Sunday, January 2nd, Desert Hills Loop- Moderate, 6 miles with an elevation gain of some 700 FT- Our trailhead is located on the north side of Blue Diamond Road about 3 miles before the intersection of Hwy 159/160. It offers several trails running through interesting ridges and canyons. Meet the coordinator at the Chevron gas station on 159/160 by 8 AM. Park in the dirt lot in behind the station. RSVP- Coordinator- David Hardy
Tuesday, January 4th, Valley of Fire/Rainbow Vista Trail and Beyond! Exploratory, moderately strenuous, Class II/III scrambling- This is an approximate 4 to 5 mile hike. We hike to the end of the Rainbow Vista Trail and then scramble down and explore along several washes. I hiked this last year with several ATBF friends and we had a ball checking out all the colors and rock formations. Meeting point is the visitors center at the Valley of Fire at 8:30 a.m. Coordinator- John Hammel
Thursday, January 6th, China Ranch Date Farm & Bakery- Moderate, 6 miles, 7 AM- Located south of Tecopa, California off of the Old Spanish Trail Highway, China Ranch grows dates of various varieties and is surrounded by interesting areas for hiking. The route for today will take us through several narrow canyons and rock formations. A second choice is a hike to the Armargosa River, small waterfall, and a slot canyon. Our break follows the trek as the ranch store offers a variety of date products, including their famous date shake. Meet the coordinator at the Chevron gas station on 159/160 by 7 AM. Bring a lunch. The drive time is just over an hour. RSVP- Coordinator- David Hardy
Friday, January 7th, North Bowl Back Loop- Moderately strenuous, 8 miles, 750 FT gain, Class II in places, 8 AM- Several washes, especially the Main Wash on the west side of the North Bowl of Fire, will give us access onto a plateau at the northwest corner of this iconic redstone formation. Points of interests will include the Moon Lander Arch, Elephant Arch, plus sandstone formations, windows. Meet up- CVS Pharmacy, behind this building, located at Lake Mead Blvd and Hollywood. Depart from here by 8 AM. We’ll also check for hikers at Mile Marker 4. The trailhead is at Mile Marker 18.2, Northshore Road. Coordinator- David Gray
Saturday, January 8th, Cottonwood Valley Two Springs Loop- EASY, 4.5 miles, 350 FT elevation gain- This hike wanders through the Cottonwood Valley by starting out by hiking toward two springs to investigate a number of sites containing petroglyphs. It's also our break point so that we can wandering through the colorful rocks. Initial meet-up- It's the Chevron gas station located at 159/160, depart from there by 8:30 AM. We will then carpool over to the trailhead which is a short dirt road that is a little bit past the Late Night TH Parking Lot. Coordinators- Ron and Sandi Hindmarch
Sunday, January 9th, Falls Canyon/Red Rock Canyon- Moderate, 5-6 miles, elevation gain of 500 FT + beginning from the Willow Springs TH/Picnic Area. The hike follows the old Rocky Gap Road in back of the sandstone bluffs to a creek. We then leave the road to follow this upstream. There are several falls with bypasses requiring Class 2 scrambling. What we hope for is that it is cold enough for ice falls to form. The creek will likely be ice covered in spots. Must take care not to slip or slide on the ice. Meet at the end of the pavement of the Willow Springs Picnic Area by 7:30 AM. By coming early, there is no need for a reservation to enter the park. RSVP/Limit of 12- Coordinator- David Hardy
Tuesday, January 11th, Foundation Hill/Scrambling/Exploratory- Moderately strenuous to strenuous in places. Class II - III scrambling required. We'll be working the south side of this "hill." Trailhead- Kraft Mountain TH parking lot off of Sandstone Road. We step off at 8 AM. Make sure you have good gloves for scrambling. Coordinator- David Gray
Thursday, January 13th, Blue Diamond Canyon #3 Ridge to #4 Ridge Loop- New- Total distance of 4-5 miles, 1200 FT gain, 8 AM- This new hike begins from the usual parking area in Blue Diamond heading to Canyon #3. We go up the left of canyon #3 and continue upward on the ridge separating canyons #3 and #2. The “trail” is faint to start but continues to improve. Once we are on the cliff above #3 the trail is very good. The trail climbs, topping out in the upper end of #3. But more uphill is on the way. After taking the side trip to the end of #3 we will have our break. Then back down to the trail and up some more on a well-constructed trail to its summit, then down along the edge of Canyon #4, following the side of the canyon and swinging back to #3 and back to the cars. The main assembly point will be the county park on the left side of the road as you enter the community of Blue Diamond just past the wash bridge. Here you'll meet the coordinator. Step off time is 8 AM. RSVP- Coordinator- David Hardy
