Hannah's Hikes: *Red Springs Area / Calico Scramble @ Red Rock Canyon*

This entire Red Springs area is a ton of fun, there's beautiful views and lots of exploring to be done! To access this part of red rock, you turn off of West Charleston BEFORE the main fee entrance to the park. So, you don't take the scenic loop! Look for the signs to red springs on the right hand side and follow the road to the parking lot straight ahead.

If you're in the mood for some scrambling & bouldering, look for the trailhead to the right of the picnic area (don't take the boardwalk, it's boring and won't get you anywhere!). The trail splits and you can either continue walking straight ahead to the rocks in front of you or go off to the right. Straight ahead, the trail ends very quickly and you must start climbing. It is possible to climb to the top without equipment, but you have to really search for a good starting point. There are lots of drop-offs and it is steep so be careful! And have fun!

Scramble area that is straight ahead

If you choose to take the trail to the right, you will see some beautiful views. The rocks rapidly change colors along the trail. There are many different routes you can take. You can also choose not to take any of these and just scramble to the top of the rocks. I have heard that there are even some old agave roasting pits up high and some ropes that people have attached to help you climb. I personally haven't been up that high yet because I frequently hike alone and I don't want to risk injury when I'm alone.

When you start at the red springs parking lot, the trailhead is to the left of where "start" is written. From the starting point shown here there are a few options. You can turn off the main trail at the arrow labeled "I" and head toward the really red rocks. Here you can scramble all the way to the top of the trough that the arrow is pointing to. The view looking out the opposite side of the valley is beautiful!
You can also continue to follow the main trail past a marsh and up a steep hillside to begin a loop. The loop will bring you around the mountain shown to the arrow labeled "II" where you scramble down the trough shown. Alternatively you can do this loop in reverse, scrambling up first and then around.

If you decide to climb to the top of arrow "I," you will be scrambling the entire way. It is easy to avoid steep drop-offs (I don't really remember any steep drop-offs actually), the biggest challenge is the loose rock & big boulders. It's fairly simple and quick to make your way around obstacles and get to the top. It may be possible to climb down the other side, but I don't know where it leads. For info about the loop, please see this post: http://hannahshikes.blogspot.com/2011/02/calicp-loop-red-rock-canyon.html