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Whether you’re a hiker, runner or mountain biker…even a body builder…the trail network in the Calico Basin is an incredible place for daily workouts. In addition to introducing you to the Calico Basin trail network, this page is also a great introduction to the Calico Hills.
Note: To learn more about the Calico Basin and future BLM plans for these trails see the 2022 BLM Calico Basin Recreation Area Management Plan and Final Environmental Assessment
There is both an outer loop and a number of inner trails.
Outer Loop Trails:
The outer loop trails begin at Gene’s trailhead and are traversed in the following order in the video on this page:
Sounds like a lot of trails, but the entire loop can be traversed in a few hours. Shorter stretches and the inner trails create shorter workouts down to 30 minutes or less in length.
Trails within the Loop:
Trail Navigation Considerations:
If you like the Calico Basin daily workout trails, you’ll love the Blue Diamond Hill daily workout trails!
From Hwy 215 in the Summerlin area, take the Charleston Blvd exit, turn upward (West) on Charleston Blvd toward the mountains. Charleston Blvd becomes Blue Diamond Rd. (159) as you leave the city. Take the Calico Basin exit off 159 (right turn) onto Calico Basin Road. Park at Gene’s Trailhead near the beginning of Calico Basin Road.
The route described below will take you on a loop around the outer perimeter of the Calico Basin. Along the way I point out some connecting trails to additional adventures outside the loop and connecting trails that cut through the interior of the loop. All these additional “off-loop” trails can be future adventures for you in and around the Calico Basin.
Beginning at Gene’s trailhead, cross to the West side of Calico Basin Road. Notice a long low ridge ahead and slightly to your left running to the West. The Freeway trail runs along the top of this ridge toward Red Rock Canyon. Aim for where this ridgeline meets Calico Basin Road. Once on the ridge, head West on the Freeway trail toward Red Rock Canyon. The Rainbow Mountains are ahead (West), Blue Diamond Hill is to your left (South). Note that Blue Diamond Hill has its own awesome network of daily workout trails!
Continue on the Freeway Trail past the Southern end of the Calico Hills until you see a signpost for the Grand Circle Loop. Turn right here onto a trail that heads down into the wash at the Southern base of the Calico Hills. Once in the wash, turn right to skirt the Southern base of the Calico Hills. You’re now on the Donkey Way Trail, though there is no sign marking that trail. This stretch is spectacular between the huge sculpted sandstone boulders lining the base of the Calico Hills and the majestic cliffs above.
If you continued on the Donkey Way Trail, you’d end up back at Gene’s Trailhead. Instead, as you reach Southeastern corner of the Calico Hills, turn left to ascend the Red Spring Ridge Trail. Notice a huge balancing rock formation on the Southeastern corner of the Calico Hills and a branching off trail marked Calico Hills Overlook. You could take the short out-and-back detour to the overlook before continuing up the Red Spring Ridge Trail.
At the summit of the Red Spring Ridge Trail you’ll see the Red Spring Oasis Boardwalk below to your left along with an unmarked trail branching off in that direction. Take that trail down to the boardwalk where you’ll find an open gated entrance into the boardwalk. The video takes the boardwalk in a clockwise direction. Once on the boardwalk, take time to view the many informative interpretive displays and learn important facts about the Calico Basin area. The Red Spring Oasis Boardwalk is a little over a half-mile and makes a great walking loop.
Exit the boardwalk and stay to the left along the edge of the parking area below to find the Calico Basin Trailhead.
Turn left onto the Calico Basin Trail, which will skirt the Eastern base of the Calico Hills. Another future adventure is a left turn a couple hundred feet ahead to the Calico Basin Grand Staircase. But today, continue on the Calico Basin Trail. In about a quarter-mile you’ll round the popular Cannibal Crag climbing boulder. Notice the white chalk marks on the boulder, indicating its use as a climbing destination. You’ll see many climbing boulders with white chalk marks along the South side of Kraft Mountain, possibly a few actively being climbed. The sport is called “bouldering”, and is training for more intense climbing on the sandstone cliffs in the area.
