Scrambles- "Because we're dealing with particularly scramble-rich country, it's hard to nail down a "best". That said, though lots and lots and lots of great and obscure routes are to be found in this area, one of the more prominent great ones, the Black Velvet Canyon route up The Monument, might take the cake. Fun scrambling (up to 4th class), enjoyable route-finding, seldom-visited country, and awesome scenery make this one fantastic." - (Courtney)

Climbing- "In an area famous for long multi-pitch lines, it is no easy task to choose the best line. If we narrow the field down to sub-5.10 lines, two choices are almost obvious: Crimson Chrysalis (III 5.8+) on Rainbow Mountain's Cloud Tower formation or Epinephrine (IV 5.9) on Black Velvet Peak's Velvet Wall. The former is a direct, 8-pitch line to a summit of a semi-detached pillar on the north side of Rainbow Mountain. It is very sustained at it's 5.8 grade (though no pitch feels harder than 5.8, most of them don't feel easier either). The line is nearly vertical and the going is very exposed with almost all belays being full on hanging! By the time you reach the last pitch, you have about a thousand feet of air separating you from your backpacks at the base. It is probably the best 5.8 line anywhere in the US. The latter, Epinephrine is equally unforgettable. Originally 18 pitches long, the use of 60 meter ropes now allows most parties to get the job done in 14 to 15 pitches. The lower third of the route offers some of the best chimney climbing anywhere - shady, deep, yet reasonably well-protected - these are incredibly fun to climb. The middle third of the route follows an exposed dihedral and face - a drastic change of pace from the shady dungeons below. As you pull onto the top of the 10th pitch (base of the right-trending ramp system) you have 1200 feet of air below you! The final third (or final quarter) of the route follows a relatively easy slab system (the ramp) to just below the summit of Black Velvet Wall. Deciding which of these two is the choice Red Rocks moderate line is impossible for this author." - (Radek)

Routes

Dream of Wild Turkeys

Epinephrine

Chrimson Chrysalis

Pine Creek Canyon

Overhanging Hangover

Turtlehead Peak

West Gully

Kraft Mountain
Kraft Crags, 5.9-5.11d

Classic Crack of Calico, 5.9+, 3 Pitches

Calico Basin
Riding Hood Wall

Physical Graffiti, 5.6, 2 Pitches

Calico Hills
Tiger Stripe Wall, 5.9-5.11b
Panty Wall, 5.5-5.13b
Magic Bus, 5.8-5.9
Great Red Book Area, 5.6-5.11d

Great Red Book, 5.8, 2 Pitches

Hunter Thompson Dome, 5.8-5.12a
Stone Wall, 5.10b-5.11b
Gallery Wall, 5.9-5.13b
Stratocaster Wall, 5.8-5.13b

