
The King, The Queen, The Jack Peaks | Sloan Canyon NCA, Nevada
Overview | The King, The Queen, The Jack Peaks | Sloan Canyon NCA, Nevada
Video Guide: Week of 2/2/2025; Slide Guide Coming Soon!
Great Regular Workout Courses
This wilderness adventure just South of Las Vegas makes an awesome rugged 3-peak loop! Due to its proximity to the Las Vegas Metro area it would make a great full-body workout course with a spectacular view. With practice you might be able to add a fourth high peak and still get the total time down under 3 or 4 hours. The 3 peaks we cover in this adventure are White Gold, The Queen and The King in that order. From White Gold and The Queen you will see important summit approach views for the more challenging Jack Peak.
Spectacular Views
Spectacular views along the way include the McCullough Range and valley at it’s base to the West with a backdrop of the Rainbow Mountains and Mt. Charleston Wilderness; the River Mountains to the East; Railroad Peaks and Eldorado Wilderness to the South and the Las Vegas Valley and Metro area stretching out to the North with a backdrop of Gass Peak and the Sheep Range.
A Variety of Routes
This is an adventure you can mix up for variety, creating numerous routes:
- Linear Route: The King, The Queen and The Jack are lined up roughly in a North/South orientation, so one route would be to take these in a linear direction out and back. Midway, you could add an out-and-back detour to White Gold.
- Eastern Loop Routes: The Eastern loop takes Dutchman Pass Road to Jack Peak, then The Queen, White Gold, and finally The King. Reverse this route for a variation.
- Western Loop Routes: The Western loop takes the long ridgeline circling up to White Gold Peak, descends the saddle toward The Queen, at the base of the saddle heads for The Jack and then takes in The Queen and The King. Reverse this route for a variation.
- Short Western Loop: Take the long ridgeline circling up to White Gold Peak, then take in The Queen and The King. This is the route taken on this video and adventure. From White Gold and The Queen we take a careful look at summit approaches to The Jack. Reverse this route for a variation.
With the reverse route variations, there are at least 7 potential routes! If you’re a photographer or videographer it’s easy to maximize your images by selecting a route that offers the best lighting based on the time of day and season.
Difficulty Level
It’s possible to weave around the vertical areas you will encounter along the way in order to keep the difficulty level from exceeding class 3. But if you get off course you could easily get into class 4 and 5 climbing situations. So, it’s wise to take the approach to each peak and each route variation by small increments as you create the route that fits your level of skill and experience.
Best Time of Year
Stick to mid-Fall through mid-Spring. Summer temperatures can easily exceed 120 degrees! And we highly recommend you avoid adventures in this area within 24 hours of a rare rain or snowstorm.ย
Route Starting Point Directions | The King, The Queen, The Jack Peaks | Sloan Canyon NCA, Nevada
Heading South of Las Vegas on Hwy 95/11, take the East Horizon Ridge Parkway exit. Turn left (South) onto East Horizon Ridge Parkway. Continue to the end of the road where it becomes Dutchman Pass Road where you will find a place to park at a trailhead.
Narrative Guide | The King, The Queen, The Jack Peaks | Sloan Canyon NCA, Nevada
For this initial adventure we took the Short Western Loop, the #4 route listed above.
Getting Your Initial Bearings
From your vantage point in the parking area at the Southern end of Horizon Ridge Parkway, take a moment to get your bearings. The obvious peak immediately to the South is The King. The other major peaks, The Queen, White Gold and The Jack are hidden behind The King. A great very brief initial adventure would be simply to summit The King and from that vantage point scope out the other major peaks. You can do this out-and-back in an hour or less. It appears many people have had this idea because the trail to the summit of The King is well worn and recalls the difficulty level of the more familiar Turtlehead Peak trail.
Parking Area to White Gold Peak Ridgeline
Out initial summit today was White Gold Peak. Begin by taking the road that circles around the West (right) base of The King. Soon, you are able to see all 4 peaks on the Short Western Loop! As you reach the Western base of The King you can see The Queen (in line South of The King) and White Gold Peak to the right (West) of The Queen.ย
Notice a ridgeline to the West with a distinctive rocky summit knob at its midpoint. This ridgeline is the ridgeline that circles upward to the summit of White Gold Peak. Between the road you are on and that ridgeline there is a canyon/gully that eventually empties into a flood control basin at the edge of the residential area below. You’ll need to cross that large gully, then ascend the White Gold Peak Ridgeline, reaching that ridgeline just to the right and below the distinctive rocky knob at that ridgeline’s midpoint. An approach gully will aid and guide your ascent up onto the ridgeline.
The Rocky Knob on White Gold Ridgeline
Ascending the rocky knob involves some light class 3 rock scrambling. You can weave around vertical areas to keep it light, or you can make this and other rocky areas along this route a class 4 endeavor, your choice. The summit of the rocky knob is small, but this creates a great 360-degree vantage point. Below to the West you can see a good portion of the network of hiking and mountain biking paths in the North McCollough Hills. Beyond is the North McCullough Range. West of that is the Anthem residential area and Las Vegas Valley below. Note 3 passes through the North McCullough Range. These make good access points to the ridgeline and summits on that range. The highest points to the Southwest are Black Mountain and McCullough Mountain, both awesome adventures!ย
Now is a good time to scope out summit routes to White Gold Peak. Staying on the ridgeline all the way to White Gold Peak would involve traversing some difficult rocky stretches, potentially greater than class 3. But notice two gullies leading up to White Gold Peak’s summit. You can descend a bit from the ridgeline to enter these gully approaches. The gully on the left is deep and narrow. Avoid that gully! It contains a large vertical dry fall. Set your sights on the wider, more gradual gully to the right.
