February 2022 Hike List

 Tuesday, February 1st, Black Velvet Peak via Climber's Descent Route- Very strenuous, Class 3, 3.6 miles, 2400 FT, 4 hours, meet 8am at the Late Night Trailhead Parking Lot off of 160. This hike follows a climber's descent trail on the east face of Black Velvet Peak.  The trail is very steep with lots of difficult class 2 and some class 3 scrambling. We will need HC/4WD vehicles to get to the trailhead. We have asked you to RSVP so we can ensure that we have enough vehicles to get to the trailhead. We will meet at 8am at the Late Night Trailhead Parking Lot. From there we will take HC/4WD on the dirt road to the trailhead. Please RSVP if you're providing a HC/4X4 vehicle! No limit on the number of hikers. Coordinators- Jerry and Cheryl Thomas

Thursday, February 3rd, Late Night Parking to Blue Diamond/Shuttle- Moderately strenuous, 8-9 miles, 1200 FT. elevation gain, 7:30 AM. We will hike the Late Night Trail from the parking lot and eventually leave it to take a fainter trail up to the base of the canyons of the Red Rock Bluffs. We will pass by petroglyphs and two springs, and the mouth of Black Velvet Canyon, then on toward Tertiary Ridge which we will follow a trail to the top and follow it back to where we drop into Blue Diamond. Bring a lunch. A car shuttle is required so we need to meet the coordinator at the county park on the left side of the entrance road into Blue Diamond at 7:30 AM. RSVP required/Limit of 15- Coordinator- David Hardy  hardyhikers@embarqmail.com

Saturday February 5th, Ash Meadows Loop- EASY, 3.5 miles, 100 feet elevation gain, 8 AM- This easy hike starts from the Calico Basin parking lot. Initially we hug the cliff walls and look for climbers. Then we'll go on the Girl Scout Trail for a while and pass the foundation of a house that was going to be built on this site a long time ago. After that, it is trekking over to the meadow's flowing spring, passing many ash trees on our left. Our break point will be near a large boulder in this area. Here we'll enjoy the morning. Going back will take us on another route that closes the loop as it passes by the trail up into Angel Pass. This will be done at our usually leisurely pace. Meet at the Red Rock Casino parking lot for an 8 AM departure. Coordinators- Ron and Sandi Hindmarch

Sunday, February 6th, Buffington Pockets/Exploratory- Estimated distance of 5-6 miles, elevation gain in question. From I-15 at Exit 75, turn onto the Valley of Fire Road and after about 3 miles, the road jogs to the left, but we keep going strait onto a gravel/dirt road for about 5 miles where we will park. The hike begins there and we can explore in a variety of directions. There is an old dam close by and we will likely head over there to start. It is possible to follow the creek bed above for as long as we want through colorful sandstone and will find arches and other formations along the way. Be sure to bring a lunch as the colors will make you think of food. Meet the coordinator at the Moapa Paiute Travel Plaza just off I-15 (Exit 75) at the start of the Valley of Fire Road at 8 AM. Allow 20-30 minutes if you're coming from the Aliante Casino (34 miles). Vehicle clearance- My RAV has 9 inches of clearance. David Gray's KIA has 10 1/2 inches of clearance. RSVP/Limit of 15- Coordinator- David Hardy

Monday, February 7th, Conglomerate Gardens Loop/Blue Diamond Hill- Moderately strenuous, 6.4 miles with 1000 FT of elevation gain- We will hike the traditional route up the Bunny Trail to Over the Moon Trail, then back down through the desert garden area on Kibbles & Bits. TH- Cowboy Stables Trailhead parking lot/159 across from Red Rock- Time 8 AM- Driving Directions- Coming from the north it is on the left side of Highway 159 about a mile past the entrance to Red Rock Canyon on the right. Coming up Highway 159 from the south it is about 3/4 of a mile past the Red Rock Overlook on the left. Coordinator- Liz Letzler