White Rock Mountain

East Gully Scramble

Angel Food Wall, 5.6-5.11a

Pureblind Pillar, 5.8-5.9, 6 Pitches

Group Therapy, 5.7, 6 Pitches

Tunnel Vision, 5.7, 5 Pitches

Healy’s Haunted House, 5.7, 5 Pitches

Willow Springs
Hidden Falls Area, 5.8-5.13b
Ragged Edges Area, 5.5-5.12d

Ragged Edges, 5.8, 2 Pitches
Nadia's Nine Area, 5.4-5.11d

Nadia's Nine, 5.9+, 2 Pitches

Ice Box Canyon
Necromancer, 5.7-5.10a

Atras, 5.8, 2 Pitches

Fold Out, 5.8, 2 Pitches
Frigid Air Buttress, 5.7-5.11d

Frigid Air Buttress, 5.9+, 7 Pitches

Refrigerator Wall

La Cierta Edad, 5.10c, 5 Pitches

Ice Box Peak Scramble

North Peak

From Red Rock Summit

Lost Creek Canyon to North Peak

Bridge Mountain

From Red Rock Summit

Straight Shooter Wall, 5.7-5.11c
Brass Wall, 5.4-5.12a
Spectrum Wall, 5.7-5.11a

Birdland, 5.7+, 5 Pitches

Big Horn, 5.8, 3 Pitches

Bridge Point

Standard Route

Mescalito
Dark Shadows Wall, 5.8-5.12c

Chasing Shadows, 5.8+, 4 Pitches

Dark Shadows, 5.8, 4 Pitches

East Face, 5.7-5.12b

Y2K, 5.10a, 4 Pitches

Black Widow Hollow, 5.9, 3 Pitches

South Face, 5.6-5.12a

Cat In The Hat, 5.6+, 5 Pitches

Magic Mountain

Honeycomb Chimney, 5.9, 8 Pitches

Community Pillar, 5.9, 6 Pitches

Rose Tower

Olive Oil, 5.7, 5 Pitches

Jackrabbit Buttress

Geronimo, 5.6, 4 Pitches

Myster Z, 5.7, 6-8 Pitches

Rose Hips, 5.7, 5 Pitches

Juniper Peak

Standard Scramble Route

Brownstone Wall North

Armatron, 5.9, 6 Pitches

Sweet Thin, 5.9, 7 Pitches

Requiem for a Tadpole, 5.9+, 5 Pitches

Brownstone Wall South

The Black Dagger, 5.7+, 6 Pitches

The Nightcrawler, 5.10c, 4 Pitches

High Anxiety, 5.10c, 6 Pitches

Pro Choice, 5.11a, 4 Pitches

Gunsight Notch

via Juniper Canyon

Rainbow Mountain
Juniper Canyon
Wall of Cracks, 5.8-5.12d

Test Tube, 5.9, 3 Pitches

Spare Rib, 5.8, 4 Pitches

Crimson Chrysalis, 5.8+, 9 Pitches

Ginger Buttress, 5.8-5.11d

Ginger Cracks, 5.9, 7 Pitches

Unimpeachable Groping, 5.10b, 7 Pitches

Power Failure, 5.10b, 3 Pitches

Oak Creek Canyon
Lower Solar Slab,5.7-5.9+

Friar, 5.9R+, 4 Pitches

Horndogger Select, 5.8, 3 Pitches

Solar Slab Gully, 5.3, 4 Pitches

Sideline, 5.9, 4 Pitches

Frieda's Flake, 5.9, 3 Pitches

Johnny Vegas, 5.7, 4 Pitches

Sandstone Overcast, 5.9, 4 Pitches

Beulah’s Book, 5.9, 4 Pitches

Upper Solar Slab,5.6-5.10a

Sundog, 5.10a, 5 Pitches

Sunflower, 5.9, 5 Pitches

Heliotrope, 5.9, 5 Pitches

Solar Slab, 5.6, 7-9 Pitches

Arch Enemy, 5.9, 3 Pitches

Change Up, 5.9, 2 Pitches

Sunspot Ridge,5.7-5.10c

Solar Flare, 5.10c, 5 Pitches

Sunspot Ridge, 5.8, 13 Pitches

Black Arch Wall,5.8-5.12b

Black Orpheus, 5.10a, 11 Pitches

There and Back Again, 5.8, 5 Pitches

Plate of Fate, 5.9+, 3 Pitches

Eagle Wall,5.8-5.11d

Rainbow Buttress, 5.8+, 8 Pitches

Eagle Dance, 5.10c, A0, 9 Pitches

Oak Creek Peak

Cactus Flower Tower

via Oak Creek Canyon, 5.3

Mount Wilson

Oak Creek Canyon

Cleaver Crack Scramble

Lady Wilson's Cleavage, 5.9, 9 Pitches

First Creek Canyon

Aeolian Wall, 5.10a-5.11d

Resolution Arete, V, 5.11d

Inti Watana, 5.10c, 12 Pitches

White Rock Pinnacle

Decision Peak

Indecision Peak

East Face Gully

Lotta Balls Wall,5.8-5.10c

Lotta Balls, 5.8+, 3 Pitches

Black Magic, 5.8, 4 Pitches

First Creek Slabs

Hot Flash, 5.8, 10 Pitches

Mountain Springs Peak

The Monument

Cornucopia, 5.10a, 5 Pitches

Burlap Buttress

Arrow Place, 5.9, 3 Pitches

Whiskey Peak
Frogland Buttress

Drunken Frog, 5.8+, 6 Pitches

Frogland, 5.8, 6 Pitches

Ixtlan Buttress

Misunderstanding, 5.9, 2 Pitches

Triassic Sands, 5.10b, 5 Pitches

Wholesome Fullback Buttress

Wholesome Fullback, 5.10a, 2 Pitches

Black Velvet Peak

Black Velvet Canyon

Black Velvet Wall, 5.9-5.12a

Refried Brains, 5.9, 8 Pitches

Prince of Darkness, 5.10c, 6 Pitches

Dream of Wild Turkeys, 5.10a, 10 Pitches

Gobbler, 5.10a, 3 Pitches

Sour Mash, 5.10a, 6 Pitches

Overhanging Hangover, 5.10a, 2 Pitches

Epinephrine, 5.9, 11 Pitches

Global Peak

Mud Springs Scramble

Windy Peak

Scramble from Mountain Springs

Windy Canyon

East Face, 5.6-5.10c

Diet Delight, 5.9, 4 Pitches

Jackass Flats, 5.6, 2 Pitches

South Face, 5.7-5.10b

Ain't No Saint, 5.10b, 9 Pitches

Hot Fudge Thursday, 5.9, 7 Pitches

Western Swing, 5.10b, 8 Pitches

Song and a Prayer, 5.10aR, 6 Pitches

Jubilant Song, 5.8, 8 Pitches

External Links

Courtney's hiking and scrambling guidebook, Rambles & Scrambles: The Definitive Guide to Peakbagging Around Las Vegas

Radek's page detailing Larry DeAngelo's featured climbs at Red Rocks

Places to Stay

Element Hotel on 215, send me a private message to receive details on a special rate for climbers.

Images



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