Sit-on-top Kayak at Lake Mead, NV

At the end of May, with temperatures skyrocketing towards 100-degrees, we decided to cool off with some family kayaking at Lake Mead.  Water temperatures still hovered in the 70′s and with the bright sunny day, we were looking for a chance to explore the north shore of the lake.

 Calville Bay

With the receding shoreline due to multi-year droughts, there are only a few boat ramps remaining at Lake Mead.  We’d heard from fellow kayakers that Calville Bay was an easy kayak entry with some interesting land features nearby to include cliffs you could jump off of and some sand beach areas nearby.  We loaded our kayaks on the roof of our SUV and headed to Lake Mead’s north shore – destination: Calville Bay Boat Ramp.

The road to Calville Bay winds its way down the hill and ends up in a huge parking lot.  Adjacent to this is a restaurant and the long boat ramp leading to the water.  Unfortunately, once you unload your boats (or kayaks) you have to park your car way up on the hill and walk back down – a challenge with young kids (especially with the constant vehicle traffic on the boat ramp).

The boat dock at the marina here is very long, with boats moored on either side.  As you wander further down the dock, you pass the houseboat section with many tied up right there.  You can rent houseboats here and you can even rent wakeboard or ski boats too.

Backing up the truck down the boat ramp	Calm waters -easy paddling for kids
Houseboats for rent at Lake Mead	Clear waters at Calville Bay

Kayaking with Kids

Calville Bay is a very busy boat ramp – with peak boating season here, the boat trailers were lined up the boat ramp and the marina dock area was chock-full of family boats, runabouts, and tournament wakeboard boats.  We backed up our SUV down the right-hand side of the ramp and unloaded our kayaks and gear.  Then, we dragged everything to the edge of the water, away from all the vehicle traffic.  From here, we could see the clear waters of the bay and the rocky shoreline leading to the heart of the lake.

In addition to our kayak seats, water bottles, and towels, we loaded a couple of fishing rods to try our hand at fishing (actually, the kids wanted to do this – we were certain we wouldn’t be catching anything today…)

We had just purchased a new single kayak for my 6-year old sun – he’d mentioned he was ready for his own boat… but he had never kayaked by himself before.  We loaded his kayak up and shoved him off the boat ramp with junior-sized paddle in hand.  He did marvelously!

One thing about kayaking with kids – keep your expectations realistic.  Kids are probably not up for a grueling 10-mile kayak journey.  But, they are definitely adventurous enough to explore the small coves and tributaries of the lake in search of a sandy beach to play on.  We spotted a sandy bit of shore and headed towards it.  The wind today was higher than anticipated – almost a direct headwind, slowing our progress.  We finally made it to the sandy patch and pulled our kayaks up onto the shore so they wouldn’t float away.  We readied the fishing rods and relaxed in the shallow, clear waters of Lake Mead.

Calville Bay Marina, Lake Mead

View of the western valley from Harris Peak

We had ventured up the Harris Spring 4×4 Trail in the Winter, but the unexpected thick snow fall prevented us from reaching the end of the road which winds its way up to 8,500′ at the Griffith Peak Trailhead.  This time, in the blazing heat of the Vegas summer, we were determined to reach the end of the Harris Spring Road… and this time we brought along out camping gear too!

The trail begins at a surprisingly well marked green highway sign on Kyle Canyon Road labeled “Harris Spring Road” – ok, so far so good…  Although not supremely challenging as a 4×4 trail, I traveled slowly because the road was comprised of many sharp rocks and the terrain was uneven enough that speed about 10 mph would probably jar the fillings loose from your teeth.

The first part of the trail is fairly boring – almost just a rocky dirt road.  Then, a few miles into it, there is a right fork in the road (with a sign marked “Griffith Peak, 5 Miles” – we took this right-hand turn and quickly began our ascent up the mountain.  Without the snow, the climb was easy, but progress was slow with some areas of uneven trail and some deeper ruts in the dirt.  We weren’t in a rush as the summer sun gave us sunlight deep into the evening.

