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Also by Deborah Wall
Base Camp Las Vegas: Hiking the Southwestern States
Great Hikes: A Cerca Country Guide
Access for All: Touring the Southwest with Limited Mobility
IMBRIFEX BOOKS
Published by Flattop Productions, Inc.
8275 S. Eastern Avenue, Suite 200
Las Vegas, NV 89123
Copyright © 2017 by Deborah Wall. All Rights Reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the express written permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. For further information, please contact the Publisher, Imbrifex Books, 8275 S. Eastern Avenue, Suite 200, Las Vegas, NV 89123.
Editor: A.D. Hopkins
Designer: Sue Campbell
Maps: Mike Johnson
All cover and interior photos by Deborah Wall, except as noted below:
Antelope Canyon, Mableen/iStockphoto; Monument Valley, Jeff Goulden/iStockphoto;
Author photographs: Sean L. Taylor
IMBRIFEX™ is a trademark of Flattop Productions, Inc.
This publication is provided for informational and educational purposes. The Publisher assumes no liability for its use. No representations or warranties are made with respect to the accuracy or safety of the publication. Outdoor activities are always potentially dangerous. Awareness of local conditions, weather conditions coupled with good decision-making skills and astute judgment will help reduce potential hazards and risks. Preparing yourself with the proper equipment and outdoor skills will lead to an enjoyable experience. The information herein contained is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. However things can change after a guide book is published — trails are rerouted, trailhead signs are removed or damaged, jurisdiction changes in governmental management of an area can affect routes, seasonal impacts, etc. Corrections, updates and suggestions may be sent to the author at [email protected].
ISBN 978–0-9972369-4-1 (trade paper)
ISBN 978-0-9972369-8-9 (e-book)
Second Edition: August 2017
Dedication page caption: A hiker enters a narrow canyon along the White Domes Loop Trail.
Foreword
Base Camp:
A place used to store supplies and rest, and as a starting point for activities, especially outdoor adventures.
When Deborah Wall’s Base Camp Las Vegas was first published in 2010, it immediately became the go-to guidebook for hikers interested in exploring the magnificent wild areas within easy reach of Las Vegas. The variety of hikes, the accuracy and clarity of directions, and the captivating photographs illustrating each destination made the book popular long after it went out of print. It’s a pleasure to introduce this updated and expanded new edition, which not only reprises 61 great hikes from the first book but adds 40 new ones.
While many visitors to Las Vegas — and residents, too — revel in its man-made glories, more and more appreciate its unique location. In much of the United States, experiencing solitude — let alone wilderness — requires hundreds of miles of travel and a serious time commitment. But with Las Vegas as a starting point, a single day is enough to leave civilization behind and enjoy pristine world-class natural wonders.
Within sixty miles of Las Vegas, you can snowshoe four-foot drifts, swim in a lake, or photograph wildflowers — all on the same day. Ramble in Red Rock Canyon, hike in Valley of Fire, or enjoy crisp alpine air in the Spring Mountains. With a little more time, you can explore mysterious slot canyons, walk through hanging gardens of ferns watered by seeps in canyon walls, or stroll through lush groves of desert palms. Further afield, walk the Grand Canyon, soak up the glories of Zion, or marvel at the iconic formations of Monument Valley. This book tells how to make the most of your explorations.
While camping is always an option, and it’s often pleasant to sleep under the stars without bothering to pitch a tent, using Las Vegas as your “base camp” is easier still. To enjoy many of the hikes in this book, you can pack only what you need for the day, then return to showers, fine food, and urban entertainment. A night or two in a rural motel makes longer excursions possible.
Deborah Wall is a recognized expert on the region’s wild attractions. Her popular column on hiking and other outdoor adventures appears in the View Neighborhood Newspapers, published by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. For Base Camp Las Vegas, she has selected 101 of the best and most popular rambles for hikers with a variety of priorities and abilities.
The hikes are organized by geographic area, beginning with the hikes that are closest to Las Vegas. Wall provides an overview and directions for each area. She adds a detailed account of each recommended hike, along with directions to its trailhead, a difficulty rating, elevation, the best time of year to take the hike, and other relevant information specific to that trail. “Before You Hit the Trail” outlines advance preparations and precautions hikers should take when exploring in the wilderness.
With Deborah Wall as your peerless guide, I invite you to enjoy all the adventures so readily available within easy reach of Las Vegas. There’s still a “Wild West” out there, just waiting for your footsteps!
— A.D. Hopkins
Desert bighorn sheep.
Before You Hit the Trail
Many who read this book will already be experienced and capable hikers. But if they got that experience and developed those capabilities elsewhere, they may still find it worthwhile to read some general observations about hiking in this particular region.
It’s been one of my own experiences that while experience is famously the best teacher, she’s rather a mean one. It’s often less painful to get your lesson from somebody else’s trials and errors. These things
