Red Rock Climbing
By Anya Jingle
Overview
“White Rock Spring Peak,” an unofficially named peak northeast of White Rock Peak in the La Madre Mountain Wilderness Area adjacent to Nevada’s Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, is a nice, lightly visited scrambling objective in a stunning desert wilderness setting.
On maps, the peak is Point 5977. However, Point 5977 is not the actual highpoint of WRSP; the real highpoint is just southwest and is the "sharp" peak seen from both the TH and points along the climb. The highpoint crosses the 6000' contour on USGS maps, and I am using 6020', halfway between 6000' and the next contour (6040') as an estimate for the elevation. Captions for this page's photos do indicate that the highpoint is the sharp peak; it is also easy to distinguish by the sheer cliff below it that drops to the saddle connecting WRSP and White Rock Peak.
The name here is swiped from the guidebook Rambles & Scrambles: The Definitive Guide to Peakbagging Around Las Vegas by SP member cp0915; this book is a wealth of information on peaks within a day's drive of the Las Vegas area and has an extensive collection of route descriptions for peaks in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
Do not confuse White Rock Spring Peak with White Rock Peak. The latter is the pyramid-shaped peak almost due west of the parking area (photos on this page differentiate the two peaks). The two peaks are connected by a saddle, but climbing both in one outing via their connecting ridge is not feasible for most climbers since the drop from White Rock Spring Peak to the ridge joining it to its higher neighbor involves a cliff that would be difficult for an unroped climber to negotiate.
This peak is nothing to brag about over beers in the evening, but it makes a great short objective if time is limited. During my April 2009 visit to Las Vegas with my 4-year-old son, I was looking for high-quality things to do early in the morning before my son woke up (we were staying with my brothers, so I wasn’t leaving him unattended) or with my son later in the day. Some other SP members (including the author of the guidebook mentioned above) recommended this and other peaks; their recommendations were spot-on.
By Anya Jingle
Route
From the parking area, get onto the peak’s southeast ridge. This is literally a matter of walking a few yards and stepping onto the rocks. Follow the ridge all the way to the summit. Most of the time, the going is Class 2, but you will probably encounter some Class 3 here and there, especially when closer to the summit. Exposure should not be an issue. Stay as close to the ridgetop as possible; this will increase the difficulty to Class 3, but you will mostly avoid exposure and bushwhacking by doing so. Cairns occasionally mark the way, but it is not essential to look for or follow them.
Summit views include many of the famous Zion-like Red Rock peaks, the Spring Mountains, Turtlehead Peak, and the Calico Hills.
Note-- along the way, you will reach a few false summits. If you were paying any attention at all during the drive in and at the trailhead, these false summits will not surprise or discourage you.
RT distance is about 2 miles. Elevation gain is about 1000’.
Getting There
From Charleston Boulevard (Route 159) west of I-215 and Summerlin, turn onto the Scenic Drive in RRCNCA and drive 6 miles to the turnoff for White Rock Spring. Follow the rocky road for a half-mile to the parking area and trailhead.
Red Tape
There is a daily entrance fee of $7 per vehicle April 2011). Annual and interagency passes are available (the Interagency Pass, AKA the America the Beautiful Pass, grants access to all federal fee areas for a year).
Hours the Scenic Drive is open:
November 1 through February 28/29; 6 a.m. – 5 p.m.
March 1 through March 31; 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
April 1 through September 30; 6 a.m. – 8 p.m.
October 1 through October 31; 6 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Note: these hours are subject to change; in April 2009, the hours were 6 A.M. until 7 P.M. To be safe and sure, contact the park before visiting.
Camping
There are no campgrounds off the Scenic Drive in RRCNCA. There is a campground outside it, though; see here for more details. Bivouacs and backcountry camping are permitted, but with permits and restrictions. Use the link at the end of this page to find out more. Camping is not necessary in order to climb White Rock Spring Peak.
External Links
BLM site for RRCNCA
By MoapaPk-- note: the diagram is not for the route described on this page; this map illustrates the discrepancy between the map elevation and the actual highpoint.
Additions and Corrections
[ Post an Addition or Correction ]
|
| MoapaPk | not 5977 | |
Voted 10/10 | Actually, the true WRSP is over 6000', if you believe the USGS maps. The gentler peak to the north is 5977. The USGS picks some distictive (on aerial photos) points for elevation checks; they picked the easier peak to reach by survey, not the highest. | |
| Posted Apr 13, 2009 9:18 pm | ||
 | ||
| Bob Sihler | Re: not 5977 | |
Hasn't voted | I'm confused. I checked my Red Rock map and the USGS maps, and I'm certain the peak I climbed is the one marked 5977, and I'm also certain that's the one CP refers to as WRSP. On the maps, there's no other peak in the White Rock Hills over 6000' except for what CP calls White Rock Peak and on SP is White Rock Mountain (http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/150935/white-rock-mountain.html)-- that is the peak just SW and connected by the saddle CP describes in the route for WRP. Are you saying 5977 is higher than that or that WRSP is a different peak? If the latter, then which one is it? Thanks! | |
| Posted Apr 13, 2009 10:08 pm | ||
| ||
| MoapaPk | Re: not 5977 | |
Voted 10/10 | See the map I just uploaded to the image section. Right now SP is painfully slow for me, but I'll try to get more info soon. Check the 6000' contour on that sharper peak -- it has a register. | |
| Posted Apr 13, 2009 11:17 pm | ||
| ||
| Bob Sihler | Re: not 5977 | |
Hasn't voted | Ah, now I see. At least I know I was there! The spot you mention is at the edge of the sheer drop toward the pass, and I remember looking down and thinking "So that's why no one suggested doing both peaks via a ridge traverse." I remember a cairn but didn't look for a register, though. And I definitely remember the "bend" in the route; one of the pictures here even suggests the bend. I'll change the elevation to 6020'-- halfway between 6000 and the next contour. I think my photo captions make it pretty clear that the sharp peak is the highpoint, but I'll add something to the text about the 5977 vs. the true highpoint. Thanks. | |
| Posted Apr 13, 2009 11:28 pm | ||
| ||
| MoapaPk | Re: not 5977 | |
Voted 10/10 | You got it! From the pictures and description, I was pretty sure you were at the highpoint. I remember thinking, "why, you can just drop off the W side to do the traverse!" then finding out it's not as "easy" as it looks. Lately, a lot of cheesy registers have disappeared -- I partly suspect ringtails, who've learned to take plastic containers for climbers' lunches. | |
| Posted Apr 14, 2009 3:49 am | ||
|
Images
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |