The Grand Circle Loop is a 11.3-mile trail that makes a grand circle of the Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive area. It’s great general overview of Red Rock Canyon and its surrounding wilderness areas. As you traverse the Grand Circle Loop you will see every major location in and around the Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive area. In addition, you will receive an immersive experience of the desert landscape along with developing important navigation skills in this environment. The Grand Circle Loop is a relatively safe introduction to Red Rock Canyon. The loop is well marked (except for 4 areas, which I will describe below). And, you’re never more than a half-mile from the well-traveled Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive, so there are numerous entrance and exit points along the way.
During this Grand Circle Loop overview of Red Rock Canyon, I will describe the major destinations in Red Rock Canyon and point out the surrounding wilderness areas, along with access routes to these areas, including:
And then, before you know it we’re back at the Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center, our starting point.
In addition, in the video, I describe my wilderness navigation strategy and gear for this type of terrain.
If you watch the video and take the Grand Circle Loop before visiting any of the other destinations in Red Rock Canyon, you’ll have a big picture perspective along with how to travel light and stay safe as you go!
To get to the Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive take Hwy 215 to the Charleston Blvd exit (at Red Rock Casino). At the end of the exit, turn right. You’re now on Hwy 159 (Blue Diamond Road). Had you turned left you would be on Charleston Blvd. The name of the same road changes as it crosses Hwy 215. That can be a bit confusing if this is your first trip here! Once you’ve turned right continue another 5 miles to the Red Rock Canyon main gated entrance where you will take a right into the Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive area. Timed Entry Reservations may be required to enter the Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive area. View Timed Entry Requirements Here.
The Grand Circle Loop Trailhead is located just to the left (West) of the Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center. You’ll need to park in the public parking area and then walk through the smaller employee and handicapped parking area. You’ll know when you have arrived at the Grand Circle Loop Trailhead because there is a large sign. This is the official starting point for the Grand Circle Loop Trail and has the best initial interpretive signs.
Since the Grand Circle Loop Trail follows near the route of the Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive, you can access the Grand Circle Loop Trail at multiple points along the Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive. View Additional Access Points Here.
I take the loop in the clockwise direction. Traveling in this direction beginning at sunrise will result in every wilderness area you approach throughout your time on the Grand Circle Loop being brilliantly lit up by the sun.
One downside of traveling in a clockwise direction is that it appears the directional signs on the Grand Circle Loop may be more clear in the counterclockwise direction. However, here are the four places you may get off track:
Knowing these 4 sketchy places along the Grand Circle Loop will enable you to successfully take the loop in a clockwise direction always facing brilliantly lit up scenery all along the loop. Otherwise, the Grand Circle Loop is very well signed, perhaps the best signed trail in Red Rock Canyon.
To make your hike on the Grand Circle Loop Trail easier to follow, it would help to first drive the Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive and note where the Grand Circle Loop Trail crosses or comes near the various viewpoints. See these points described on the Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive page.
Now, a more detailed description of destination points in Red Rock Canyon and surrounding wilderness areas you will see from The Grand Circle Loop:
Those brightly colored mountains along the West side of Red Rock Canyon actually form their own unique wilderness area: The Rainbow Mountain Wilderness. These Jurassic Era frozen sand dunes are calico colored. The reds are formed from iron leaching up from the soil while they were still sand dunes.
The Rainbow Mountains stretch from their Northern end in the Willow Spring area in Red Rock Canyon all the way to their Southern end at Highway 160 in the Mountain Springs area.
Some of the more familiar peaks in the Rainbow Mountains along the West end of Red Rock Canyon are:
View a complete list of the Major Rainbow Mountain Peaks and Routes to Their Summits.
Due to their make-up, the Rainbow Mountains are a world class rock climbing destination. In order to scale the Rainbow Mountains from below, you will need advanced rock climbing skills, gear and the ability to navigate vertical rock faces (Class 4, 5 and above level of climbing). One exception is Juniper Peak, which can be summited using only class 2 and 3 skills (class 2 is walking; class 3 is scrambling over rocks and boulders which require use of your hands). For this reason, only a few visitors to Red Rock Canyon have summited the Rainbow Mountain Peaks.
Just getting to the summit approaches involves navigating boulders, ledges and seemingly impenetrable walls of brush in the access canyons, three of which have trailheads located on the Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive:
However, there is another, class 2 and 3 route to the summits of the Rainbow Mountain Peaks that totally avoids the difficult canyons below and class 4, 5 and above cliff climbing…
The other, easier, class 2 & 3 path to the Rainbow Mountain summits is to summit them not from below, but from above, as strange at that may seem!
