Kraft Mountain – Gateway Canyon Loop | Calico Basin | Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Nevada

On this day I intentionally set out to head up Gateway Canyon thinking it might be a short cut to Damsel Peak. Wrong! Between figuring out the best way to navigate 10-15 class 3 and class 3 barriers, I ate up so much time that I decided to just make a large loop out of Gateway Canyon, continuing all the way to Brownstone Basin at the base of Damsel Peak, and then taking Brownstone Basin down to a cross-over point back to Kraft Mountain. Many hikers have mistakenly taken this route thinking they are on the Kraft Mountain Loop. I made this very mistake on my first attempt to do the Kraft Mountain Loop! In fact, during today’s adventure, I redirected 2 groups of appreciative hikers back to the Kraft Mountain Loop. Here’s how that error happens… Route details: Approx . (12 mi.) | 3,700-5,400ft Elevation; **Some Trail, Mostly Wilderness** Click image or title above for more…