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Slide Guide will appear here November/December of 2024.
This adventure takes you from the summit of Guardian Angel Pass to the Calico Tanks. It’s part of a larger loop that begins at the Calico Basin Trailhead at Red Spring Desert Oasis and makes a complete circuit of the Calico Hills.
Guardian Angel Pass is a channel that cuts through the mid-section of the Calico Hills between Calico Basin and Red Rock Canyon, Nevada. It’s a pathless, rugged stretch involving some light class 3 rock scrambling in numerous places. The summit of the pass offers spectacular views to the East of the Calico Basin, Las Vegas Valley and points beyond. Simultaneously, to the West there is Red Rock Canyon and the Rainbow Mountains. The pass is named for a pretty remarkable relief carving of an angel which appears on the pass (see the slide guide on this page).
Benefits of this adventure:
If you’ve enjoyed some of these adventures, you’ll love this adventure!
This adventure is just a bit (but not too far) beyond the adventures listed above in difficulty level. You might want to try the adventures above first.
Spring and Fall months are best. Winter can bring icy conditions; Summer can bring high heat.
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. Continue on Calico Basin Road about 1/2-mile to Red Springs Desert Oasis parking area.
From the Red Spring Desert Oasis parking area, begin on the Calico Basin Trail. The well-marked trailhead is located at the upper North corner of the parking area (right side if you’re facing the Calico Hills). The Calico Basin Trail is well marked and runs North along the base of the Calico Hills. Note far ahead where there is a branch of the hills jutting out to the East. The point where this branch meets the North/South line of the hills is the location of Guardian Angel Pass. For now, continue North toward that point along the base of the Calico Hills.
Almost directly above the Calico Basin Trailhead, note a diagonal impression in the Calico Hills making a rough line from the base of the hills upward to the right toward the summit of the hills. This is The Grand Staircase, another great adventure. As you continue along the Calico Basin Trail notice a large distinctive, chalk-marked boulder to your left. This is Cannibal Crag, a popular place for rock climbers to practice their bouldering skills. Thus, the white chalk marks. Still further along the trail veers to the right and takes a slight dip through a small wetlands area. This is Calico Spring. The Calico Basin has scattered similar wetlands areas, a refreshing contrast from the surrounding arid desert. Some of these areas are Red Spring Desert Oasis, Calico Spring and Ash Creek Spring. They’re great places to visit and explore.
From the area around Ash Spring you can see ahead to the Northeast that point where a branch of the Calico Hills juts out to the right. In the fold of that point note a gully ascending upward through the Calico Hills. That gully is Guardian Angel Pass and you’re seeing a great view of the Eastern side of this pass which you will soon be ascending. It’s the only visible channel through the Calico Hills from the point on which you are now standing near Calico Spring.
As you reach the base of Guardian Angel Pass the Calico Basin Trail ends and the well-marked Girl Scout Trail continues to the right (East). This is where you take a left to begin ascending Guardian Angel Pass. As you ascend the pass, you’ll see a number of potential faint pathways others have created. The key to the easiest route to the summit of the pass is to choose those paths that navigate above and to the left of the center of the main gully. There is a sweet spot: Not too high toward the base of the cliffs to your left and not too low toward the gully below. You may need to experiment a bit, but you’ll find the best route. Look behind you often to note what the return route will look like in the event you need to return to the bottom of the pass.
After some light rock scrambling, you’ll find yourself at the spectacular summit of Guardian Angel Pass! The summit is marked by a huge boulder with a small passage beneath. You don’t need to go through that passage. Just walk around the boulder and position yourself to see the incredible views of the Calico Basin below to the East and Red Rock Canyon and the Rainbow Mountains to the West. Also look above to your right (North) to see a crack ascending into the cliffs. This crack will be the next stretch of your adventure toward the Calico Tanks!
Now head up that crack to your right. From the bottom it looks as though you’ll soon be ascending vertical cliffs. But as you ascend to the point the crack looked as if it would end, there’s a bend that reveals the route continuing ahead at the same incline. The incline itself throughout the crack is a level of difficulty beyond — but not too far beyond — the difficulty level of difficulty you just experienced below in Guardian Angel Pass. There are a few boulders you will need to climb to reach next levels in the crack. Some are 10-15ft steep inclines, but there are abundant hand and foot holds. Just take your time to carefully place hands and feet — three points of contact at all times. And, as you ascend these steep boulders, you are never exposed to more than a 10-15ft fall. There are no huge exposures. There are one or two brief tunnels/chutes with ample room to pass through in a standing position.
Look back now and then when you’re in a secure spot to see ever-expanding views of the Calico Hills on the opposite side of Guardian Angel Pass and eventually the summit point of the Grand Staircase! You’ll know when you have reached the crack’s summit. The incline dramatically decreases, level slabs in many places. And the expansive views are spectacular, similar to those expansive views at the viewpoint above the Calico Tanks. The difference is that now you feel as if you are living and moving within that expansive view!
Continue beyond the crack summit hugging the base of the cliffs to your left. In fact, it’s pretty obvious you need to do that since there’s a huge drop-off to your right! However, the pathway all the way to the Calico Tanks summit will always be wide enough that you never feel you are hanging over the edge of an exposure. There are a few huge sandstone slab ledges that each offer their own unique viewpoint. And, the sculpted sandstone terrain artistically dotted with pines, cacti and other vegetation may rival the most beautiful sandstone terrain you’ve previously seen. One memory of this stretch is how vast the is the terrain between the upper Calico Tanks viewpoint and the summit of the crack. It’s like its own isolated wilderness world. Photo opportunities along this stretch will feel like visual overload!
Note a couple descending canyons along the way to your right. The first is a great alternate pathway back down to Guardian Angel Pass. The second is blocked by a 20ft vertical dry fall. The third, over a large intervening ridge, is Ash Canyon.
As you continue along, a faint trail will appear. I believe this may have been created by the passage of wanders from the Calico Tanks viewpoint above exploring the terrain below the view. Eventually, the route will lead to a large bowl. As you look up ahead, the incline increases to ascend to the white sandstone high points on the horizon. This is the familiar Calico Tanks viewpoint. As you ascend, easily weaving around boulders and large rocks, look back to recognize the view you’ve previously seen from the Calico Tanks upper viewpoint. You can see your route along the cliffs all the way back to the point where you reached the summit of the crack above Guardian Angel Pass. Now you have a new understanding of the terrain that creates the view you see from above the Calico Tanks!
We don’t need to describe the return in detail as it follows well-established familiar trails. There are links below to the detailed descriptions and videos of each trail you will take on the return. Just note that on the return journey, you will be experiencing the entire West side of the Calico Hills. Refer to the map on this page (enlarge it for interactive detail).
Congratulations! You’ve just completed an extraordinary day of total wilderness immersion, traversing a huge variety of Southwestern desert terrains from flat desert lowland stretches to class 3 sandstone ascents to artistic sculpted upper sandstone terrain. You’ve created new life memories that will never fade!
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!
