SummitPost - "Red Rock Alps" -- Photos, Diagrams & Topos

Southern Nevada's Rainbow Mountain Wilderness, established in 2002,
is located approximately 12 miles west of sprawling Las Vegas. This
wilderness area is jointly managed by the BLM an USFS. The terrain
consists of beautiful verticle red and BUFF sandstone cliffs, capped
by limestone in some areas, that are DEEPLY incised by narrow,
twisting and heavily vegatated canyons. The area contains one
perennial stream, called Pine Creek. Elevations range from 4,400' in
the canyon bottoms to 7,000' at the top of the sandstone escarpment.

The habitat includes rocky outcrops with pockets of Ponderosa pine,
pinyon pine and juniper. The canyon bottoms support willow, ash and
hackberry species. This range in habitat and the area's unique geology
and microclimates support several endemic plant communities, plants
that are found nowhere else in the world, such as a type of mariposa
lily and ANGELICA.

And, if you thought that only ANGELS live here, you are
probably not too far off from being right on the money.

Photo taken from the Pine Creek Trail - March 10, 2008