Tuesday, February 8th, Lava Butte/Lake Mead- Moderate to strenuous climbing.  Approximately 5.2 miles round trip. Cumulative elevation gain of approximately 1500 feet. The top of this mountain offers spectacular views of the Lake Mead area, and Lake Las Vegas. We’ll hike across the desert to the left side of the mountain and then begin our ascent. Northshore Road turnoff closest to Mile Marker (MM) 2- Meeting point is the CVS parking lot Lake Mead Blvd and Hollywood at 7:30 AM. We will then caravan/car pool to MM 2 off of Northshore Road. Coordinator- John Hammel

Thursday, February 10th, Bird Spring Ridges- This moderately strenuous hike of 6 miles with around 1,500 feet of elevation gain will start from the dirt parking area also used for the short version of Badger Pass. After crossing Badger Pass the route heads up a series of ridges to the high point of the small range, then connects with the Deadhorse Trail passing through Red Valley on the way back to the vehicles. Early assembly will be at Red Rock Casino with the group leaving at 7:30 A.M. Final assembly point will be the Chevron gas station at the junction of Highways 159 and 160, where they will meet the coordinator and any other south side participants for an 8 AM departure. RSVP/15 for a limit- Coordinator- David Hardy  Email- hardyhikers@embarqmail.com

Sunday, February 13th, Dragon Canyon/Kraft MT Loop/Calico Basin- Moderately strenuous, 5-6 miles,  1200 FT elevation gain, Class II-III required, 8 AM. It’s an interesting route up as we slay the dragon. Then it’s onto Gateway Wash for a bit of scrambling. We’ll take our break in the boulder section of Gateway. As we come around on the east end of Kraft Mountain, we’ll take time to watch the climbers practice their techniques and visit nearby petroglyphs. Meet at the Kraft Mountain Trailhead gravel parking lot at the end of Sandstone Road by 8 AM. Coordinator- David Gray

Monday, February 14th, Boneshaker Hill/Fossil Ridge Loop- Moderately strenuous, 6 miles, 200 FT gain- From the Cowboy Stables Trailhead parking lot we hike past the corral to Boneshaker Trail. We'll regroup and take a breather after the switchbacks, then onward to SARS and over to the Fossil Ridge Trail and back to the parking lot. We step off at 8 AM- Driving Directions- Coming from the north on Highway 159, it is located on the left about a mile past the entrance to Red Rock Canyon on the right. Coming from the south on Highway 159, this lot is on the right about 3/4 of a mile past the Red Rock Overlook on your left. Coordinator- Liz Letzler

Tuesday, February 15th, Mount Wilson via Lovell Canyon Road- Very Strenuous, Class 3, 8 miles, 2600 FT, 7 hours, meet at Late Night Trailhead Parking Lot on 160 by 7:30am. This route has lots of steep scrambling up a limestone gully and up sandstone to the peak.  There is one spot where we drop down from the limestone crest onto the saddle leading to the sandstone where it is very steep with loose rock and scree. Coming back up this spot is extremely steep and very strenuous.  At this point it would be advisable to use a pole or poles. The rest of the hike consists of Class 2 hiking up a wash on the west side in the limestone area and mainly Class 2 scrambling up the sandstone to the summit. There may be a couple of spots that are class 3. We will need high clearance 4WD vehicles to get to the trailhead. RSVP/limit of 12- We have to restrict the number of people to 12 due to a limitation of parking at the trailhead. Please RSVP/limit 12- Advise if you're providing a HC and/or 4WD. Meet 7:30am at the Late Night Trailhead Parking Lot on 160. Coordinators- Jerry and Cheryl Thomas