Descending down Harris Spring Road 4×4 Trail

The 5-miles up this road seemed to take forever -although the views were panoramic and the exposure significant (no guard rails here), we were eager to make it to the top and set up our camp site for the evening.

We finally reached the end of the road at a small clearing on the spine of the ridge at an elevation of 8,500′.  Behind us was the Las Vegas Valley and in front of us, down the backside of the ridge was the western valley.  The views were beautiful and all you could see in the distance was green tree-lined hills rolling all the way deep into the valley beneath us.  At the corner of this clearing was the trailhead of the Griffith Peak hike.  If you were motivated and properly equipped, beyond Griffith Peak is the trail to the summit of Mt. Charleston itself.  Today, we were not hiking, but were here to set up our camp and spend the night high in the mountains – and hopefully find some respite from the 104-degree temperatures in the Vegas Valley.

Campsite surrounded by a strand of trees

We wandered to the left into a flat clearing surrounded by trees.  There were already several fire pits complete with stones forming a ring around them here – a popular camp site from the looks of it.  There was a rough trail that weaved further into the trees and slightly uphill to a vantage point where we had a great view of the valley beneath us.  We chose to pitch our tents at the edge of the trees – in hopes of getting some minor protection from the winds and also giving us that “cozy under the trees” feeling as we camped.  The temperature was a mild 72-degrees up here and we looked forward to the crisp night air and snuggling into our sleeping bags shortly.

We camped with three kids ages 6, 4, and 1 – this campsite was perfect for the young children who enjoyed to explore the area, but was relatively safe for them with no vehicle traffic and relatively flat terrain.

It turned out to be a great camp site, with relatively soft, level ground and plenty of room to set up our camp kitchen and pitch two tents.  Once the summer sun finally set, we had a great view of the night sky and all its stars.  I gauged the night temperature to be in the low 50s – with a nice and comfortable mountain breeze.

The next morning we explored the Griffith Peak trail and some of the other tributary trails here.  We encountered a bunch of dirt-bikers and ATVers this morning.  All in all, it was a great camping trip and we looked forward to coming back again.

Parking area near Kraft Boulders

The temperature here in Vegas took a friendly dip down to about 82-degrees this past weekend… that warranted an immediate trip back out to Red Rock Canyon.  We decided on doing some rock climbing this trip instead of hiking, so we headed down into Calico Basin (outside the National Conservation Area) to do some bouldering at Kraft Boulders.

Normally in late May, the daytime temperatures get so hot that doing outdoor activities at Red Rock Canyon are out of the question (unless you start at the crack of dawn, before the sun is high in the sky).  I knew as soon as I read the weather forecast on my Android phone that we needed to take advantage of the cooler weather and dust off our climbing gear.  We grabbed our seasoned crash pad (padded protective mattress that absorbs falls when bouldering), climbing helmets and chalk bags, and started driving towards Red Rock.

Vast boulder field at Kraft Boulders

A lot of other people must have been thinking the same thing, because by the time we reached the end of Calico Basin Road (after stopping for breakfast on the way), the Kraft Mountain parking lot was nearly full!  It was a pretty day, dominated by a perfectly blue sky and warm (but not hot) temperatures.  We loaded up our gear and headed down the short trail to the boulder field at the foot of Kraft Mountain.  Surprisingly, although the parking lot was full, there were very few people bouldering.

Reaching the top of a boulder

The kids (age 6 and 4) warmed up on an easy boulder, then started to really challenge themselves on some of the tougher problems.  Their climbing skill have really picked up this season and they were soon reaching out for smaller and more difficult holds on steeper walls.  You could see the great sense of accomplishment on their grinning faces as the reached the top of one boulder after another.

Climbing up a boulder at Kraft Boulders

After much climbing, and a lot of hydration (even at 82 degrees, the high sun and dry air was sapping us of our liquids), we triumphantly headed back to the car… having conquered many boulders today… and getting no blisters from our climbing shoes!  Another great day at Red Rock.

