Lake Las Vegas Western Ridgelines, Nevada
Overview | Lake Las Vegas Western Ridgelines, Nevada
Slide Guide Coming Soon!
There’s an amazing hidden wilderness of ridgelines, canyons and pinnacles just West of Lake Las Vegas. And the 360 degree views are spectacular! Shortly after you cross the Las Vegas Wash and ascend Red Bluff Ridgeline, here’s what appears below, around and in the distance:
- Lake Las Vegas
- Las Vegas Valley and Strip
- Spring Mountains – The entire length!
- Mt. Charleston Wilderness
- Rainbow Mountains
- Potosi Mountain
- Lava Butte
- Frenchman Mountain
- Lake Mead and its surrounding wilderness
- Mt. Wilson and its ridgeline in Arizona
- Volcanic hills and peaks South of Las Vegas and around Hoover Dam
I’m sure I missed a lot, but these are the significant points that stand out.a And you’re only about a mile or two from your starting point at Terrazza Park on Galleria Drive!
Dissappear into a Hidden, Remote Wilderness
As you continue beyond Red Bluff Ridgeline, you find yourself disappearing into what seems like a remote wilderness of some of the most ancient boulders on earth, dark volcanic peaks, tall volcanic pinnacles and Jurassic Era Aztec and Calico sandstone. It’s like a journey through Earth’s entire geological timeline! And you’re still within 3-4 miles of the Las Vegas metropolitan area!
Difficulty Level of This Adventure
Though you’re traversing a wilderness of canyons, ridges and peaks, you’re mostly in territory you can walk. There is one steep rocky slope to descend, but it’s possible to make that descent without exceeding a moderate class 3 level of climbing.
Best Time of Year to Visit the Lake Las Vegas Western Ridgelines
Stick to late Fall through early Spring. Summer months can bring dangerously high mid-day temperatures exceeding 120 degrees! But during the Winter months you may feel like you’ve transported yourself into a vacation paradise.
Directions to Starting Point | Lake Las Vegas Western Ridgelines, Nevada
The trailhead starting point at Terrazza Park is located on Galleria Drive just a mile West of Lake Las Vegas, Nevada. Galleria Drive can be accessed from Highway 11 in Henderson, exit 64B.
Narrative Guide | Lake Las Vegas Western Ridgelines, Nevada
Terrazza Park to Red Bluff Ridgeline
Take the pathway on the West end of Terrazza Park (left end when facing the Las Vegas Wash below). The path follows the ridgeline above the Las Vegas Wash, soon descending to the bridge below. The Las Vegas Wash itself is pretty amazing! This wash flows strongly all year-round as it empties the entire Las Vegas Valley into Lake Las Vegas and ultimately Lake Mead and the Colorado River. The wash itself has the feel of an oasis and bird sanctuary in the desert. For more about the Las Vegas Wash see the adventure page on Red Bluff Tower.
Cross the Las Vegas Wash bridge and immediately turn left onto an unpaved pathway that continues above the opposite side of the wash. Enjoy more of this amazing wash as you count the bird species! As you continue, note the huge ridgeline ahead to your right. That’s the Red Bluff Ridgeline. The unpaved path you are on will connect with the main asphalt hiker/biker path at the base of that ridgeline. Just a hundred feet or so along the asphalt pathway and on the right side there is what appears to be an unmarked trailhead. A couple metal posts block vehicles, and you can see beyond the posts a trail ascending the ridgeline.
Red Bluff Ridgeline to Second Stone Tower
Cross the vehicle barrier and begin ascending the trail beyond. You’re immediately confronted with a split in the trail. No worries. The left split is the quicker route to the top of the ridgeline. The right split ends up in the same place but with a bit of a round-about route. Don’t forget to look behind as you’re ascending the ridgeline. Notice how the Las Vegas Wash so quickly begins to look far below and distant. You’re finding yourself suddenly in a wilderness area even though you’re still on the edge of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area!
Once you top the Red Bluff Ridgeline, all of the Las Vegas Valley, including the world-famous Las Vegas Strip, expands below to the West, while Lake Las Vegas can be seen below to the East. Continue ascending Red Bluff Ridgeline. A faint trail will guide you along, but basically, you’re traversing the center of the ridgeline along a terrain that sharply drops off on either side. There are a couple points that are razor-thin as you step across huge flat boulders suspended on the center of the ridgeline!
Eventually you’ll reach two distinctive stone towers (or large cairns). Note how the second stone tower has wings that point to the four magnetic compass directions (North, South, East, West). This may help you orient yourself with the surrounding reference points both near and distant.
Second Stone Tower to the Black Volcanic Peak
Shortly after the second stone tower, watch closely for a small cairn that marke the point where you will need to descend below and to the right of Red Bluff Ridgeline. Don’t continue along the top of Red Bluff Ridgeline and try to find a place to descend from the end of the ridgeline! Soon you’ll see why that’s an extremely dangerous/impossible move!
