01 Rainbow Mountain Wilderness, Nevada Overview
The Rainbow Mountain Wilderness is composed of majestic colorful Aztec Red Rock Jurassic Era Peaks. It stretches from the Keystone Thrust above Red Rock Park to the beginning of Potosi Mountain in the Southern portion of the Spring Mountains of Nevada. The most customary way of experiencing these peaks is to approach them from their base from Red Rock Park to Potosi Mountain. Once you’ve navigated through the thick brush at the base of the peaks, you are faced with vertical and near vertical cliffs in order to reach the summit. For this reason, the Rainbow Mountains are a popular destination for rock climbers of all levels. My non-traditional approach involves discovery “from the top down”. The Rainbow Mountains Upper Crest Ridgeline sits above the Rainbow Mountains and parallels its entire wilderness stretch. Most of the peaks can be reached from this ridgeline above with a class 2 and 3 climbing difficulty level. Best time of year for adventures in the higher elevations here: Fall through Spring. When Las Vegas Valley temperatures rise above 85 degrees, the higher elevations can become uncomfortably hot and even dangerous. The higher elevations can drop below 30 degrees during the Winter months. Follow thumbnail images to view the details you will need to plan your adventures here. Click image or title above for more…