As summer races towards the Las Vegas valley, we were eager to take advantage of the most temperate days of Spring.  We headed out to Red Rock to do some more geo-caching.  This time there were two families, and 6 total kids on this trek.  Last time, we searched for several geo-caches near the Lost Creek trail (down near Willow Springs).  This time, after some careful map-study and referencing our geo-caching app on our android phone, we decided to head to Sandstone Quarry.  This particular spot (the third parking area on the scenic loop) is abundant with geo-caches.  Additionally, the sharply rising terrain and numerous ravines and plateaus add considerable challenge to those in search of caches – it’s now a three-dimensional puzzle with altitude and terrain playing a big part of how you choose your route to the cache.

With the pleasant weather (upper 70′s and a light overcast), the parking lot at Sandstone Quarry was full and we had to park a few hundred yards beyond the turnout.  We saddled up, with camelbaks on the kids and a baby backpack on my back (to carry our one-year-old).  I quickly selected my geo-caching app on my mobile phone (coupled to its accurate GPS receiver), and selected the closest geo-cache from the list that was saved to my phone… and off we went.

One thing to consider if you choose to go geo-caching at Red Rock Canyon — much of the park is without cell-phone signal (CDMA or GSM carriers) and if you are using a geo-caching app on your mobile phone like we did, you will not be able to reference any of the caches (because you will need to access the internet).  However, most geo-caching apps give you the option to save the cache details (coordinates, hints, descriptions, etc.) directly to your phone giving you the ability to view the caches even without cellphone signal.  Previous to this trip, we had saved all the geo-caches at Red Rock and Mt. Charleston directly to our phone.

Geo-caching at Sandstone Quarry

Our mobile phone app displayed a large compass showing both direction and distance to the first cache.  We headed off to a gently rising hill, following the straight-line bearing of the compass.  As we got to the top we looked straight ahead to a large rock formation and estimated based on our compass reading that the cache was located high up on the side of the rock face.  The best part of geo-caching at Red Rock, and specifically at Sandstone Quarry is that you have to factor in all the ravines, drop-offs, and steep rock faces when figuring out the best way to maneuver towards the cache coordinates.  Although your GPS will tell you which way to go and how far, a straight line may not be the best path if that line takes you off of a steep cliff or up a sheer rock face.

The kids loved it because today’s adventure involved scrambling over rocks, climbing short rock faces, and traversing over ledges and rocky outcrops — all while searching for the hidden cache (which we presumed would be filled with wonderful mementos and trinkets.  To the kids this was like a real-live treasure hunt and we were closing in on the hidden booty!  After overshooting the cache and climbing up above its hiding spot, we backtracked, intensified the search and eventually found the first cache of the day!  The kids were jubilant, even if the only treasures in the box were small and commonplace – to the kids, it was as if they had found a fistful of gold doubloons!

We paused for a moment and then decided to press on to the next geo-cache.  It was not more than a few hundred meters away, but there was no direct line from where we were to the next cache – we would once more have to navigate across the rocky ledge, descend down the ravine, climb the short hill, then walk across the dry riverbed on our way to the back side of the quarry and the next cache.  Eventually, we would find the second cache and the kids rejoiced!  After that, the kids ventured down into the area covered in soft sandstone-eroded white sand – powdery like a beach.  This sandy area was surrounded by towering rock formations offering ample opportunity for the kids to explore and climb.  After some time exploring this area, we headed back to the parked vehicles and drove back into town – a successful day of geo-caching accomplished!

Finding the Geo-Cache!

Hikers on ridge, Turtlehead Peak above

It was still a burning 100 degrees in the Vegas valley in early September when we ventured up to Mt. Charleston for some hiking.  We had been itching to go camping, but the Vegas heat had prevented that.

It’s widely accepted that up on Mt. Charleston (7-8,000 foot elevation hiking trails and 11,900+ foot summit) the temperatures are routinely 20-30 degrees cooler than in the Vegas valley – we would put that rule to the test today.  Also, with our newly slimmed down camping kit, we were ready for some backcountry camping.