Rocky Knob to White Gold Peak
Having scoped out the route to White Gold Peak, it’s time for the brief, but most difficult stretch you will face today: Descending the South side of the rocky knob. This is a high class 3/low class 4 climbing endeavor with some loose rock and exposure, but it’s brief and there are ample hand and footholds. Just take it step by step and keep 3 points of contact. Soon, on the Southern base of the rocky knob, you’ll find yourself continuing up the White Gold Ridgeline.
In a few hundred feet you’ll need to angle to the left just below the White Gold Ridgeline to enter the wider, more gradual gully you first saw from the rocky knob. Though the gully is gradual, it’s steep with a loose rock surface. I often find the larger rocks make for better foot placements than the fine gravel. Continue up this gully to arrive again on the White Gold Ridgeline at the summit approach to White Gold Peak.
The summit approach to White Gold Peak is steep, and there are some vertical areas you will need to weave around. I find some of the best footing is along the base of the vertical areas where there is often a firm rocky surface and good hand holds on the vertical wall. Continue to wind upward, finally spiraling around the right (South) side of White Gold Peak to its summit.
White Gold Peak Summit
Where the rocky knob below had some great 360-degree views, White Gold Peak summit is spectacular. It’s a small summit area offering amazing some of the best surrounding views of the day. Since it’s a little off the beaten track in the line from The King to The Queen and Jack, it has a more secluded feel. It’s my favorite summit! Here you can begin to scope out routes and summit approaches to The Jack Peak. Though all those summit approaches appear very difficult, the least difficult seem to spiral around the East (left) upper side of The Jack then up to the summit.
You can also scope out the summit approach to from White Gold summit to The Queen. This will be your next stretch. Note the deep saddle between White Gold Peak and The Queen. Also note a gray band of rock heading upward to The Queen. This gray band will be your approach. It will be easier when you get there than it looks from White Gold Peak Summit.
White Gold Peak Summit to The Queen Summit
Carefully circle around the South side of White Gold Peak summit, then angle downward to the saddle between White Gold Peak and The Queen. This involves some class 3 rock scrambling along some narrow, loose rock ledges with some exposure, but taken carefully, step by step, you need not exceed class 3. Find some natural switchbacks along low vertical rock walls to arrive at the wider, more gradual base of the saddle below.
Now begin to ascend that gray rocky strip up to the summit of The Queen. As you ascend, you may happily notice it’s like ascending a large stairway. Nice stair-sized rocks provide more secure footholds than you imagined when viewing the gray rocky strip from White Gold Peak. Near the summit of The Queen things get steeper and looser. Circle a bit around the South (right) side of the summit as you continue upward and soon you’ll find yourself on the more gradual, final South approach to The Queen’s rounded summit.
Summit of The Queen
From the summit of The Queen you have an incredible view in all directions. Note an even better perspective on the summit approach to The Jack. Also, you can now see Dutchman Pass Road below to the East which is a great return route from The Jack Peak. In the distance to the South there are great views of the Railroad Peaks (including Scorpion Peak) and the Eldorado Wilderness beyond. Spectacular views of the River Mountains now appear to the East.
To the North lies The King. You can now view the route down to the saddle below, then up to The King. Note a rocky high point in the saddle below. That high point is actually a peak in its own right, worn down by erosion. Careful observation will reveal an actually trail leading up the South side of The King to its summit. This is your first real trail of the day since leaving the road and ascending White Gold Peak’s ridgeline! From The Queen to your finish at the parking area at the base of The King, it’s all class 2 climbing with spectacular views all the way!
The Queen to The King
Now descend from The Queen toward the saddle at the base of The King. You’ll want to round the low worn down rocky peak at the base of the saddle. Round that low peak on the upper right (East) side. Once you reach the base of The King, watch for that trail you saw from the summit of The Queen. Now it’s just a matter of ascending this switch-back trail to the summit of The King. It’s similar to the Turtlehead Peak trail. Avoid the temptation to try out the faint but distinctive trail heading to the East (right) about half-way up The King. We called this The Big Horn Sheep Death Highway. Unless you’re a big horn sheep, this super steep, loose rock route could easily be your last! Stay on the main trail up the South side of The King.
The King Back to the Parking Area at the South End of Horizon Ridge Parkway
The summit of The King, though your easiest summit of the day, is the only summit upon which you will find a summit box. The final stretch descending The King is the easiest stretch of the day. The trail is well-worn and its downward switchbacks are secure and easy to navigate as long as you stay on the trail. There are a few times where the actual route may be confusing, but just pause, look around and downward to the next place you are sure you see the trail and the trail that gets you to that point will suddenly appear. You can see the parking area all the way from the summit of The King, so there need be no trouble staying on route to that point.
Summary
Congratulations! You have just become familiar with a fascinating, little-known, wilderness area at the Western edge of Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area bordering the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area. This neat collection of challenging peaks can offer endless regular full-body mountain workouts, keeping you in great condition for a wide variety of mountain wilderness challenges!ย
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