Access from above the Rainbow Mountain summits is by way of The Rainbow Mountain Upper Crest Ridgeline. If you look closely at the Rainbow Mountains, you’ll notice a ridgeline that runs the entire length of the Rainbow Mountains just to the West and above many of the summits. In fact, Mt. Wilson, the highest Rainbow Mountain summit at 7,071 feet is only about 200 feet higher than the Upper Crest Ridgeline behind, or West of its summit.
Now, there is a drawback to summiting the Rainbow Mountains from the Upper Crest Ridgeline: There are long distances involved, so you might want to be in or close to marathon conditioning!
Ice Box Canyon lies between North Sandstone Peak and Bridge Mountain. As mentioned above, navigating the Eastern Canyons in the Rainbow Mountains requires dealing with seemingly impenetrable walls of brush, along with large boulders and ledges. But there are additional considerations. When wet, the boulders and ledges become as slick as an ice-skating rink. Stay away from the canyons within 24-48 hours after the last rain. Then, there is the season: Summer can bring temperatures exceeding 110 degrees in the canyons and Winter can bring snow and ice in the upper canyons making the surface even slicker than after a rain storm.
This leaves the best seasons for these canyons as Fall and Spring, but these seasons also have considerations. In the Fall, those walls of brush are at their thickest and highest. And, no one has been helping create pathways through the brush during the hot Summer months. In the Spring, the creeks in the canyons are at their highest from Winter runoff from the mountains above. Take your pick. Fall and Spring are the best time of years for navigating the canyons.
Pine Creek Canyon lies between Bridge Mountain and Juniper Peak. Pine Creek Canyon has a North and South branch, divided by the spectacular Mescalito Pyramid formation. The North branch (to the right of Mescalito) is Fern Canyon. It becomes pretty sketchy when the rock climber access trails give out at Mescalito Pyramid. The South branch is easier to navigate to the upper canyon area. View an adventure up the South Branch all the way to Rainbow Wall then crossing over and returning via Oak Creek Canyon. On the way up Pine Creek Canyon you’ll pass through beautiful Terrace Canyon! That could be a great out-and-back destination in itself avoiding the much more challenging class 3-4 stretches above.
There’s a great Pine Creek Canyon Loop Trail that gives access to both North and South branches.
Juniper Canyon lies between Juniper Peak and Rainbow Mountain. Like all the canyons in the lower Rainbow Mountains, Juniper Canyon can get a bit sketchy in the brush area. However, this does not prevent this access point to Juniper Peak from being the most popular with class 2-3 climbers. It can become a bit like an LA freeway on weekends in the Fall and Spring, and that final summit approach may be like the line-up at the DMV! On the good side, you’re never far from other climbers, which will help you stay on track!
Oak Creek Canyon lies between Rainbow Mountain and Mt. Wilson. As with Pine Creek Canyon, Oak Creek Canyon has a North and South branch. As of this point in time, Oak Creek Canyon (North Branch) appears to be the most promising access to the mid Rainbow Mountains Upper Crest Ridgeline from the Red Rock Canyon area. View my initial exploration of the North Branch of Oak Creek Canyon. Again, brush, boulders and ledges. The South Branch splits off about a third of the way up the canyon.
View the huge loop that began in Pine Creek Canyon, summited Rainbow Wall and returned via Oak Creek Canyon. In my experience, Oak Creek Canyon is the most challenging of the Rainbow Mountains Eastern Canyons. Have some experience in the other canyons before attempting Oak Creek Canyon!
Willow Spring, located between White Rock Mountain and the Northern tip of the Rainbow Mountains, is a well-developed picnic area with assess to a number of trailheads both easy and more difficult. There is even a well-signed interpretive trail for children. In addition, you will find Red Rock Canyon’s most diverse vegetation zone in and around the Willow Spring area. In fact, for one of the best experiences of the full bloom beauty of the Rainbow Mountains Eastern Canyons, head up the canyon that parallels Rocky Gap Road in mid-April. It’s the upper Red Rock Wash. View photo and video documentation of Red Rock Wash in full bloom.
