Hannah's Hikes: Sandstone Quarry & Calico Tank + Saddle

I'm going to be honest, I was a little bored with this hike... However, the Calico Tank at the end and the saddle make it worth it! AMAZING view of the strip from the saddle!! Also, the tank has a good amount of water in the winter/fall. The trail is fairly obvious except in a couple sections. A good portion of the way there are stone steps that have been placed to assist people with the "steeper" sections of the trail. Personally I think this takes the fun out of it! This trail supposedly can be made into a loop, but I have not explored that yet.

From the scenic loop, turn into the parking area called Sandstone Quarry at about 2.8 miles. The trail itself is short (1.2miles) and, in my opinion, easy although the park has it labeled as "moderate." There are 3 seperate trailheads here: turtlehead peak, the grand loop and sandstone Quarry/Calico Tank. They are well labeled and it will not be a challenge to figure out which is the correct one.

As you head along the trail, on your left hand side you will come up to a sign that marks the spot of an agave roasting pit. Continue to follow the trail into the wash. Keep making your way down canyon. Keep an eye out for the steps on the right hand side. Once you find them, continue to follow them all the way until you hit the Calico Tank.
Steps

Tank

If you want to continue further to see the view from the saddle, go to the right hand side of the calico tank (when facing it). Here, you will be able to scramble up and back until you reach the viewing area.
Trail to saddle is on the right here in the picture below:

Path to saddle, another view:

There is one section that is a little steep, shown above, after which a path becomes more obvious. Scramble up toward the tree.

View of the tank from the path to the saddle

Having some fun

Exploring around this area is fun, but be cautious as there are some steep drop-offs.

As you make your way toward the tree (stay to the right), the saddle becomes apparent and so doest the strip! I think this would be amazing at night!!!!

If you want, it is possible to climb down behind the saddle a bit; there is even a trail but it disappears after not too long. While it looks possible to continue climbing down, I'm not sure where you will end up. If you go a little ways there is some nice scenery.