Turtlehead Peak at Red Rock 9-04-14

Ever since I started hiking, I now find ways to fit hikes in on my vacations! When I visit Vegas, I try to get in a hike at the beautiful Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. It's a short 30 minute drive from the strip and definitely worth the drive! There is a one way 13 mile loop that winds through Red Rock Canyon and there are plenty of trails to check out.

Since the weather that day was expected to be 100° an early start was a must! The trail I chose was a short but intense trail called Turtlehead Peak. Round trip, it was about 5.5 miles but a strenuous one! As we pulled into Sandstone Quarry my friend, Cephus began to worry about making it to the top of the  6,323' peak. This hike is just under 2,000' net elevation gain in a short 2 miles...the only saving grace is that if you hike in the morning, the peak provides shade for the most difficult uphill section!

The trail head at Sandstone Quarry looks harmless enough. Plenty of parking, area map, and two chemical toilets are at the trail head. As we wandered onto the trail, there are information boards highlighting the history of the quarry. The beautiful red streak rocks here are so unique! The first mile is easy as you follow signs and a trail to a wash covered in loose rocks. Proper shoes and hiking poles are a must!







The start of mile 2 is the most challenging part of the hike. The obvious trail disappears as do the trail signs. No matter how you get up that mountain, stay to the left of the gully! I've done this hike before and got stuck in the gully and had to resort to rock climbing to get out. As we huffed and puffed up the rocky terrain, we were so thankful that we brought our poles and had the shade of the peak to make the process less painful. It really was a workout. After some serious rock scrambling, we finally make it to the saddle and the peak was just in the distance.

After that last mile, getting to the peak was easy! There were some well worn trails combined with some more rock scrambling for the last half mile to the peak. When we reached summit, the beautiful 360 views were amazing. On a clear day, you can see all the way to the strip and Lake Mead. The peak was a little windy which made the hot sun more tolerable. Signed the book at the top, took some silly pictures, and it was time to head back down.

This is one of those hikes where going up was much easier than going down. All the big rocks that were causing me to huff and puff while I was climbing up was now making my knees creak going down! Again, it there was another moment of thankfulness for the hiking poles!

Since we stayed at the peak for about an hour, the sun was blazing down on us for the entire route back to the car. It was hot! A couple words of caution if you want to do this hike:
1. start early during hot days. 6 AM start a must!!
2. bring hiking poles
3. Minimum of 3 liters of water
4. sturdy shoes!!

But if you only have time to do 1 hike while visiting Vegas, this is the one I recommend for intermediate level hikers and above.