March 2022 Hike List

 Tuesday, March 1st, Petroglyph Canyon Rim Route/Fortress Butte Area Loop/Exploratory- Moderately strenuous, 5-6 miles- It's a different take on this traditional route as we will really begin this hike from the east entrance of Petroglyph Canyon. There we'll pick a rim, then head up and over with views of this canyon and the surrounding area that we have never seen before. Once down on the west side, we'll visit the display of petroglyphs. And then it's through the Narrows. Per our efforts on our last exploratory excursion, once we're clear of that interesting terrain feature, we'll turn up a shallow wash to gain the canyon's top ridgeline again, then drop back down to the east entrance, do some exploring here. Expect loose rock, steep areas, but no real brush to contend with. Gloves- Meet-up- Railroad Pass Hotel, Casino, and Travel Center off of I-11. We'll leave, caravan from there by 8 AM- Coordinators- David Gray/John Hammel-

Tuesday, March 1st, Windy Peak East Route- Very strenuous, 4.5 miles, 2600 FT gain, 5 hours, Class 3- Meet-up- Be ready to go by 8am at the Late Night Trailhead Parking Lot; 4x4 HCVs will be needed. This hike will take us to the summit of Windy Peak using the eastern climber's trail. We will scramble up some loose rock and then onto solid sandstone past some rock climbing routes and onto the summit. This route is very steep and physically challenging. There is plenty of parking near the trailhead but we will still need 4x4 HC vehicles to get there. We are asking for RSVPs to ensure we have enough suitable vehicles. Coordinators- Jerry and Cheryl Thomas

Thursday, March 3rd, Guardian Angel Trail/Calico Basin- Moderately strenuous with a distance of some 5 miles, 1000 FT elevation gain- Starting from Red Springs TH we will take the Guardian Angel Trail up a steep route to a pass, then down the other side with lots of scrambling. Be sure to look for the Guardian Angel. When we reach the trails below Calico #2, we swing around below Calico #1, and back to Red Springs. Meet at the Red Springs Picnic Area/TH parking lot by 8 AM. RSVP is required/Limit of 12- Coordinator- David Hardy

Friday, March 4th, Red Springs/Calico Hills Loop/Ash Canyon- Moderately strenuous with a distance of 8 miles, elevation gain of 900 FT, some Class II-III scrambling, mostly on the descent portion of this traditional route. From the southern end of Calico Hills we'll make our way up to the Sandstone Quarry, pick up the Rattlesnake Trail, then over to Ash Canyon Overlook. We'll break here, decide how we'll descend into Ash Canyon to catch the Calico Hills Base Trail back to our cars. Meet at the Red Springs Picnic Area/TH/Calico Basin by 8 AM. Coordinator- David Gray

Sunday, March 6th, 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 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/Limit of 15- Coordinator- David Hardy

Monday, March 7th, Keystone Thrust via Sandstone Quarry/Red Rock Canyon- Moderately strenuous, 7 miles, 1700 FT gain, Class II, 8 AM- We will take the Grand Circle Trail from the Sandstone Quarry parking lot over to White Rock where we will pick up the Keystone Thrust Trail.  After scrambling down the very colorful canyon below the Keystone Thrust, we head back to the Grand Circle and Sandstone Quarry. Pass through the Red Rock Canyon fee booth on Highway 159 by 7:45 to be at the Sandstone Quarry parking lot for our 8 AM step off. You will not need a reservation. Coordinator- Elizabeth Letzler-   

Tuesday, March 8th, Foundation Hill/South Canyon/Scrambling/Exploratory- Mostly moderately strenuous, but strenuous in a few places. Class II - III scrambling required. We'll be working the South Canyon up to the Foundation Peak or better yet, we'll turn to the left and head over to Red Peak above Angel Pass. We'll break up at the peak! Then we'll drop down- If we go to Red Peak, we'll attempt to scramble drop down via the up route to Angel Pass Saddle. If we end up on top of Foundation Hill, then we'll drop down as we did before on the north side by the entrance to Ash Canyon. Meet-up- Kraft Mountain TH parking lot off of Sandstone Road, Calico Basin. Gloves, please- Step off at 8 AM- Coordinators- David Gray and John Hammel- 

