Las Vegas Area Trails | Find Hiking and Running Trails within 150 Miles of Las Vegas, Nevada | David Smith

01 Gass Peak Overview | Desert National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada

Gass Peak Overview | Desert National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada

To stand on Gass Peak, towering 6,000ft above the Las Vegas Strip, is to see a view of Las Vegas not even surpassed by the view you’d experience in an airplane! Here you will see numerous attempts to summit Gass Peak from the North end of Rainbow Avenue in Las Vegas. The attempts eventually succeed, followed by a total circuit of the massive Gass Peak and a grand crossing beginning at the Desert National Wildlife Refuge visitor center off Hwy 95 and Corn Creek Road and ending on the North end of Rainbow Avenue in Las Vegas. Best time of year for adventures here: Mid-Fall to Mid-Spring. When temperatures in the Las Vegas Valley rise above 75-80 degrees these destinations can become uncomfortable and even dangerous. However, during the Winter months expect comfortable mid-day temperatures around 60 degrees. Follow thumbnail images to view the details you will need to plan your adventures here. Click image or title above for more…

Gass Peak | Mid-Summit Ridge | Las Vegas, Nevada

Gass Peak by the route I take beginning at the North end of Rainbow Avenue in Las Vegas is an ultra-marathon of about 30 miles with a 5000ft elevation gain. To stand on any of the 3 Gass Peak summits is like looking straight down into Las Vegas from an airplane! I’ve separated the Gass Peak pages into 2 pages. This page is for all those attempts that end shy of the true summit. The first video on this page shows the best route to the mid-summit, which served as a base adventure from which to later reach the true Eastern summit. Some of the videos eon this page actually show parts of this and other trips on even clearer days including lower canyons and ridges on the West side and a trip to the Western summit. Route description: 15 mi RT from Rainbow Ave / Approx. 2,300 > 6,000ft; **Mostly Wilderness** Click image or title above for more…

Gass Peak Grand Crossing | Desert National Wildlife Refuge | North of Las Vegas, Nevada

The Gass Peak Grand Crossing is a 30-40-mile ultra marathon distance on foot on a few roads, but mostly across desert wilderness canyons, ridges and avalanche slopes from the Desert National Wildlife Refuge visitor center off Hwy 95 Corn Creek Rd exit to the North end of Rainbow Avenue in Las Vegas. 6,937ft Gass Peak is the 5000ft elevation gain midway. The route begins at the Desert National Wildlife Refuge headquarters North of Las Vegas Nevada, heads up Mormon Well Road, turns onto Gass Peak Road, ascends the main Gass Peak trail off Gass Peak Road to the true, Eastern summit of Gass Peak, traverses the steep avalanche slope summit ridge of Gass Peak via what I refer to as “The Gass Peak Gauntlet” to the Gass Peak Mid Summit ridge, descends the mid summit ridge to a 4WD road on the lower Northern slopes of Gass Peak, circles around the West side of Gass Peak on that road and finally, navigates the desert to a conclusion at the very North end of Rainbow Avenue in Centennial Hills Las Vegas! Route details: 30-40 Miles, 5000ft Elevation Gain **Few roads and trails, mostly wilderness** Click image or title above for more…

Gass Peak Nevada Eastern Summit Ultra Marathon | Desert National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada

Gass Peak Nevada Eastern Summit Ultra Marathon | Desert National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada

Gass Peak, Nevada Eastern summit at 6943ft is the true summit of Gass Peak. The Eastern summit is about 1000ft higher than the other two summit areas, however each has a unique view, and the most challenging part of the adventure is navigating what I call the “Gass Peak Gauntlet”–the route between the mid-summit and the Eastern summit. The route I take begins at the North end of Rainbow Blvd. in Las Vegas and turns this adventure into a 30-mile ultra-marathon with a 5000ft elevation gain and, if the additional elevation gain and loss on the return trip is taken into account an overall 6000ft elevation gain. To put this into perspective, I can do the 18-mile Mt. Charleston loop in 7.5 hours. On this day it took 13.5 hours to complete the Gass Peak Ultra! Route details: 20 mi RT from Rainbow Ave / Approx. 2,300 > 7,000ft; **Mostly Wilderness** Click image or title above for more…

Gass Peak Road Circuit | Desert National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada

Gass Peak Road | Desert National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada

It’s possible to completely circle Gass Peak via the unpaved road system accessed from the Desert National Wildlife Refuge headquarters. However, as you will see below, some of the roads will require 4WD, a dirt bike or mountain bike. It’s a huge adventure well worth the effort. The 7,000ft Gass Peak mountain complex is immense, nearly a mountain range in its own right. It’s a well-defined landmark from nearly everywhere in the Las Vegas Valley. The complete circuit adventure gives you an excellent experience of the terrain North of Las Vegas. Route Details: 35 mi Mountain Bike; **Unpaved Roads** Click image or title above for more…

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