Thursday, February 24, 2011

Historic Railroad Trail, Lake Mead

This trail is very simple (my grandma could make it) but pretty. It's not even close to my favorite trail in Vegas but if you're looking for something short and easy this is a good one! The trail is about 3 miles one way and is very flat. Lots of people choose to ride their bikes here. This is an old railroad route (last use was in 1961) running along Lake Mead with pretty views of the lake. There are 5 tunnels you pass through along the way that are about 300ft deep. In the winter months it can be chilly and very windy so I recommend bringing a fleece or lightweight jacket.

The trailhead begins at the Alan Bible parking lot off Lakeshore Dr. - the first parking lot on the right before entering the fee area. This is also where the visitors center is located. Two trails head off from the parking lot but they meet up after just a short distance so you can pick whichever one you like. When you get to an open gate, continue straight ahead; this is the trail.

Careful! The rocks along this trail will stain your skin and clothes if you brush against them!

Gate

  




Sunday, February 13, 2011

Cave Canyon - Red Rock

In Progress

This trail is located off of west charleston btwn the entrance and exit of the scenic loop at red rock. Park at the area with the sign that says "horseback rides." The trail is less than a mile one way and is a simple hike. Finding the caves is another story! There is one little cave that is big enough to sit in but not deep at all, and this is the most obvious cave. The other two caves are about 80yards deep! Getting to these caves involves thrid class scrambling on an exposed cliffside and up a dry waterfall. You will definitely want to bring a headlight for this adventure!! Also might be a good idea to bring gloves because you probably will crawl around in the caves and there is a ton of glass on the floor!

After parking your car at the horseback rides area, follow the road past the horses and up the hillside to the upper parking lot where the horseback rides begin. You will pass by the horses and the corrals at the top of the hillside. After passing these corrals at the top, turn left and you will see a trail that drops into a wash. The wash goes off to the left heading back in the direction you just came from and a trail heads straight infront of you. This is the trailhead!

Gotta pack my gun for cave exploring!!  ;)

Parking area
Follow the road past the horses (they're on the left) & toward the canyon

Corral at the hilltop

At the bottom of the hill past the corrals, go this way! Wash is to the left

Trail crosses the wash & heads up the hillside to the left, following along the wash

Little mini cave

It's not very deep!

One of the big caves is up high on this cliffside. You can't see it from below. Start scrambling up the very right hand side of the cliff. When it becomes challenging to go up higher, go left and you will see a use trail. the trail will eventually lead you up again and you will soon come across the cave.

Trail crosses the wash again here, follow it to the right to start the hike up the cliff. Or, you can continue to follow the wash till you come to a dry waterfall where some rocks have been loosley placed to assist you in climbing the waterfall- climb up here to get to another big cave.
This is the dry waterfall that you must climb to reach one of the two big caves

Rocks have been piled up to assist you in starting the climb. BE CAREFUL! These rocks are loose. It is fairly easy to climb up, but coming back down and stepping onto these loose rocks can be tricky depending on your skill level.

Hiker coming down the dry waterfall
Information on the cave beyond this waterfull is pending! For now, I have included instructions on how to find the other big cave that is located on the cliffside mentioned above (directly across from the mini-cave).


These hikers are climbing down after visiting the cave. You will start up the cliff here where they are going down. If you stand on the cliff and face the mini-cave on the opposite cliffside, you will be to the left of it. When you find the use trail and walk across the cliffside, you will end up on the right side of the mini-cave when facing it before going upward again to the cave.
The trail along the cliffside is wide enough that you can pass with ease. However, there are very steep edges
Here a hiker is walking along the use trail

Looking down the cliffside. It is pretty steep!
 
About to enter the cave, got my light on!

If you come across this, this is the cave! But don't worry, you don't have to squeeze through here, the entrance is around to the left

Hiker entering cave

Me at the cave entrance
The cave opens up once you get inside. It is much deeper than it initially appears. In fact, if you walk directly to the opposite wall of the cave from here, and go allllllll the way back, you will see a slit that you can crawl down. This will take you to the next level of the cave. From here, more scrambling can be done to reach a couple more lower levels in the cave. 

Lots of tagging throughout the cave
 As you explore & scramble, watch your head! The ceilings are low in lots of places and sharp. The cave is pretty warm in the winter and the deeper you go the warmer it gets. In the summer it is cool.

Looking back toward the entrance

From the distance you can't see the slot that you are able to pass through to get to the lower parts of the cave. Look for graffiti that says "Corral boys" and the name "Mikey." this is where you drop down!

Here is the slot from up close. You can see the arrow pointing down

Pass through here!

This is the lower level. You can drop down again where someone wrote "Do Not Enter" in pink - ignore this warning and have fun exploring! There are more arrows here if you look closely

Follow the arrows to the next level. In some places there are multiple ways down, so pick whichever way looks the most fun to you!
 
More arrows showing the way down