Thursday, March 10th, Canyon #4A Loop- This is rated moderately strenuous, distance of some 5 miles with a 1000 FT elevation gain, Class II - III scrambling required. We begin from Blue Diamond, which is about a half mile from the mouth of #4A. There's considerable scrambling all the way. Once we exit this deep canyon we will continue down the ridgeline trail separating #4A and Canyon #3 back to the cars. Meet at the county park on the left side of the entrance road into Blue Diamond where you will meet the coordinator for an 8:00 AM start of the hike. RSVP/Limit of 15- Coordinator- David Hardy   hardyhikers@embarqmail.com  

Sunday, March 13th, Calico Loop/Calico Basin- Moderately strenuous, about 7 miles, 1000 FT of elevation gain with Class II - III scrambling required in places. This hike begins at the Red Springs TH parking lot, takes us over 5-Stop Hill, then up Gateway for about 10 minutes, over to the Sandstone Quarry for our break. While there we will check out the slot canyon. From there we follow the Grand Circle Tail past Calico #2 and #1 back to Red Springs. RSVP/Limit of 12- Meet the Coordinator at Red Springs by 8 AM. Coordinator- David Hardy. 

Monday, March 14th, Pine Creek Loop via Arnight Trail- Moderate, 6 miles, 600 FT gain, 8 AM- Our hike will begin at the parking lot at the exit to the Red Rock Canyon Scenic Loop Drive. We will pick up the Arnight Trail at the Oak Creek Canyon North TH, then take the Knoll Trail to Pine Creek. After a break at the Wilson homestead ruins we will take the loop trail into Pine Creek Canyon, then back to the cars the way we came. Coming from the north on Highway 159 the parking lot is on the right about a mile or so past the Red Rock Canyon Visitors Center which is also on the right.  Coming from the south on Highway 159, it is on the left about a mile past the Middle Oak Creek TH which is also on the left. Step off at 8 AM. Coordinator- Elizabeth Letzler

Tuesday, March 15th, Gray Fox Canyon/7 Pools/Rooster Rock/Gray Cap/Exploratory- Strenuous to moderately strenuous scrambling route that's anywhere from 4.5 to 5.5 miles with an elevation gain of 1500 FT. . . . if we make it to Gray Cap. Class II & III effort required through several colorful areas of sandstone. If you enjoy going to Brownstone Canyon, you'll like this. Another effort will follow this as there are two ways to the top. Gloves, please. Meet-up- Kraft Mountain Trailhead parking lot at the end of Sandstone Drive in Calico Basin. We'll step off at 8 AM sharp. Coordinators- David Gray and John Hammel

Tuesday, March 15th, Bridge Mountain from Lovell Canyon- Very strenuous,10 miles, 3500 FT gain, 8 hours of hiking, Class 3, meet 7:30am at the Late Night Trailhead Parking Lot, 4x4 HCV needed. We will hike to the summit of Bridge Mountain accessing the trail from Lovell Canyon. There is a nice parking area for up to 3 vehicles. The hike is somewhat longer than other approaches but a lot of the walking is up Rocky Gap Road and it is shorter and less elevation gain than hiking from Willow Springs. We are limiting the number of hikers to 12 and requesting RSVPs to ensure we have enough vehicles. Coordinators- Jerry and Cheryl Thomas

Friday to Sunday, March 18th thru the 20th, Gold Butte Camping-  The drive to Whitney Pockets Campground is about an hour after leaving I-15 entering Mesquite. Mostly paved road of 21 miles but slow driving. Restrooms are provided. There is no water so bring what you need for the 3 days. The campground is surrounded by colorful sandstone formations. Numerous hikes available. Picto/petroglyphs. Rock formations, narrow canyons, and valleys. RSVP required/Limit of 15- Coordinator- David Hardy- Email- hardyhikers@embarqmail.com

Friday, March 18th, Rattlesnake Canyon/Red Rock Canyon/NEW- Moderately strenuous, six plus miles, Class II - III required with an elevation gain that will approach, possibly exceed 1000 FT. This will be different this time as we'll head past the turnoff (LEFT) to the waterfalls/terrace area. That's right- I've been looking at the main trail that continues on toward the cliff faces, ridges up ahead that form the east canyon wall along Rocky Gap Road. The route splits further up with a branch going left, the other continuing on. Gloves, please. Meet-up- Be at the Willow Springs Trailhead by 7:45 AM as we'll step off at 8 AM. Make sure to come through the fee booths by 7 AM so that you're not required to set, pay for a reservation. Google your driving time to Red Rock Canyon, add at least 40 minutes plus to get around the Scenic Loop Drive. Coordinator- David Gray