Mt. Charleston allows you to camp unimproved in the backcountry (away from campsites) as long as you aren’t immediately near a water source or trailhead.  Today we were going to hike Mary Jane Falls and camp in the backcountry… with two kids, age 6 and 3!  We had just slimmed down our camping gear to a near-ultralight weight kit — this meant I could fit all of our gear into my backpack, without overloading it or overweighing it.

Mary Jane Falls Trail, Mt. Charleston

As we arrived at the parking lot for Mary Jane Falls, we happily noticed the crisp mountain air with a light breeze – the temperature was a welcome 82 degrees – almost 30 degrees cooler than the valley!

The beginning of Mary Jane Falls Trail

We started hiking with our full pack of camping gear. I knew we would set up camp somewhere before the switchbacks ascend on this trail, I just didn’t know exactly where. So, as we hiked, I kept scanning the wooded area off to our left – I was looking for a flat area with a clearing. About a half-mile in, I found a perfect clearing with flat ground made of soil. We unloaded our camping gear here and quickly set up camp. Now, with my pack much lighter having downloaded the camping gear, we were ready to start the upward hike to Mary Jane Falls.

View across Kyle Canyon

The switchbacks were steady, but not too steep that even the kids could keep up. As we climbed higher (the trail eventually reaches above 9,000 feet in elevation) the greater exposure provided some great views across Kyle Canyon, the tall bristlecone pine tree covered cliffs, and jagged limestone mountain peaks.

There are portions of the trail where the path narrows to near-single track, and there are areas where there is loose sand and rocks underfoot – so be careful and walk cautiously. As the trail curved around the mountain contour we began to make out the tall dark-colored cliff face of Mary Jane Falls.

The falls are tucked away in a corner crack of the cliff face, with the ice-cold smow melt water pooling below. I caught the kids dousing themselves under the waterfall. We continued on a path past the falls which led us to a large cave and a wide panoramic view of the valley below. Eventually, after enjoying the views, we hiked back down to our campsite. A deer followed behind us on the descent. All of thus hiking built up quite an appetite and we ravenously enjoyed a camp stove dinner of spam and rice. The evening offered temperate 50 degrees of cool mountain air to sleep in. You can camp during the summer heat… on Mt. Charleston.

Mary Jane Falls, Mt. Charleston

View Mary Jane Falls, Mt. Charleston in a larger map

It was a bright blue-skied, warm mid-60′s day and we decided to end our Winter climbing hiatus and return to Kraft Boulders. Outfitted with the newest kids’ Petzl Picchu climbing helmet for my three-year-old, we dusted off our climbing kit, grabbed our crash pad and headed to Calico Basin where the vast red sandstone boulder field lays at the base of Kraft Mountain.  The weather was unseasonably warm that I ended up wearing just a t-shirt — the warm sun felt great.

Conquering one of the climbs at Kraft Boulders

As we pulled off of NV-159 onto Calico Basin Road, the sky was a piercing deep blue and we were eager to get out to the boulders.  Then, as we turned right, just past Red Springs, we came across a group of 3 wild donkeys that were getting ready to cross the road.

We had seen wild donkeys at Red Rock before, but never this close. One other car had pulled over to take photos – and we joined them.  The 3 donkeys were disinterested in the human observers and simply ambled across the road onto a grassy field.  One had a dark mask on its face and all three had a distinct, dark-ridged strip running down the upper part of their front legs.

Donkeys crossing Calico Basin Road

Donkey at Calico Basin, Red Rock

After an afternoon of bouldering, we returned back down Calico Basin Road and came across the same three wild donkeys, frolicking in a neighborhood yard just a few yards from where they crossed the road.  We once again stopped to photograph them as the low sun reddened Kraft Mountain in the distance.