Thursday, February 17th, Blue Diamond Canyon #5A- This route begins from the parking area at Wheeler Springs Trailhead (159) just north of Blue Diamond. The canyon cuts deep into the Blue Diamond Hill with high walls and considerable scrambling. This is about 5 miles and 500 FT. gain.  A large fill supporting a road high above marks the end of the canyon. TH driving directions- If coming from Red Rock, this parking lot is on the right just after a large brown sign to not feed the burros. If from the opposite way, it is on the left just after where the mine road goes up Blue Diamond Hill. Step off time is at 8 AM. RSVP/15- Coordinator- David Hardy  

Email- hardyhikers@embarqmail.com

Friday, February 18th, Redstone Picnic Area/Keystone Wash Loop/New- Total distance of some 4.5 miles- Class II/III- Scrambling and vivid exploratory of redstone formations with an elevation gain of 1,073 feet. We start at the trails by the Redstone Picnic Area at Mile Marker (MM) 27 off of Northshore Road, and soon leave the trails to cross country up to a gap between two mountains.  We make a right and climb up a wash (Keystone) to a saddle and then back down to a lower saddle and come back around to the picnic area to form a loop. Class II-III scrambling at times with no exposure. Meet up point will be the CVS parking lot, Lake Mead Blvd and Hollywood at 7:30 AM- We’ll stop at Mile Marker (MM) 4 and then proceed to the Redstone Picnic Area/Trailhead. Step off time from there will be approximately 8:15 AM. Coordinator- John Hammel 

Saturday, February 19th, Sloan Canyon O&B- EASY, 4.4 miles, 436 FT elevation gain, 8:30 AM- PLEASE NOTE THIS HIKE MEETS AT THE M CASINO FOR AN 8:30 AM DEPARTURE- After meeting at the M Casino parking lot, we will get together some car pools and drive over to Sloan Canyon. We will hike into the canyon following an easy route (not the dry waterfall).This is an out-and-back hike. When we get into the Canyon we will see thousands of petroglyphs scattered along the ground and up on the canyon walls. There are many with interesting stories and facts that we will share. We will take a break in the canyon near the drop into the dry waterfall.  DIRECTIONS- VERY IMPORTANT! Head north on the 15 and get off at St Rose Parkway. Cross Las Vegas Boulevard and turn right into the side parking lot just before the huge M Casino sign. There are many parking lots, so if you can not find us, call our cell 585-747-8060. Coordinators- Ron and Sandi Hindmarch

Monday, February 21st, White Rock Loop- Moderately strenuous, 6.2 miles with an elevation gain of 1000 FT- We will hike counterclockwise, taking in the many views and (hopefully) enjoying some spring flowers. Trailhead- Willow Springs Picnic Area parking lot off of the Red Rock Canyon Scenic Loop Drive- Time- 8:30 AM- Driving Directions- Enter Red Rock Canyon through the Fee Booth from Highway 159. You must pass through the Fee Booth entrance area before 8 AM. Otherwise you will be required to have a reservation! Coordinator- Liz Letzler

Monday, February 21st- VOF CAMPING, February 21st to 23rd, Monday thru Wednesday- I have a reservation for a group site for the Valley of Fire, Site #1- We will leave Las Vegas Monday morning around 8 and arrive at the VOF and do our hiking before setting up our campsite as check-in is at 3 pm (be sure you have a lunch). We have Monday and Tuesday nights there. Wednesday morning we will pack up and do another hike before heading back home. There will be scrambling.  There is a reservation fee of $50 (which I have already paid) and then $50 camping fee per car for the 2 nights when we arrive. There is also an entry fee. Car pooling is encouraged to cut the cost of the camping fee, not to be confused with the reservation fee. If you are solo, your camp fee will be $50. At least one rider will cut that a lot. RSVP required- Coordinator- David Hardy  

Email- hardyhikers@embarqmail.com

Thursday, February 24th, Bird Spring Range- A moderately strenuous hike of about 6 miles with 1,500 feet of elevation gain will start from the dirt parking area about one-half mile south of Highway 160 also used for the shorter Badger Pass hike. Starting in a northerly direction, the route goes around the north end of a ridge and meets the Badger Pass Trail. Near this junction the group will begin a cross-country route east up a ridge that connects with the main north-south spine of the small range. The return will be down to Badger Pass on the way back to the vehicles. The early assembly point will be at Red Rock Casino for a 7:30 AM departure, heading for the Chevron gas station at the intersection of Highways 159 and 160 to meet the coordinator and other south side participants. The full group will leave there for the hike at 8 AM. RSVP/15- Coordinator- David Hardy. 