The pathway sharply descends at the small cairn and then continues along the cliff wall just below the upper ridgeline. It’s a very beautiful stretch between the cliff, the canyon below and the surrounding ridges. This is where you can easily imagine yourself hundreds of miles from civilization in a distant Southwestern canyon wilderness.
The path will soon begin to ascend to the saddle of the next ridgeline. Before ascending to the saddle, take a moment to look back at the verticle spire marking the abrupt edge of Red Bluff Ridgeline. Now you can see why you didn’t try to descend from that point!
Take a left at the saddle and continue along the next ridgeline to the distinctive black volcanic peak ahead. This is your next waypoint. The ground you are traversing is now getting more rugged, sharp, dark and volcanic. It’s like you’re entering into an entirely different geological terrain.
Black Volcanic Peak to the Garden of Stones
At the summit of the black volcanic peak, look ahead to the West to see your next waypoint, some a brownish rounded ridgeline. If you look carefully, you might see some small stones propped up to a vertical position along that ridgeline. This is the Garden of Stones. Further along, to the North, notice two distinctive volcanic pinnacles. You will eventually circle around the left (West) side of these pinnacles before heading back to the bridge across the Las Vegas Wash.
Now descend the black volcanic peak and traverse the brief distance to ascend the Garden of Stones ridgeline. The stones are obviously propped up by some artistic person. They’re interesting, and you can capture some amazing photos of verticle stones to a background of the Vegas Strip.
Garden of Stones to the Next Ridgeline
Take a right along the Garden of Stones ridgeline, continuing to the upper end of that ridgeline. Now look to the West to see the next tall ridgeline. Look carefully down into the valley between to see what looks like a large area of broken glass. How did it get there? As you descend to the “broken glass”, you’ll see it’s actually a natural mineral…sheets of clear, transparent gypsum. Pick up a gypsum sheet to see a dim fuzzy image beyond. The Vikings used similar gypsum blocks for navigation on cloudy days. Looking through the transparent blocks they could still see the position of the sun on the cloudiest of days.
Next Rigeline to the Volcanic Pinnacles
Now ascend to the next ridgeline to the West above the gypsum field and continue to the right along the summit of that ridgeline. Notice the two volcanic pinnacles to the North. Note the presence of an unpaved road that will take you around the West side of the pinnacles.
The descent from the end of the ridgeline you are on is pretty steep, with a loose rock surface. It’s the most difficult stretch of this adventure. Watch the video to see how Jean-Luc and I descended from different points on the ridgeline. Just be careful and watch every foot placement, ensuring your on a solid step.
There’s a road at the base of the ridgeline, leading to the pinnacles beyond. As you continue along that road toward the pinnacles, notice the long, sharp, parallel ridgeline to your left (West). This is Razorback Ridge, a future adventure. Also notice that all the ridgelines in the area appear to have a verticle drop to the West of the ridgeline and a more gradual, but often steep slope on the East side of the ridgeline. That’s an important observation for navigatine this terrain of canyons and ridgelines.
Volcanic Pinnacles to the Maintenance Road Below
As you pass the volcanic pinnacles on the West side, pause to take a few photos. Note how the lighting and the shape of the pinnacles constantly change as you see them from different perspectives. The first pinnacle is larger and darker, the second is more of a thin vertical spire, aptly named Red Needle Pinnacle. When you reach the Red Needle Pinnacle, leave the road and ascend to circle its Northern base. As you round the base, Lake Las Vegas comes into view along with your starting point on the Las Vegas Wash. Notice a maintenance road below. This is the maintence road for the powerlines and towers stretching between the Las Vegas Wash and Lava Butte, which is also visible from the pinnacle. The maintenance road will be your next waypoint.
Now descend the East side of Red Needle Pinnacle, entering a narrow gully that winds downward to the maintenance road beneath the powerlines. Alternately, you could skip the gully for a better view and head along the base of the line of cliffs to the right for a better view and where you are likely to find some caves. If you stay high enough along the base of the cliffs, you might be able to avoid having to cross the intervening series of gullies. Not sure, I haven’t tested this route. For this adventure we stuck to the gully, ending at the maintenance road below.
Maintenance Road to the Las Vegas Wash Bridge and Terrazza Park
Turn right on the powerline maintenance road continuing toward the Las Vegas Wash. In less than 2 miles there is a split in the road, the right split heading uphill. I believe this right split will lead most directly to the asphalt trail system around the Las Vegas Wash and to the bridge across the wash. We took the left split staying on the main road which entered a muddy wash just below Lake Las Vegas. The wash was so muddy we had to exit above to the left where we soon found another unpaved road leading to the Las Vegas Wash bridge and Terrazza Park.
Conclusion
Though the final couple miles in a gully, along the powerline maintenance road and muddy wash were nothing to remember, and can be avoided (see the alternate routes on the map), most of this adventure was in spectacular pristine volcanic wilderness! You can easily find a route that keeps you in the wilderness of canyons, ridgelines, cliffs, geological history and spectacular views!