Donkeys at Sunset, Kraft Mountain in background

It took everything I had to keep the kids from running up to and trying to pet the donkeys.  I reminded them that they were wild animals and that we needed to respect them and give them plenty of room (and I’m sure there are a billion rules, laws, and regulations saying just that.)  We finished taking photos and wished the donkeys farewell.

A challenging problem at Kraft Boulders

Rain clouds at Red Rock Canyon

We headed out to Red Rock Canyon today with two families and six kids to go geocaching.  Our destination was the Lost Creek Trail off of Willow Springs, at the western edge of the Red Rock Scenic Loop.  Initially, as we approached Red Rock Canyon, there was one small patch of grey skies over the western cliffs, off towards Rocky Gap Trail.  But, as we circled the Scenic Loop en route to Willow Springs, we noticed the grey clouds building and could see rain falling in the upper elevations.  The weather is unpredictable here at Red Rock – it could be raining at one trail head, but be clear and sunny on the other end of the Park.

Rain clouds over Turtlehead Peak

Today, we were introducing geocaching to our friends (more on geocaching later).  Essentially, geocaching is using your GPS to aid you in locating hidden caches (or treasure boxes from a kids’ perspective).  The caches are loosely organized through an online community where the lat-long coordinates of these caches are posted online (www.geocaching.com).  We started off from the Lost Creek Trailhead towards the first geocache of the day, a mere 200 meters from the parking area.  Just as we found the first cache, the rain changed from mist to drizzle then quickly to downpour.

Rain-swollen clouds at Red Rock Canyon

After waiting a while under a tree that offered some protection against the cold February rain, we made the decision to halt geocaching for the day and to head down to Calico Basin and do some bouldering at Kraft Boulders – we could see from here that Calico Basin seemed to have been spared from the rain, and might even have partly blue skies.  We figured we could turn in our GPS and topo map for climbing shoes and a helmet – time to go Bouldering!  Just as we parked our car across from Kraft Mountain, the rain subsided and shortly thereafter, the rain stopped altogether!  We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon taking the kids bouldering and exploring the area.  Another great day at Red Rock – despite the cold rain earlier!

The big rocks at Kraft Boulders

The White Rock Trail is a lesser-known hiking trail at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.  Put this on your must-hike list — the views are spectacular, you are at the higher elevations right at the start of the hike, and you can even camp at certain points on this trail.  Your adventures start at the White Rock Springs Trail Head.  While driving around the Red Rock Scenic Loop, just past mile marker 6, heading off to your right, is the White Rock Road (dirt road, no 4×4 required).  Follow the White Rock Road for about one half mile to the north where it finally ends at a parking lot with marked trail head and signs.

From this trail head, you can do several different hikes including: White Rock Loop Trail, White Rock Springs Trail, and the Keystone Thrust Trail.  We hadn’t much noticed this dirt road leading off of the Scenic Loop in the dozens of times we had visited Red Rock Canyon.  But then, I purchased a 1:24 topo map of Red Rock and payed particular attention to the terrain contours and elevations as I searched for new trails to explore.  That’s when I came across the White Rock Trail (Keystone Thrust) — The trail head is 4,857 ft of elevation, and the Keystone Junction on the trail is at 4,956 ft of elevation.  This makes it one of the highest trail heads in the Park and… most significant to us… is that within the first half-mile or so of hiking, you find yourself above 5,000 ft elevation.  That is the magic number that allows you to camp — in other words, according the Red Rock Canyon rules, you can only camp above 5,000 ft elevation.  Prior to discovering this trail, the only other place in the park that was easily accessible to camping (and also was above 5,000 ft) was on the Rocky Gap Trail (4×4 required).  Now, according to my new map, I could hike a short distance up this trail and backcountry camp.

On this particular day, we set out to hike the trail, enjoy the view from this elevation, and verify if the area above 5,000 ft was camping-friendly.

