Page Type Page Type: Mountain/Rock
Location Lat/Lon: 36.14420°N / 115.5081°W
Additional Information County: Clark
Additional Information Elevation: 7047 ft / 2148 m
Sign the Climber's Log

Overview

North Peak, once considered the highest sandstone peak in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area (NCA), was determined in the most recent survey to actually be 23 feet or so shorter than its much more impressive nearby neighbor, Mt. Wilson. Despite its imposing 2000 foot vertical east face and the fact that it is one of the highest peaks in the NCA, the mountain is often overshadowed by its more impressive neighbors, Bridge Mountain, immediately south, and the monolithic Mt. Wilson, which lies a couple of miles south of Bridge Mountain.

The extraordinary views from the summit extend across the entirety of Red Rock and to Las Vegas and Lake Mead beyond.

Although a number of possible routes to the summit exist, the most popular is the well-traveled class 1 & 2 route from Red Rock Summit.

*You might also check out a fledgling outdoor site (www.backcountry-explorer.com), which provides access to trip reports, beta, photos and other stuff covering hiking, scrambling, climbing and canyoneering around Las Vegas. A new hiking and scrambling guidebook, Rambles & Scrambles: The Definitive Guide to Peakbagging Around Las Vegas, is now available.


 
North Peak on a stormy day
 

Getting There

From Charleston Blvd. and I-215 in Las Vegas, take Charleston Blvd. (Highway 159) west for about 5 miles until you reach the entrance to Red Rock Canyon NCA. Once inside the park, follow the main loop road to the Willow Springs turnoff (just before mile marker 8). Follow the paved road for about 1 mile until it turns into a dirt road. Although passenger cars can continue for another 1/2 mile or so, the road quickly deteriorates and a high clearance vehicle, at minimum, will be necessary for the duration. Continue on the dirt road for about 5 miles until you reach Red Rock Summit, which is an obvious pass between limestone ridges. On the left, you will find adequate parking for 5-6 vehicles and a sign designating the trailhead.

On 7-22-12, Bob Sihler added:

"The driving directions on the page make it sound as though it is about 6.5 miles from the Scenic Drive to Red Rock summit, but I clocked it a week ago at 5.1. Also, there is no longer a sign at Red Rock Summit.

I mention this because there is a possibility that not knowing it could get someone unfamiliar with the location in trouble. Because the sign is not there, one might pass Red Rock Summit at 5.1 miles and think it is the beginning of yet another dip before climbing to the true summit 1.4 miles later. The danger is that less than a mile from RR Summit, the road becomes so nasty that it would be difficult for someone in a stock SUV or truck to get through, and a stubborn or foolish person might get stuck or incur serious vehicular damage in trying to continue to where he thinks the trailhead will be."

 

Red Tape

A $5 entrance fee is required to enter Red Rock NCA.

When To Climb

The mountain can be climbed any time of the year, although winter snows can make the dirt road to Red Rock Summit virtually impassable to vehicles. If you hike up the dirt road to the trailhead, the rest of the route is perfectly doable in winter. If attempting routes other than the one from Red Rock Summit in the winter, icy exposure on the sandstone cliffs, ledges and whatnot can quickly end a good outing and is to be taken seriously.

Camping

Backcountry camping is allowed above 5000 ft (with permit). Although there are no established camping areas within the RRCNCA scenic loop area, the Red Rock Canyon Campground is nearby and accepts walk-ins. To get to the campground, head east two miles on Hwy 159 from the park's entrance station to Moenkopi Road and turn south. The campground entrance is located one mile south of Hwy 159 on Moenkopi Road.

External Links

Additions and CorrectionsPost an Addition or Correction

Viewing: 1-5 of 5
Alan Ellis

Alan Ellis - Feb 18, 2011 8:54 am - Voted 10/10

Observations

Great page! I was up there last weekend and I noticed some changes you may want to make to the page. The park entrance fee is now $7.00. Also, the trailhead sign no longer exists. The pole is there but the sign is missing. The road to the trailhead is almost impassable in some places due to washout but very high clearance vehicles with lifts had made it to the TH. The trailhead GPS coordinates are N36.13105, W115.53325

Bob Sihler

Bob Sihler - Jul 22, 2012 8:17 pm - Hasn't voted

Driving Distance

The driving directions on the page make it sound as though it is about 6.5 miles from the Scenic Drive to Red Rock summit, but I clocked it a week ago at 5.1. Also, there is no longer a sign at Red Rock Summit. I mention this because there is a possibility that not knowing it could get someone unfamiliar with the location in trouble. Because the sign is not there, one might pass Red Rock Summit at 5.1 miles and think it is the beginning of yet another dip before climbing to the true summit 1.4 miles later. The danger is that less than a mile from RR Summit, the road becomes so nasty that it would be difficult for someone in a stock SUV or truck to get through, and a stubborn or foolish person might get stuck or incur serious vehicular damage in trying to continue to where he thinks the trailhead will be. Hopefully, you can update this page accordingly. I'll post this on the Bridge page as well, and I'll post a picture to both showing the trailhead as it currently looks. And as Alan mentioned, the road is really rough. I definitely needed 4wd to get through in a few spots, and the old 4Runner I was in had higher clearance than just any stock SUV you see these days. Some people in Explorers were turning around. I'd recommend skid plates in addition to high clearance and 4wd, though I only scraped bottom once. I'll also email CP for future editions of his book. I realize he was the original owner of this page, and it seems that the directions may be the ones he originally had since they closely match what is in his book. Thanks, Bob

Bob Sihler

Bob Sihler - Jul 22, 2012 8:37 pm - Hasn't voted

The actual North Peak

To repeat what Harlan wrote in the comments section, there is a discrepancy between what BLM calls North Peak and what most others consider it to be. At the junction where the trails split, a sign says it is 0.2 mi to North Peak. That, however, is a limestone peak higher than the sandstone peak that the rest of us think of as North Peak. The "real" North Peak is actually closer to a mile from the trail junction. I just wouldn't want first-timers to the area to hike to the top of the limestone peak, thinking they'd climbed North Peak, and then learn they hadn't. You'd think pictures from this page would prevent that, but you never know!

szupinglee - Jul 6, 2013 4:03 am - Voted 7/10

Another route to the summit plateau of North Peak

Went up there today (July 5th, 2013). First, the Rock Gap 4x4 road is rough at places, and I believe it is easy for people to get into trouble on this road if driving anything less than a full-on Jeep. I drove a Subaru Outback, and couldn't make it to the Red Rock Summit without risking damaging the car. However, there is actually a trail approximately 3-3.5 miles from the Willow Spring area that can be used for approaching the summit plateau. To locate the T/H, after driving on the Rock Gap road for about 3-3.5 miles, watch for a little branch of the road on your right and park your car there. This is not actually a road but more like a small dry creek (the coordinate for this point is 36.151035, -115.523553, Elev. ~5300ft on Google Map). The TH is directly east from this point, marked by a small pile of rock. This trail will take you immediately across the north-south running creek and up on a ridge that points straight to the west flank of North Peak. Based on what I observed today, the trail is steep but well-used, many cairns as you go towards the sandstone plateau. It is probably much more steep than going from the Red Rock Summit TH as this trail is shorter and start from a lower elev. However, it is certainly doable if you don't want to get strained with a busted vehicle.

T. White

T. White - Mar 1, 2018 6:18 am - Hasn't voted

Re: Another route to the summit plateau of North Peak

Many thanks for the advice. It seems like the Rocky Gap road has only deteriorated further since 2013... what a shame for such a highly trafficked area.

Viewing: 1-5 of 5


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