Juniper Peak Summit | Rainbow Mountain Wilderness, Nevada

If you’re looking to climb your first peak in the Rainbow Mountains, Juniper Peak is a good start. Many of the surrounding peaks dwarf it in comparison: Mt. Wilson; Rainbow Mountain; Bridge Mountain. Experience all the beauty and challenge of a Jurassic Era Aztec red rock peak in the Rainbow Mountains of Nevada. When you are facing Juniper Peak there appear to be 3 routes from the Red Rock Park side: Two narrow chutes to the left and what looks like a more gradual approach to the right. I ended up selecting the middle of these routes – the right chute of the two chutes to the left. Hindsight says that the easier, and likely the more traditional route is the more gradual climb up the slope on the right (just before Pine Creek Canyon). Route Description: 8.7 mi/ 3,909 > 6,109ft; **Some Trails, Some Wilderness** Click image or title above for more…

Juniper Canyon | Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Nevada

Juniper Canyon is the passageway to Juniper Peak, the most popular summit in Red Rock Canyon, Nevada. The canyon in Itself is a full adventure with navigation challenges including brush, boulders, ledges and multiple route choices at every point. For this reason, we devote an entire adventure page to navigating this canyon at the Eastern base of The Rainbow Mountains. Best time of year to adventure in Juniper Canyon is mid-Fall through mid-Spring as Summer temperatures can exceed 110 degrees. Click on the image or title above for more details, map, images and video.

Indecision Peak West Base from Lovell Canyon | Rainbow Mountains, Nevada

Descend toward Indecision Peaks sandstone summit from above! Indecision Peak (6,431ft elevation) is that forgotten peak in Nevada’s Rainbow Mountains just South of the more famous Mt. Wilson. Explore a huge swath of isolated, seldom visited wilderness canyons and ridges between Lovell Canyon and Indecision Peak. Along the way witness unique views seen only from this rare perspective. Click the image or title above for details!

Indecision Peak Summit | Rainbow Mountain Wilderness, Nevada

Summit the challenging, overlooked Indecision Peak just South of Mt. Wilson in the Rainbow Mountain Wilderness, Nevada. Click the image or title above for details.

Hollow Rock Peak | Rainbow Mountain Wilderness, Nevada

Hollow Rock Peak is the second to the Southernmost peak in the Rainbow Mountains with South Peak just beyond. It’s a great 5-mile round trip and offers climbing levels from class 2-3 to class 5, depending on the route you choose (see below). And the calico boulders, pinnacles, cliffs, ledges and scattered bonsai-like bushes and trees make this an adventure of wonder. Spectacular views include the Las Vegas Valley and Strip, Frenchman Mountain, Muddy Mountains, Virgin Mountains (dim, distant), Gass Peak, the Sheep Range, Blue Diamond Mountain, portions of Red Rock Canyon, Calico Basin and La Madre Mountains, Mt. Charleston Wilderness, Lovell Canyon Area, Potosi Mountain, Lake Mojave (or Havasu?), and too many additional points of interest to mention here. Route details: 5 mi RT/ 5,470ft > 5,960ft; Mostly Good Trails, Some Class 3 Climbing. Best time of year for this adventure: Spring or Fall. Click image or title above for more…

Hollow Rock & South Peaks Loop | Rainbow Mts. Wilderness, Nevada

Summit the Southern two peaks in the Rainbow Mountains Wilderness. This is one of the most complete experiences of each peak. You’ll see each peak from below during the ascent. Then, you’ll see each peak and it’s entire upper ridgeline from across while on the other peak. By the time you’re finished, you’ll know you’ve had an unique,
immersive experience of the Southern tip of the colorful Rainbow Mountains range. Click the image or title above for details.

Historic Road in Pine Creek Canyon | Red Rock Canyon NCA, Nevada

View video documentation of a historic road leading from the intersection of the Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive and Oak Creek Canyon Road straight to Pine Creek Canyon where the historic homestead of Horace and Glenda Wilson was built in the 1920s. Two additional historic roads in Red Rock Canyon are also recorded on video and discussed here. Click the image or title above to learn more.

Hidden Peak Summit | Rainbow Mountain Wilderness, Nevada

Hidden Peak is a great first summit adventure if you have not yet summited one of the Rainbow Mountains in Nevada. The route to the summit base is on a nice trail and the final summit approach is well-cairned with gradual inclines and just a few easy class 3 rock scrambles. This article, video and slides also include a quick orientation to the Southern Rainbow Mountains with all five main summits identified. Spring and Fall months are the best time of year to summit Hidden Peak. Click the image or title above for details.

Fire Ecology Trail | Red Rock Canyon NCA, Nevada

The .2-mile Fire Ecology interpretive trail in Pine Creek Canyon, Red Rock Canyon NCA, Nevada, was a controlled burn conducted in 1992 to determine how canyon forests could be managed to protect older pine trees from being consumed by brush fire. Following a brush management strategy aimed at controlling excess brush fuel on the forest floor, a controlled burn was conducted that successfully passed underneath the pines without damaging them. Today visitors can walk this interpretive trail and picnic at a table near the edge of Pine Creek. The best time of year to hike this trail is mid-Fall through mid-Spring. Summer temperatures can exceed 110 degrees. Learn more by clicking the image or title above.

Far North Upper Crest Ridgeline | Rainbow Mountain Wilderness, Nevada

This is a circuit composed of the Northernmost 3 miles of the Rainbow Mountains Upper Crest Ridgeline. The circuit begins at the Willow Spring Area of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Nevada. From there, ascent the ridge from its Northernmost point, head South, then return to Willow Spring via Rocky Gap Road.