Saturday, February 26th, Ash Canyon- EASY, 3.5 miles, 500 FT elevation gain, 8AM- IMPORTANT: YOU MUST BE THROUGH THE RED ROCK TOLL BOOTH BEFORE 7:45 AM TO MEET THE GROUP AT THE SANDSTONE QUARRY PARKING LOT. This hike requires some light scrambling up rocks in a few places, nothing difficult. As we head up toward Ash Canyon the view becomes spectacular.  We will head across the desert to a large outcropping of rocks. After a short break there, we will head toward a viewpoint where we will be able to look down into Ash Meadow and the Calico Basin. From there we head back a slightly different way. There will be an option to see some very interesting petroglyphs. Here we can split into two groups. Those who want to go a more difficult way to see the petroglyphs and those who want to return via an easy way. Both groups will come together once more to finish returning to the cars. Coordinators- Ron and Sandi Hindmarch 

Sunday, February 27th, North Bowl of Fire to Anniversary Narrows- Strenuous, 15 miles with a net elevation loss- Our trailhead starting point will be Mile Marker (MM) 20/Northshore Road, which starts with a climb along a ridge which continues until we spot a "pimple." We then backtrack a very short distance to drop into a wash which runs into a larger wash to follow up to where there are camel fossil tracks. At that point, we turn left into a narrows that leads to the northside of the North Bowl of Fire. From there we round the end of Fire Canyon and focus on a low pass about 2 miles in the distance. That drops us into a wash that we takes us upstream for a ways until we arrive at a low pass which we hike over and drop into the very upper end of the Anniversary (Lovell) Wash. There will be some scrambling here and there until we reach Anniversary Narrows. This is a very impressive landmark of about a half-mile in length. There may be some pools of water if it has rained recently and we'll be required to scramble a bit. Coming out of the Narrows, we have another two miles to go to get back to the cars at Mile Marker 16.  We can cut off 2 miles if we can drive in far enough from Mile Marker (MM) 16, but don't count on it. Since this is a shuttle, cars at Mile Marker 20 will need to be retrieved. With this being a 13-15 mile hike we will meet at Mile Marker (MM) 4/Northshore Road at 7 AM. Driving times- Leaving from the parking lot just before the park entrance station on Lake Mead Pkwy out of Henderson, allow 10 minutes. For those leaving from the CVS parking lot on Lake Mead/Hollywood out of North Las Vegas, allow 20 minutes. I am anticipating that the Anniversary Narrows will be open to hikers. If anyone hears differently, please let me know as I'll have to cancel this excursion. RSVP required- Coordinator- David Hardy   Email- hardyhikers@embarqmail.com

Monday, February 28th, Fossil Ridge Trail to Skull Canyon Loop- Moderately strenuous, 8 miles, 1300 FT gain- From the Cowboy Stables Trailhead parking lot we hike up the Bunny Trail about a mile, then go left to the Fossil Ridge Trail.  Atop the ridge we follow the SARS Trail to Boneshaker. Then the Three Amigos Trail will take us to Skull Canyon. We step off at 8 AM. Driving Directions- Coming from the north on Highway 159, the lot is on the left about a mile past the entrance to Red Rock Canyon on your right. Coming up Highway 159 from the south, it is on the right about 3/4 of a mile past the Red Rock Overlook area on the left. Coordinator- Liz Letzler