Great video! The last 3 times I’ve been in Vegas, I never set foot in a casino. Instead I spent all my time at Red Rocks, Valley of Fire, Lake Mead and Mount Charleston. I had a much better time and left town with a lot more money!
Ha - same - it's such a culture shock to drive back into Vegas from somewhere like Mt Charleston - but overall Vegas has been a great jump-off point for me to fly from SoCal and avoid traffic, then rent car and hit Red Rocks, Zion, Bryce, North Rim, etc. - it's just the Vegas part that's a bit of a downer
Calico Tanks trail is iconic, a must go hiking trailer for all levels. While turtlehead peak trail is more challenge but still a moderate difficulties, pay attention to the trail marker, stay on trail to avoid lost. Ice box canyon trail is all about scrambling among big rocks, your knee will definitely talk to you when you completed it, but it is cool particularly in a hot day.
Its a disservice to Nevada that there is only one National Park in the state (well two if you include parts of DVNP). There is a case to elevate Red Rocks and Calico Hills to National Park status, or even as National Preserve (like Mojave Nat'l Preserve) but definitely should be part of NPS not BLM.
I visited here back in 2017 and had just a few hours in the morning to explore. My plan was to do the Calico Tanks trail, but when I arrived, it was closed - they were doing work on the trail. Instead I walked along the Grand Loop Trail at the base of Calico Hills. It was a nice consolation prize. Fantastic video.. thanks for sharing!
Thank you - and no - all me on these things - I've invested a lot of time in learning how to shoot better video, color grade, do motion graphics overlays, etc. - don't have the $$$ to hire anyone so I've become a jack of all trades
I appreciate your attention to detail and the accuracy of your historic and cultural comments. I agree; these are the 3 premier hikes in Red Rock. You've done a great job placing them in context with Las Vegas.
Thank you for the great video. I also appreciate your gear recommendations and have purchased several items with your links. I like the trail runners and backpack very much. So, I would like to know if you recommend a brand or type of hiking socks. Trail runners may dry fast, but not the socks I wear. Any thoughts?
Nice video - Thanks for sharing. A couple of questions: 1) Are snakes a problem in the area? (months they are the biggest concern?) 2) Do you need a park reservation in June? (their website was not clear on that) 3) I visited your website, but did not readily find what your fees were for guide work? Thanks Cheers!
After years of getting to LV, then heading west to Death Valley, I finally checked out RRC. Never made it to DV that year! And have been going back to Red Rocks ever since.
Fortunate I hiked these three trails back last November and if you do have time please hike Kraft boulders, it is amazing the limestone just incredible.
Rookie hikers did part of turtle head and most of ice box. We stopped when the trail dropped down in river bed. Waterfall was not flowing anyway. I had a bum knee and didn't want to over do it.
Timely post. I've never hiked in this area before but I'm going to be spending some time in southern Nevada at the end of the month and I've been wanting to hike in this area for quite some time. Thanks, Cris! ~ Mike
I was here in December. It was awesome. Spent the whole day doing about 15 miles. Calico tanks was great. Definitely want to do Turtlehead peak and Ice Box Canyon next time. Mount Charleston was beautiful as well.
Yea much better than it used to be. I remember the blazes on the climb were the same color as the lichen and it was hard to stay on a trail that wasn't vertical
Love your videos! One suggestion I would ask is to talk about when you are hiking (time off year, time of day), how long the hike is and how long it would take the "average" person to hike it. Another good thing to know is when might be the ideal time of year to hike this and why this trail stands out. Thank you!
These 3 hikes are definitely good to get a little taste of the area but just the tip of the iceberg if you’re a fit hiker capable of class 2/3/4 scrambling. There are routes to all of the peaks along the scenic loop and none are easy but all are amazing!! Red Rock is much more vast and extreme than meets the eye. Reminds me of all the epics I’ve had out there, place is magic!!!
FYI - Vehicle break-ins are a problem at Red Rock so don't leave stuff visible to temp the thieves. Make sure to get a reservation in advance if you are going on a weekend or holiday. Don't count on getting a cell signal inside the park.
I hiked the Turtlehead Peak trail just last week. I really enjoyed it except I got kind of lost on the descent. On the last part of the hike after the saddle the trail was difficult to follow. I was following the white blazes on the rocks but at some point I just wandered off trail. I found my way back when I saw some fellow hikers on the trail about 100 feet above me.