Friday, January 14th, Summerlin Peak- Strenuous, Class II/III, a bit over 2,000 feet of elevation gain, 5 miles round trip- Once we begin our ascent at the base of the mountain there is no trail. The peak offers panoramic views of the Las Vegas Valley and the city. Heading north on the 215 you'll exit left onto Cheyenne. Heading south you exit right onto Cheyenne, it turns almost immediately into Cliff Shadows. Drive about .25 miles down Cliff Shadows and make a left into Buckskin Cliff Shadows Park. This will be our meetup and beginning of the hike. Step off at 8:30 a.m. Coordinator- John Hammel
Sunday, January 16th, North Wind Wash/Northshore Road/Lake Mead- Moderately strenuous- We begin along Northshore Road near Mile Marker 10 for this hike that offers a lot of variety including colorful short side narrows, hiking along ridgelines, and over green rock. The start of this is in an unimpressive wash which gradually becomes more interesting. When we make a right turn, it is very interesting with lots of brilliant color and some slot canyons. Lunch will be in an area of red sandstone, a little Bowl of Fire. Distance is around 8 miles and there may be short sections of scrambling. Meet the coordinator at Mile Marker 4 where we will leave at 8:15 A.M. RSVP- Coordinator- David Hardy
Tuesday, January 18th, Oak Creek Canyon Winter Loop- Moderate, 5.7 miles, 600 FT gain, 8AM- Starting out, we'll head up along the north side of Oak Creek Wash to near where the opening of the canyon begins. Here we cross the creek, head southwest for the "outer" trail that will take us up through the pines and large boulders found along the south inner canyon wall. Deer have been seen here quite often. Then it’s down to the landmark wash break area. It may be chilly, but we'll have great views of snow and ice up in the canyon. We'll complete the loop by coming back out via the well-established trail along the south edge of the wash which crosses the creek to take us back to the cars. TH- RR Scenic Loop Exit (159)- We'll step off at 8 AM. Coordinator- David Gray
Thursday, January 20th, Bowl of Fire Loop- Strenuous, 10 miles, 1000 FT gain- This hike will require a short car shuttle as the start is at Mile Marker 20.5 along Northshore Road and the finish is at Mile Marker 18. It starts by climbing a ridge and descending a steep slope that leads into a series of washes where the group will come across camel tracks. At the north end of the Bowl of Fire there will be some fun scrambling in a colorful canyon that may feature some pools if there is any recent rain. A lunch break will occur somewhat more than halfway along the route. Meet the coordinator at Mile Marker 4 on the Northshore Road where we will leave at 7:30 AM. Leave CVS-Albertson's parking lot at Lake Mead Boulevard at 7:10 or the Entry Gate parking just before the entrance out of Henderson on Lake Mead Parkway at 7:20. RSVP- Coordinator- David Hardy
Friday, January 21st, Jean's Peak/Arrowhead Road Loop- Moderately strenuous, 6 miles, 1350 FT gain, Class II- III scrambling in places, 8 AM- Our trailhead will be the Mile Marker 25 Call Box off of Northshore Road. To start, we'll cross the road to hike up a rocky canyon with arches to gain a saddle area that will first take us up to Jean's Peak, Jean's Ridge as I am looking to do a new trek from there. I'll explain the details when we're up there! Then comes the descent portion of the route. We return to the saddle, then start down a wash to enter Jean's Canyon. In short order we go right, then continue to drop further to take on several challenging pour overs and of course, the steep slide that no one can come down if they attempt to do it by standing up. Eventually, we reach the old Arrowhead Road (Wash). We close our loop by taking the two track back to the Northshore Road trailhead. Initial meet-up- Be at the CVS /Albertsons parking lot behind the drug store located at Hollywood & Lake Mead Blvd for an 8 AM departure. A stop at Mile Marker 4 will be made around 8:15 AM. Coordinator- David Gray