This is a 5-mile loop around the base of White Rock Mountain that features a great trail running surface. On the White Rock Mountain Loop you’ll traverse a very diverse climate zone from Pinyon Pine, Ponderosa Pine and Juniper forests on the North side to arid desert terrain on the South Side. Finally, there is a beautiful spring, White Rock Spring, on the South side of the loop not far from the trailhead (taken in a clockwise direction). I took the White Rock Mountain Loop counterclockwise, but both directions work equally well for this loop.
Those cliffs you see on the North end of Red Rock Canyon are the La Madre Ridgeline Cliffs in the La Madre Mountains Wilderness. The easiest access to the upper cliff line is by way of La Madre Springs.
La Madre Springs is located on the Northeast area of White Rock Mountain. When you’re on the White Rock Mountain Loop, take the split-off to La Madre Spring. The springs flow year-round, but Spring is the best season to visit. Above the springs there is an old miner’s cabin. Behind the cabin is one of the easiest access points to summit the La Madre Ridgeline from Red Rock Canyon. See the La Madre Ridgeline Grand Crossing adventure for the total crossing from Kyle Canyon Road to the entrance of the Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive Area on Hwy 159.
I’ve mentioned one of the easiest access points to summit the La Madre Ridgeline from Red Rock Canyon. There are some other, more difficult access points:
Take some time to visit the historic Sandstone Quarry area where 10-ton (20,000lb) sand stone blocks were quarried from the white rock hillside to be used for construction. The quarry was in operation from 1905-1912 when it was no longer cost effective to transport the blocks. Quite a few blocks remain as well as the area they were quarried.
The two main trailheads from the Sandstone Quarry are:
As mentioned above, this summit has one of the most spectacular views of Red Rock Canyon and its surrounding areas. To get a better view you would need to be on the Keystone Thrust cliffs, on a summit in the Rainbow Mountains or on The Rainbow Mountains Upper Crest Ridgeline. Those alternate spectacular views will require much longer distances (10-20 mile round trips) and some difficult navigation. Turtlehead Peak gives a spectacular view in a short 5-mile round trip. If you get lost on this sometimes sketchy trail, just stay above the Northern base of the main wash heading for the saddle at the top of the wash on the way up or for the lower opening on the way down. You’ll reconnect with the trail as long as you keep this big picture navigation in mind. The sight of other hikers on this popular trail will also help keep you on track.
Take this trail to it’s upper end on your first visit there, noting alternate routes to the right and the left. On your second visit you can be more creative, making additional discoveries on the alternate routes.
There are many cross-over points from Red Rock Canyon to the neighboring Calico/Brownstone Basins. Here are seven:
Petroglyphs make their appearance on the Grand Circle Loop at a large boulder about mid-way down the Calico Hills section. The only indication that there are petroglyphs here is a warning sign that basically says, “Don’t deface history”. That warning caused me to take a closer look at a large more horizontal slab at the base of the boulder. There were quite a collection of petroglyphs in the area which are shown in the video and slideshow on this page. To learn more about Southern Nevada petroglyphs and their meaning view the 74-page Master of Arts Degree in Archaeology thesis “Valley of Fire Petroglyphs: A New Perspective On An Old Idea” by Eric Pacl. Further exploration in the Calico Hills and other red rock formations in Red Rock Canyon would certainly reveal more petroglyphs. Willow Spring is another area with petroglyphs in Red Rock Canyon. Yet another petroglyph stone is found at the Southern end of the Calico Hills. See the Lower Calico Hills Loop adventure to view this petroglyph stone and how to get there.
You’ll find this unmarked route originating from the Red Springs Desert Oasis parking area. If you look carefully at the Calico Hills from the parking area you’ll see a diagonal line from the low point (South) at the Red Springs Desert Oasis to a high point (North) at the summit of the Calico Hills. Take a pair of binoculars with you the the parking area and watch for people ascending and descending the Grand Staircase route in order to be more certain about the pathway. There are no trails and a lot of scrambling over boulders, but it’s fun!
Also referred to as the Lower Calico Hills Loop, this is a loop that circles the base of the lower Calico Hills. It’s easier to stay on course and find the upper cross-over point if you begin at Red Springs Desert Oasis and take the loop in a counterclockwise direction. On the Red Rock Canyon side of the Calico Hills you’ll find yourself on the Red Rock Canyon Grand Circle Loop Trail. Follow the pathway up around the Southern base of the Calico Hills to find yourself back at Red Springs Desert Oasis.
In this adventure video on this page I take time to give my best wisdom for desert navigation including route choices, things to avoid, assessing the weather and water flow and simple but essential gear.