Not long after Cannibal Craig, you’ll pass through Calico Spring, the second spring on this route. Note the effect of water in bringing this area of the desert to life. The Calico Basin Trail ends soon after at the Girl Scout Trailhead. At that trailhead, take a moment to look upward into the Calico Hills to view the Black Corridor. This is a spectacular passage through the Calico Hills between the Calico Basin and Red Rock Canyon…another future adventure. View the Lower Calico Hills Loop and the Upper Calico Hills Loop pages on this site.
Turn onto the well marked Girl Scout Trail. Now you’re heading toward Kraft Mountain. As you ascend to round the first large turn note a small picnic area with nice tables, grills and a spectacular view of the entire Calico Basin and points beyond. Now, coming into view ahead, is the huge pink-looking Kraft Mountain. The mountain just to the left is New Peak. Pink Goblin Loop circles the base of New Peak ascending through Pink Goblin Pass (to the right of New Peak) circling the Northern side of the peak and descending Ash Canyon (to the left of New Peak) back into Calico Basin. That’s another great future Calico Basin adventure.
But for today, continue on the Girl Scout Trail to eventually descend into Ash Spring, the largest spring in the Calico Basin. Ash Spring is beautifully populated with huge evergreen desert holly trees, Gamble’s Oak and Ash trees–the latter two are dormant late Fall through Winter, but come to life in the spring. Ash Spring is carpeted with a field of grass swaying in the wind.
Once you descend into Ash Spring, take a right onto the Ash Spring trail. The Ash Spring Trail will take you to the connection with the Kraft Mountain Loop Trail.
Turn left off the Ash Spring Trail and onto the Kraft Mountain Loop, heading at first upward toward Pink Goblin Pass. As you reach the base of Kraft Mountain, take a right onto a small unmarked trail that skirts the Southern base of Kraft Mountain, eventually connecting again with the Kraft Mountain Loop.
The Kraft Mountain Loop is a popular daily workout trail making a complete 3.6-mile circuit of Kraft Mountain. It ascends Pink Goblin Pass on the West side of Kraft Mountain and descends the East side of Kraft Mountain through Gateway Canyon. That’s another great future adventure.
Today, continue along the Southern base of Kraft Mountain. Notice a number of large, chalk-marked popular climbing boulders along the way, some actively being climbed.
At the Eastern edge of Kraft Mountain leave the Kraft Mountain Loop to continue East, straight across Gateway Canyon on the well-marked Gene’s Trail. Soon you’ll turn left off of Gene’s Trail and onto the unmarked Gateway Washington Trail. The key is to continue skirting the base of the mountains to your left and heading toward a low ridgeline saddle on the near horizon. The Gateway Washing Trail will become wider and more distinct at it approaches that ridgeline saddle.
To the left of the Gateway Washington Trail is the huge Gray Cap Ridge and peak, larger than Kraft Mountain, but not as well known. That’s another future adventure. You would have accessed Gray Cap Ridge and its peak had you remained on the Kraft Mountain Loop as it ascended Gateway Canyon. The best known access to Gray Cap Peak is from the summit of Gateway Canyon.
To the right of the Gateway Washington Trail is Peak 3844 and it’s smaller ridge. If you had stayed on Gene’s Trail you would have cut across the Peak 3844 ridgeline to return to Gene’s Trailhead where you began. Peak 3844 also has its own trail to the peak. These are additional future adventures, and both these trails would make great variations to your daily workout trails.
But for today, continue on the Gateway Washington Trail heading toward the East edge of the Peak 3844 ridge. Before you reach the East edge of Peak 3844 Ridge, you’ll turn left off the Gateway Washington Trail and briefly onto a Powerline Maintenance Road trail that will take you to the East edge of Peak 3844 Ridge. There you will connect with the last trail on today’s circuit, the Half Wilson Trail. Note that the Gateway Washington Trail, Powerline Maintenance Road and Half Wilson Trail are all unmarked!
At the East edge of Peak 3844 Ridge, turn right onto the unmarked Half Wilson Trail as it circles the East edge of the ridgeline.