White Rock Trail Head, Red Rock Canyon

My two young boys and I started hiking up the White Rock Loop Trail, and after about 100 yards past the first wash, the we turned up a flight of steps made of rocks onto the Keystone Thrust Trail.  Right away, we noticed the beautiful view of the White Rock Hills and La Madre Mt. in the background – highlighted against a perfect blue sky.  The views on this trail expose a lot of ancient limestone formations with large striations – a different scene than the deep red sandstone down at Calico I and II.  I could make out the large mound of rocks called Hogback Ridge off to the northeast and figured it to be above 5,000 ft elevation somewhere adjacent that ridge.

White Rock Trail, La Madre Mt. in Background

The Keystone Thrust portion of this hike starts with a giant set of man-made steps created by piling rocks on an incline.  Then, you are on a dirt path leading uphill with small desert shrubs and grasses all around you.  All you see is the tall, distinct, La Madre Mountain ahead of you, forming a natural limestone skyline.  The Keystone Thrust is an earthquake fault where the older limestone rocks have been pushed up and out of the way by the younger (red) sandstone below.  This particular fault is one of the few that is actually accessible by hiking – the end of the trail leads you onto a narrow finger of red rock and soil with views of Calico Basin below and various parts of Vegas and the Strip visible in the distance.  The first thing I thought of was how pretty the lights of Vegas would look from this vantage point when we came back and camped here.

La Madre Mountain in the background

On this particular day, as we followed the trail past Hogback Ridge, there was snow and ice accumulation on the ground – including some larger patches.  We took a detour off-trail and started climbing the rocks of Hogback Ridge.  Quickly, we ascended half-way up the mound as we curved towards the east – for a better view of Vegas in the distance.  Although completely unplanned, we were lucky to have the late afternoon sun providing dramatic lighting as I took photos and the kids played on the rocks with their action figures and toy trucks.  Yep, this would definitely be a great campsite – as soon as the evening temperatures rose a bit.  Our backcountry camping sleeping bags were only 600-fill down bags and the 30-degree nights were too cold.

Shadows near sunset, Turtlehead Peak in background

Last light on Turtlehead Peak

Valley of Fire is a hugely underrated State Park, located about one hour’s drive north of Las Vegas, off of I-15.  The closer attractions of Red Rock Canyon and Mt. Charleston receive more fanfare, but in our opinion, Valley of Fire deserves just as much attention.  Let’s tell you why…

The red rock formations at Valley of Fire are much more softer and pliable than at Red Rock, the result is much more shaping and erosion of the rocks from eons of high winds and water.  The rocks here are twisted, pocketed, indented, and feature many natural arches and leaning spires.  The scenery here is like a cross between the desert southwest and the surface of Mars.

Valley of Fire is a Nevada State Park, and as such, does not accept Federal Park Passes.  The size of the Park and its trails are smaller than Red Rock Canyon, but the views are absolutely remarkable.  This is a photographer’s dream come true.  Once you pay for admission at the main park gate ($10 per vehicle), you can take a look at the map you are given… it lists most of the hikes, attractions, named rocks, petroglyph fields, and all the facilities (camp sites, parking areas, bathrooms, etc.)

Road winding through the Valley of Fire

Balance Rock off to the left

Valley of Fire offers a lot of different things to do.  For the hiking enthusiast, there are many trails across varied terrain – most are short hikes, 0.5 to 1.5 miles round-trip.  For those that are not into hiking, there are plenty of scenic points to view towering rock formations, ancient petroglyph art work, and multi-colored textured terrain — all great opportunities for photography.  Some of our favorite points of interest in the park are:

1.) White Domes – hiking trail that takes you past a 90-year old movie set, through a narrow slot canyon, and across a panoramic valley.

2.) Mouse Tanks – hikling trail that leads to a large petroglyph field.

3.) “The Wave” – a series of large rock formations made up of swirling colored bands on the rock face.  Hike to here and take a lot of photos!

4.) Elephant Rock – a very unusual rock formation that actually looks like a big elephant.

Download a Park Brochure.

Elephant Rock - Valley of Fire

View near the end of White Domes trail

Slot Canyon at White Domes