Monday, March 21st, Grand Circle Loop CCW-Strenuous, 11.4 miles, 1600 FT gain, 8 AM- We begin at the Red Rock Canyon Visitors Center, hike over to the Calico Basin to Sandstone Quarry, then to White Rock and back to the Visitors Center. Make sure you pass through the fee booth before 8 AM to avoid needing a reservation. Red Rock Canyon is off of Highway 159 several miles west of the 215: on the right coming from the north, on the left coming from the south. Step off at 8 AM. Coordinator-Elizabeth Letzler

Thursday, March 24th, Cottonwood Pass Loop- Moderate, 6 miles with an elevation gain of 1000 FT, but no scrambling is required. The trek will start from the gravel parking trailhead area south of Highway 160 that is also used for the Badger Pass trek. It will follow the main road until we find a trail off to the right. We will take that to the Broken Escalator Trail to reach our high point of the day and where we will take our break. Then the loop goes past Cottonwood Pass on the Goodsprings Road before heading back to the vehicles through Red Valley. Look for wild horses. We will initially meet at the Chevron gas station on Highways 159/160 at 7:30 AM. Remember, we are required to parked our vehicles in the facility's east lot. The back lot is private property. We will step off at about 7:45 AM from the trailhead lot noted above. RSVP/Limit of 15- Coordinator- David Hardy   Email address- hardyhikers@embarqmail.com   

Sunday, March 27th, Back Hills Lawn Mower Route- Moderate, 6 miles, 600 FT total elevation gain, 8 AM- The hike begins at the gravel parking area on the right side of Hwy 160 about 2 miles beyond the Chevron gas station on 159/160. The route will follow the Landmine Trail and then the Rubber Ducky Trail. We will check the ducky tree for rubber ducks. A little beyond that, we connect with the Old Spanish Trail for a short distance and then connect with the Lawn Mower Trail. We will follow this, drop into a canyon, until we connect with the trail leading back to the parking lot. This is to be a moderate paced hike. We leave from the Chevron gas station by 8 AM. RSVP required/Limit of 15- Coordinator- David Hardy 

Starting Monday, March 28th- I am planning a 5 day trip to the Badlands of NW New Mexico- Monday, March 28th - Friday, April 1st. I have reserved a room at the Comfort Suites in Farmington. Several other hotels are nearby, offering various prices. We'll drive over on Monday, March 28th, hike for three days, then drive home on Friday, April 1st- Available hikes: Bisti Badlands, King of Wings and Alien Throne, and an exploratory trek in the Fossil Forest-  On Tuesday, we will do Bisti Badlands. This is a 6-7 mile hike that is mostly flat with no significant scrambling. It is half in a flat bottom clay wash and half in clay hills. Pace will be a strolling photography pace. We will see the cracked eggs, petrified wood, Bisti Wings, and other things. Link to Bisti Badlands blog-  https://rdavidmorrow.blogspot.com/2021/11/bisti-badlands-new-mexico-november-2021.html 

 On Wednesday, we will hike to the King of Wings, and Alien throne all in the same hike. It will also be about 7 miles open country hiking with some clay hills. No significant elevation or scrambling. Link to King of Wings- 

https://rdavidmorrow.blogspot.com/2021/11/king%20of-wings-and-alien-throne.html

On Thursday we will explore the Fossil Forest. I haven't been there, but the country should be the same type. These areas and points of interest are googleable. RSVP required/Limit of 20 hikers- Coordinator- David Morrow

Thursday, March 31st, Blue Diamond Hill- Moderate, 6 miles, 800 FT gain, 8 AM- We will begin at the horse corrals at 8 A.M. and follow a network of trails. First will be the Fossil Canyon Trail followed by the Dog Food Loop then back down to the cars by way of the Cat in the Hat Trail and finally the Bunny Trail. Meet the coordinator at 8 AM at the Horse Stables/Corrals TH/159. RSVP required/Limit of 15- Coordinator- David Hardy