1. No, it isn't. Mt. Charleston, located in the
Spring Mountains, is less than one hour from the strip and offers alpine-like hiking.
Starting at around 7,000 feet and topping out at 11,918 feet (Charleston Peak), the
terrain is hardly desert. Red Rock Canyon is less than 30 minutes away and has thousands
of acres of sandstone mountains jutting up from the desert floor.
2. You can hike year-round due to the diversity
of terrain
and elevation. Lake Mead Area has an elevation of 2,000 feet; Mt. Charleston stands 11,918
feet. These two areas have almost a 60-degree difference in temperatures.
Summer: Mt. Charleston Spring
and Fall: Red Rock Winter: Lake Mead
There's some overlap depending how well you tolerate heat or cold.
7. Bouldering is climbing over, around, and under
huge boulders found in various canyons around Red Rock Canyon. Many people find this type
of hiking the most enjoyable. It is also a good full body workout.
8. A trail is well-marked and easy to follow. A route is
hiked by landmarks. Routes are harder to follow, but offer much more of a wilderness
experience. The Member's Only Club
contains 335 hikes, many are
routes. It has over 1,100 color photos showing you key landmarks along the
route. Do not expect
a well-groomed trail when hiking a route.
9. The hikes range in difficulty from very easy (1) to very
difficult (5). To give you an idea of my rating system, Telescope Peak in California (a
widely hiked trail) would rate a 3. Most guide books rate it as one of the most
difficult hikes.
A level 5 hike on this Web site is very tough, normally no trail, lots of scrambling and elevation gain. As
a rough guide, a mile of rock scrambling equals two miles of trail hiking. Even
the Mountaineer's Route up Mt. Whitney rates only a 5. There are hikes on this
site that would be tougher if they were at the same elevation. However, there
are plenty of easy hikes on this site. The
difficulty rating is different from the class rating (Class 1 through 5).
10. The North and South Bowls of Fire resemble terrain found in
Red Rock Canyon, but are located in the Lake Mead Area. The red sandstone mountains look
like they are on fire during sunrise and sunset. Due to the extreme heat, do not hike
around Lake Mead Area or the Bowls of Fire in the summer.
11. Yes. You can purchase variety of hikes
from this Web site. The cost is $4.00 per hike. All hike descriptions contain
step by step directions. Most have color photos of key landmarks and some have
enhanced topo maps. Click here for more.
12. A narrows is a tight passage, similar to a slot canyon,
that cuts through a mountain. At
places it may be only three or four feet wide. Anniversary Narrows in Lake Mead is one of
the best narrows in southern Nevada.
14.A closed loop trail or path makes a complete circle. At
the end of the hike you're at the trailhead, which is the starting point of the
hike. Back to top
15.An open loop trail or path doesn't make a complete
circle. At the end of the hike you're some distance from the trailhead. Two cars may be
required; one parked at the trailhead, the other at the final destination.
22. The Scenic Loop is a 13-mile, one-way, paved road that
travels through Red Rock Canyon. Many of the trailheads in Red Rock Canyon are accessed from
the Scenic Loop. The Scenic Loop is open from 6 am to dusk every day of the year.
23. The Rocky Gap Road is located at the end of Willow
Springs Picnic Area. It is also known as: Old Potato Road, Red Rock Summit Road, and Old
Pahrump Road. It was re-grated in 1998, but has recently degraded. You can drive
a 4-WD vehicle about two miles up the road. Back to top
24. The Visitors Center only has printed
information about the established trails . Due to budget constraints, the trail
descriptions are brief.
26. Huntington Press published "Hiking
Las Vegas and Hiking Southern Nevada." They are located in Las Vegas and publish about 30 books a year.
Over 12,000 copies of "Hiking Las Vegas" have been sold.
27. Buying individual hikes is the most
cost effective method if you are a tourist. Each hike cost only $4.00.
Click here for more.
28. There aren't any other guide books that
cover the area like this site. A few books cover the basic trails, but no other
source has the rock scrambling and mountaineering routes. In fact, I am the only
guidebook author who lives in Las Vegas. I created many of the
routes on this Web site. Over the years I have hiked the routes several times
refining them when I found a better way.
29.The Member's Only Club is the ultimate
hiking reference for southern Nevada. It features 327 hike descriptions,
enhanced topo maps, and a updates about the trails and routes. Click here
for more.
30. No permits are needed for any day hikes
in southern Nevada at this time (2-2008). Permits are required for camping
at Red Rock Canyon.
Call 702-515-5350. Self-issued permits are required for camping in Mt.
Charleston.
31. Level 1hike: Mileage less than 5; elevation gain: less than 1,000 feet. Level 2 hike: Mileage less than 7 miles; elevation gain: less than 1,500 feet. Level 3 hike: Mileage less than 10 miles; elevation gain: less than 2,500 feet. Level 4 hike: Mileage less than 14 miles; elevation gain: less than 3,500 feet. Level 5 hike: Mileage more than 14 miles; elevation gain: more than 3,500 feet. Consideration taken into account for the terrain. Example - Boulder fields in the Sierra versus trail hiking.