Future adventure: If you had continued East on Powerline Maintenance Road instead of turning right on the Half Wilson Trail, you would have soon reached Brownstone Road in the Brownstone Basin. Here’s the most challenging daily workout trail for a future adventure, Brownstone Road and the Brownstone Trail ascends the entire length of Brownstone Basin to its summit and part way up the La Madre Ridgeline above. The Brownstone Trail gets steeper and steeper as it approaches the La Madre Ridgeline. It’s a great strength-building trail.
But today, continue to round Peak 3844 Ridge on the Half Wilson Trail. You’ll see Blue Diamond Hill and the Rainbow Mountains ahead as your guide. The Half Wilson Trail skirts the Southern base of Peak 3844 Ridge. After crossing a couple intervening ridgelines, it will eventually descend to your starting point at Gene’s Trailhead!
During another adventure, while returning from the Brownstone Basin Trail, I decided to visit Peak 3844. Peak 3844, also known as Horse Peak, is a small summit in the lower Calico Basin. So, I approached Peak 3844 from the East instead of using it’s most common route from Gene’s Trailhead (see below). Regardless, the video on this page documents the entire Peak 3844 Loop with a portion of Powerline Maintenance Road on the East end and Gene’s Trail on the West end. Just reverse the sequence of trails if you’re approaching Peak 3844 Loop from Gene’s Trailhead.
Peak 3844, though a rather small summit, has a spectacular view of the entire Calico Basin area, the surrounding high points in the basin and distant high points which include the La Madre Mountains ridgeline, Rainbow Mountains and the Las Vegas Strip. With its 258ft elevation gain the Peak 3844 Loop makes a great quick strength-building workout.
The most common approach to the Peak 3844 Loop is to take the left branching trail at Gene’s Trailhead, then take a right within about a quarter mile onto the Peak 3844 Loop. The loop is unmarked, but it’s the first right off of Gene’s Trail and you can see Peak 3844 ahead. Just head toward the peak. The loop will take you up the West side of Peak 3844. Leave the loop to take the brief summit approach switchbacks. From the summit, descend the switchbacks to continue the loop. You’ll pass through a beautiful cactus garden, then descend past the power lines to the North base of Peak 3844’s ridge. Take a left (West) onto the Powerline Maintenance Road which will take you back to Gene’s Trail. A left onto Gene’s Trail will take you back to Gene’s Trailhead in less than a mile.
Congratulations! You’ve completed the outer loop of the Calico Basin trails. Along the way you’ve discovered a number of additional adventures in the Calico Basin. Great introduction to this amazing area with a potential to entirely revolutionize your daily workout routine…if you let it!
A description of the Calico Basin Daily Workout Trails would be incomplete without including the 26-mile out and back Brownstone Trail with its 3000ft elevation gain! This could possibly be the best marathon training trail anywhere. The trails are good enough to run along the entire route from Gene’s Trailhead in the Calico Basin to the trail’s summit a good way up the base of the La Madre Mountains ridgeline. Learn more about the Brownstone Trail.
David Smith has devoted the better part of one day each week over the past 20 years to experiencing a mountain trail running adventure. He began in the Pacific Northwest with the Columbia Gorge and Cascade Mountains; then moved to Southern California and experienced the Angeles Crest mountains; then the Northeast where he experienced the Hudson River Valley and Minnewaska; finally in 2016 to Las Vegas where he is experiencing and documenting Red Rock Canyon, the Spring Mountains (Mt. Charleston area), Death Valley and beyond!
Return often to experience one new adventure each week! From the home page scroll to “Most Recent Adventures“. More about David Smith…
The trail adventures on this website require proper conditioning, preparation and safety precautions. There are many factors beyond our control including weather conditions, unstable ground, loose rocks, insects and snakes, people you may encounter, your own level of physical conditioning, the potential of getting lost just to mention a few. While this site offers guidance, helpful tips, direction and training, the reader assumes full responsibility for whatever may occur during their trail adventure. Have fun and be safe!