Saturday, January 22nd, Valley of Fire White Dome to Fire Wave (with optional lunch)- EASY, 3 miles, 300 FT elevation gain, 9 AM- This hike starts at the White Dome parking lot. It goes down to the movie set, which can be a bit slippery due to the sandy/rocky terrain, so a hiking stick is suggested. When we get down to this set, we will turn left and head through a slot towards the Fire Wave. Time will be spend there to enjoy this colorful rock formation and other beautiful sites nearby. Then we'll return the same way we came, but bypass the movie set, head directly for the parking lot. For those interested, we're stopping for lunch at the Seven Sisters before returning home. Initial meet-up- Be at the Indian reservation travel center/gas station, auto service area by 8:30 AM. It's Exit 75 coming off of the 15. Here we will car pool with those who have a Nevada State Park Pass. OR meet at the VOF visitors center. Please be aware there is a fee to enter the park unless you have a STATE pass. If you choose to head directly to the visitors center, we will arrive there around 9AM. Coordinators- Ron and Sandi Hindmarch
Sunday, January 23rd, Bird Spring Stair Climb- Moderately strenuous, 5 miles, 1000 FT gain- The hike begins at Late Night Parking Trailhead, crossing under Hwy 160, then after about a half mile it turns left where we will leave the trail. Most of the hike will be off trail and climbing a steep ridge to the east. Once on top, we will explore and eventually drop down into a canyon which will take us back to the trail and the Late Night TH parking area. There will be some very steep climbing through loose gravel. Meet the coordinator behind the Chevron gas station in the dirt parking lot at the intersection of 159/160 at 8 AM. RSVP- Coordinator- David Hardy
Tuesday, January 25th, Lone Palm Loop/Arizona- Moderately strenuous, 6 miles, 1400 FT gain, Class II - III efforts in spots, 8 AM- It's the traditional route that starts down the remnants of an old paved road used for dam construction, then it's in-and-out of a series of easy washes/ridges, plus an uphill climb at one point, that leads down to the unique site on the Colorado River not far from the Hoover Dam. Here we'll break enjoying the views and warm spring waters. After our break, we'll head up to the right to take on some scrambling through more washes, then turn back toward the TH, which is the Kingman Wash Trailhead. Directions from southbound 93- Take the first exit which is labeled Kingman Wash (Exit 2, Arizona) and turn right at the bottom of the exit ramp. You'll see the lot on your left. Be there by 8 AM- Goggle your driving time. Coordinator- David Gray
Thursday, January 27th, Pinto Valley Exploratory/Lake Mead- Moderately strenuous, 8+ miles, 1,000 FT gain- Mile Marker 18 on the Northshore Road is where this hike begins as we drop into the wash leading to Lake Mead and Hamblin Mountain. This will be an exploratory to make a new loop. We will be walking through some very colorful sections as well as some narrow places, expect to find fossils. Bring a lunch as well as water given the terrain and distance. Meet the coordinator at Mile Marker 4/Northshore Road at 8 A.M. RSVP- Coordinator- David Hardy
Saturday, January 29th, Finding the Angel/Red Rock Canyon- Easy, 3 miles, 450 FT elevation gain- Our meetup, starting point will be the Calico I TH parking lot. We'll head down the trail and turn to start toward the angel. We can look for climbers on the way. The rocks will turn red and that's when we will look for interesting rock formations, including sitting on the "throne," a pizza oven, and a tank with water in it. Our next stop will be the angel, which has been chiseled into the rock. Some touch the angel for good luck or remember loved ones we have lost. We will head back on the upper trail and pass a rock formation that looks like a peace sign. We step off at 8 AM. Please be aware that you must be through the visitor fee booths before 7:45 AM, or you'll be required to get a reservation. There's a cost for that. Coordinators- Ron and Sandi Hindmarch
Sunday, January 30th, Exploring The Far End Of Cottonwood Valley- It will be anywhere from 5 - 8 miles with 1000 FT+ of elevation gain. There are various ridges/canyons to explore and the best way to plan this is to decide what we want to do when we get there. We will need HCVs or 4x4s as the Cottonwood Road is bad in places. About 2 miles in is a possible hike. If we decide not to do that we will go another mile and select an area to explore. Any of these will be a new hike for the club. Bring a lunch. We will leave from the Chevron gas station at 159/160 at 7:30 AM. Parking there is getting more difficult. Do not park in the lot behind the station. It's private property. There is now a large area on the east side that is available. RSVP- Coordinator- David Hardy
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