Bard-Ireteba Loop

Getting There

From Las Vegas drive South on HWY 93/95 towards Boulder City. Just passed the Railroad Pass turn south on HWY 95 towards Searchlight. Drive 28.2 miles and turn left (East) onto a dirt road just past mile marker 28. Go on this dirt road for 2 miles. Turn left and drive for 0.7 miles and then turn right on another dirt road. Then turn right onto another dirt road for 2.6 miles and park just before the road curves to the right (South). There will be a wildlife guzzler a little before the parking spot. The coordinates for the parking spot are 35º 35.067 N and 114º 50.313 W. Elevation is approximately 3,880 feet. A 4WD is not needed to get here, but a high clearance vehicle is.

Alternative route if coming from the South

Driving through Searchlight at the intersection of HWY 95 and HWY 164, drive North on HWY 95 for about 7.6 miles. The dirt road is on your right. Turn right (East). Go on this dirt road for 2 miles. Turn left and drive for 0.7 miles and then turn right on another dirt road. Then turn right onto another dirt road for 2.6 miles and park just before the road curves to the right (South).

For the hike, if you have a GPS, I have marked coordinates at multiple locations.

Route Description

To the left of the parking spot there is a wash. Head into the wash and start hiking towards Bard Peak. At 0.1 miles turn left at the fork. After 0.2 miles there is a rocky edge on the right side of the wash. After 0.3 miles there is a turn in the wash. You can now see the West Ridge leading to Bard Peak (which is obscured by peaks in the foreground). At 0.5 miles you’ll be at the west edge of the ridge (35 º 35.335 N & 114 º 50.080 W; elevation ~4,224 ft.). Hike the left side of the first hill on the ridge in front of you. Keep going west up the ridge and eventually Bard Peak comes into view. After 0.9 miles you’ll be at the summit of Bard Peak. There is a summit log at the top.

After a rest and photos on top of Bard Peak start hiking North along the ridge to Ireteba. Hike down along the ridge to the saddle between Bard and Ireteba. This is 0.3 miles (35 º 35.556 N & 114 º 49.651 W; elevation ~4,794 ft.). From here hike on the left side of the ridge to the summit of Ireteba. There is a lot of scrambling and some bouldering this last 0.2 miles to Ireteba’s summit. You’re total distance here on the summit for the trip is about 1.3 miles (0.4 miles total from Bard Peak).

Enjoy the views of the Colorado River, Lake Mojave, McCullough Range, Spirit Mountain to the South, Black Mountain to the NW, and further to the NW Red Rocks and Spring Mountains. In the winter months you’ll see snow capped Mt. Charleston.

When you are ready to start hiking down, head down Ireteba’s West ridge. With careful navigating skills it is class 2 all the way down. When you hit 0.4 miles down the ridge (1.7 trip total) you should be entering the wash (35 º 35.485N & 114 º 49.974; elevation approximately 4,274 ft). Hike through the wash for about 0.4 miles (0.8 from Ireteba and 2.1 miles total). At this point you’ll be just at the bottom of a hill on the left side of the wash (35 º 35.385 N & 114 º 50.363 W). Turn left and head South over 3 washes and back to your vehicle. Total distance is about 2.6 miles for the loop.

Images

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