It’s April, and your poor feet have been confined to the stiff, plastic pain factory of your ski boots for nearly six frigid months. Warm, sunny rock starts to overpower bottomless pow as the subject of your dreams, and you yearn to peel off those heavy layers in exchange for flip flops and a T-shirt (or no shirt). Flake out your ropes, lube up your cams, and make a beeline for Red Rock Canyon.
Overview:
Rising in stark, silent contrast to the bustling, smog-cloaked glitz of downtown Sin City, the soaring peaks of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area lie 17 miles due west of the famous Vegas Strip and offer a lifetime’s worth of climbing with approaches ranging from two minutes to two hours. Sandstone is the name of the game, and whether you’re in search of hard boulder problems, steep sport routes, splitter cracks, or epic big walls, you’ll find world-class examples of each discipline within Red Rock’s nearly 200,000 acres.
The canyon’s massive variety of routes also translates to nearly year-round climbability. When it’s a blazing 110 degrees on the Strip, there’s a shaded multi-pitch route waiting in a cool, narrow canyon. When it’s puking snow in Utah or Colorado and you need some Vitamin D, there’s plenty of warm, sunny sandstone calling your name. And in spring and fall, it’s just about perfect everywhere.
Aside from Calico Basin and some of the outlying canyons, most of the climbing within Red Rock is located off the 14-mile scenic loop road that runs through the park, which in the spring is open to vehicle traffic from 6am to 8pm. Hours fluctuate with the seasons, so call ahead or check the Web site. If you’re planning on climbing some of the classic multi-pitch lines in peak season, get an alpine start or have a backup route in the area, as the trade routes tend to accumulate multiple parties on weekends.
Essential Gear:
Black Diamond Chaos Harness – Light enough for sport climbing and tough enough for all-day walls, the Chaos features BD’s new Kinetic Core construction that makes it one of the most comfortable harnesses out there.
Metolius Inferno Wiregate Quickdraw – Whether you’re clipping bolts at the Gallery or extending placements on the Black Velvet Wall, it pays to have a grip of these versatile, lightweight quickdraws in your quiver.
Arc’teryx Atom LT Insulated Jacket – It’s well-known that a lightweight puffy is an essential on any climbing outing in any season, and this mega-comfy, 10-ounce gem will come in handy at the pitch-six belay when the wall goes into the shade and the wind kicks up.
Petzl Dragonfly Half Rope – Many of Red Rock’s longer routes feature rope-stretching pitches that often require two cords to rappel off. Tagging up another full single rope can be a huge strain on the seconding climber, so clip on this svelte 8.2 for your journey back to the base.
Logistics:
Maps/Required Reading:
Red Rocks: A Climber’s Guide by Jerry Handren is the comprehensive, must-have tome for the area, covering everything from the short clip-ups of Calico Basin to the Rainbow Wall’s aid routes.
For pebble pushers, Seth Robinson’s Vegas Bouldering has the beta you need for Red Rock and other surrounding areas.
Getting There: Red Rock Canyon is located 17 miles west of downtown Las Vegas on Charleston Blvd/State Route 159. Cheap flights into Vegas and the canyon’s close proximity to the airport make it ideal for out-of-state climbers looking for a weekend cragging fix.
Camping/Lodging: The BLM operates a campground off of State Route 159, just before the scenic loop turnoff. If the campground is full, which it often is in on spring weekends, do your homework—the area surrounding Red Rock abounds in BLM land (watch for private property) where primitive camping is technically legal but not advertised.
Guide Services: Jackson Hole Mountain Guides, Red Rock Climbing Center, American Alpine Institute and a host of other guides offer courses and guided climbs throughout the year in Red Rock.
Tips: For big walls and long routes where you’ll be hiking out after the loop road closes, the BLM offers a late exit pass for climbers. Call the Late Exit recording at 702-515-5050 up to seven days in advance and follow the prompts. The tickets are expensive, so plan ahead.
Dogs are allowed within Red Rock, but keep your pup leashed, and clean up and pack out all waste (the same goes for you). Just like any climbing area, if your furry friend has a tendency to eat people’s food, cause trouble, or piss on people’s rope bags, think about leaving him at home.
Have a favorite route in Red Rock or some additional beta to offer up? Post it in the comments below.
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Tags: climbing, Trip of the Month, trip reports
Nice photographs. But do you have to write in that oh so X Gen quippy and vulgar tone – e.g. “Puking snow” , “pissing dogs”.
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Great pics! We were there in March. What is the name of the climb in photo #3 with the chains?
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The route is The Trophy (5.12c) at the Sandstone Quarry. Photos courtesy of Andrew Burr and Tommy Chandler.
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A very prickly bush on the approach to “Geronimo” stole my Marmot soft shell right off my pack. If you found it at the Red Rocks Rondevous, that was probably some really sweet swag. It was my favorite jacket!
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Have not been to Red Rock Canyon in years. The photos remind me of another time. Bring back found memories of many climbs.
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