 22) at the Mountaineers Meeting.
When: 7 pm
Where: W. Sahara Library (9600 W. Sahara)
Cost: Free

These are some of the hikes that will be featured in the slide show:

Mack's Traverse (Mt. Charleston)
Pine Creek Peak (Red Rock)
Painted Bowl (Red Rock)
Boot Boulder (Red Rock)
Anniversary Narrows Peak (Lake Mead)
Eagle Mountain (CA)
Mt. Humphreys (Sierra)
Lone Pine Peak (Sierra)

The slide show should last about an hour and I will start around 7:30 pm
Hope to see you there.

Mack's Peak Traverse - A Real Mountaineering Route

2009-09-20T22:07:00.000-07:00

Today (9-20) eight hikers traversed from Mack's Peak along the ridge to the northern summit of Mack's Peak. This is a great mountaineering route with lots of exposure. We made it to Mack's Peak in 75 minutes. From there the real hike begins.

I had looked at the traverse for years having done Mack's Peak for over a decade and pioneering the route to North Mack's Peak. The traverse looks wicked in several places and the route is forced to drop off the west side of the ridge for a bit. It's recommended to have a GPS to follow this route. There are cairns, but they blend into the terrain and are easily missed.

This hike will be featured in the slide show I am presenting at the Mountaineers Club meeting this Tuesday at 7pm at W. Sahara Library. It's a free presentation. Slide show on the web.

Notes: The Northern summit needs a book.

Various Updates

2009-09-16T07:14:00.000-07:00

* I will be presenting a slide show at the Mountaineer's Club meeting on Sept 22nd, 7 pm, W. Sahara Library. (9600 W. Sahara)

* Kenny put a new ammo box at Mummy's Toe last weekend. Thanks!

* I am updating some of the hikes with waypoints. I finally got a GPS that really works well!

* I and other hikers will be on TV this Saturday night 10pm on Vegas TV (channel 14).

* The road in front of Kraft Mtn is closed during the weekdays for a few days.

* Watch for snakes in Red Rock. They are back!

* I just published two more hikes from the Sierra. Members can download these hikes now!

* The speed limit on SR 159 (the road to Red Rock Canyon) is 50 mph now.

Sierra Trip Report - Part 3

2009-09-15T09:46:00.000-07:00

After bagging Peak 12,800, we headed for Mt. Haeckel, a prominent peak in the region. As we traversed the ridge it become obvious there were two routes: the standard route up the talus slope or sneak around the west side. Either route ends up on the south side of the mountain, which was on the far side from where we were.

Not surprisingly we decided to sneak around on the west side. It involved only a small boulder field and then climbing over the wall which made up the west side ridge. The closer we hiked to the wall the more vertical it became. Kathy found an easy class 3 climb over the wall. We were now on the south side of the mountain with a long and unknown traverse to the correct ridge ahead of us.

I had no beta about this approach, so I cairned the traverse in case we had to bail. Things went smoothly for awhile with easy class 3 sections coupled with lots of class 1. We then came to an interesting gully that separated us from the other side of the mountain. After exploring several options, we decided to bail rather than dropping 300 feet down. If I knew the route would go, I would have descended the 300 feet, but not knowing and this being our 5th day of hiking, I chose to bail.

We quickly retraced our steps and descended to the lake in front of Mt. Haeckel. I then looked up the talus field the standard route ascends. Forget it. I just proved my point how navigational mistakes are costly in the Sierra. In hindsight I should have followed the standard route. Oh well, there's always next time.

It did not take long and we were back at our campsite. In essence we made a giant loop around Peak 12,800 and climbed to the top of that peak. Not a bad hike, but I would have liked to nail Haeckel. Seems like next time it would be best to camp at Midnight Lake and bag Haeckel and Darwin.

We backpacked out on Thursday trying to decide what to do on Friday. Originally the plan was to do Boundary Peak, but I have done it three times and was not excited about doing it a fourth time. We finally agreed on White Mountain, the easiest 14,000 foot peak in California. It would be Kathy's first 14ner and we would not have any bear issues.

We drove the road to White Mountain on Thursday evening car camping at one of the pullouts. We could see the lights of Bishop, CA some 7,000 feet below and the peaks in the Sierra. It was really beautiful. The next day we hiked White Mountain. It's a class 1 hike that follows a gravel road all the way to the summit. It's not too exciting, but it's a 14ner! There are some great vistas from the summit. Panorama from White Mountain.

The descent was non-eventful and the drive back to Vegas was long and boring as usual. Future plans include a backpack to Midnight Lake with Darwin, Haeckel, and Clyde Spires on the tic list.

Sierra Trip Report - Part 2

2009-09-14T17:42:00.000-07:00

...So Kathy and I drove to Bishop, CA early Monday morning to pick up our permit. I always like having a permit in my hand rather than hoping for a free walk in permit. Gee, they are only $5 per person. We then drove to Lake Sabrina, the trailhead for Hungry Packer Lake. Overnight parking is not allowed at the trailhead, so I had to park down the road about a third of a mile.

My backpack had to weigh in around 75 pounds, the heaviest I have carried. I had never carried food for two people while backpacking. My bear canister weighed around 15 pounds! Kathy was also hurting. Not so much from the weight, but from her backpack not fitting correctly. After some quick rearranging, we were off again and this time our packs felt lighter.

Hungry Packer Lake is a beautiful lake sitting at the base of Picture Peak in the Evolution Region of the Sierra. We set up camp and talked about the peaks we were going to climb the next day. We decided on Picture Peak and Clyde Spires. I had day hiked to Hungry Packer Lake last year with the intent on climbing Picture Peak, but it did not work out that way. I was determined to nail it this year.

Morning came too soon and we did not quite get as early as a start as I wanted. The route to Picture Peak climbs a ridge to the east of Hungry Packer Lake and provides great vistas. There are some very enticing gullies on the east face, but we knew we had to ascend a gully on the south face. Mistakes are costly in the Sierra.

The gully was mostly class 2 with decent rock, though there were a few spots where we had to be careful. We ascended to a notch, which offered a great view down the north face. The final climb to the summit looked very steep and exposed. I checked my GPS and it told me the peak was further east. I had been converted, finally. From now on I will use a GPS. I can hear Nick and others saying, "finally."

The peak offered great views (panorama) and was only a steep class 2 scramble. Kathy and I stayed there admiring the views and taking photos for close to 30 minutes before descending. We got down to the start of the chute in 20 minutes, but due to the late start, we decided to skip Clyde Spire and headed for our campsite.

The next morning we got an early start and planned to nail Mt. Haeckel and Mt. Wallace. We headed west passing Midnight Lake and into a basin below Mt.Darwin. We spotted a nasty looking notch with about 500 feet of scree and some snow guarding it. We decided to climb over the ridge instead of through the notch. The rock was loose, but the climbing was easy.

Once on the ridge we spotted the peak and decided to go for it. It had a gnarly looking summit block, but you never know if you can climb it until you get your hands on the rock. The walk along the ridge was great with some nice exposure.

It turned out the summit block was only a class 3 climb, but it was very small at the top, room for two people at the most. The peak was named by elevation only: Peak 12,800. We were only the second party in 10 years to climb the peak! After taking numerous photos, we headed over to Mt. Haeckel.
To be continued...