• trip reports
• dream routes
• about me
• climbing partners
• blog
• web cams
• links

Red Rocks, Nevada

The Approach

It's about a two in a half hour flight to get to Vegas from Seattle. I'm often wondering why we don't fly to Vegas more often. Yeah, the city kind of sucks but an hour away into the desert and you enter another world. The only sky scrappers out here are sandstone towers. It's a different kind of glitz and glamour and you don't lose all of your money! This was our 4th time to visit Red Rocks and in my opinion no place is better for multi-pitch trad climbing.

We stayed at our Worldmark condo which is on the West side of the strip. From this location you just follow Blue Diamond road into the desert. To get to the loop road you exit on HWY 159, to get to the Black Velvet Canyon area you stay on HWY 160 4.8 miles past the Blue Diamond Exit and take a right on to a dirt road.

The Climbs

Frogland 5.8 *****

Although we did set the alarm clock for 6:30am we didn't get to the trail head till about 10:00am. Why, I am not sure, i guess were not very good at the alpine starts anymore. Amazingly enough we were the only ones in the Black Velvet parking lot. We quickly started up the easy trail hoping to get to the route in about 45 min. Well, we took a wrong turn and it took us more than an hour to get to the base. Make sure you don't turn left until right before the main trail enters the wash.

The route starts at a large corner with a big white flake at the base. The climbing is amazing, climbing straight up the dihedral with great gear opportunities and a couple bolts you can clip as well. The 1st pitch is rated 5.7 and climbs about 130 feet.

I brought Reka up and started wondering if we had enough time to finish the route. Well, we decided to descend from the anchors on the 1st pitch since to rappel from upper pitches we would have to leave gear. It was a tough decision to turn around but we had a very good time walking in the desert.

---

Dark Shadows IV 5.8 *****

This is a route that we have repeated every time that we have come to Red Rocks. With a quick approach up the Pine Creek Canyon trail and being in the shade all day it just seems to be a good choice. It's probably about a 40 min. hike to the base of the route and the beautiful waterfall and pool hopping with frogs.

Dark Shadows starts with a run out slab but it's only rated 5.5. After about 80 feet of huecos and edges you reach a ramp and a bolted anchor. I skipped the anchor and continued up the second pitch to link them as one. I followed a right facing varnished corner 5.7 another 75 feet until I reached the roof. From underneath the roof I traversed about 15 feet to a nice ledge and a second set of bolted anchors.

The 3rd pitch (our 2nd pitch) is still as amazing as I remember it. A full 130 feet of beautiful varnished face and crack climbing. When the crack becomes to large or to small you climb on the beautiful face littered with huecos and edges. This pitch is probably one of the best 5.8s in Red Rocks! The climbing is outstanding. I belayed Reka up and we decided to rappel and head back to the car cause we had to catch our plane back to Seattle in about 5 hours. We will definitely be back soon!

---