Route Updates: Terrace Canyon Peak and Other Routes

Terrace Canyon Peak

The original route is a tough class 4 route that is hard to follow. We have always descended through a magnificent bowl into Pine Creek. This descent route can be used as an ascent route. Here's the quick description: From Pine Creek TH (Red Rock Canyon) follow the trail into the South Fork. When the canyon divides, hike into the south fork. Continue pass the turnoff for Terrace - Gunsight Notch Canyons. Continue another 20 minutes or so where a large tree has fallen across the wash (See the photo). Just before the tree turn south (left) and follow a drainage up into the bowl. Near the top of the bowl head west on a path and then up the low angle wall. Once up, the summit is in sight off about 100 yards to the east.

East Peak

East Peak

On the exposed ledge there was a scrub oak bush that forced hikers to either duck under or drop down on an even more expose ledge. This is no longer the case. Hikers can now stay on the less exposed ledge and hike by the scrub oak tree without ducking under it.
Stats:

Distance: 3 miles — round trip
Elevation gain: 1,500 feet
Elevation of peak: 5,280 feet
Time: 3 hours – up and back
Difficulty: 3
Danger level: 4
Class: 3

Juniper Peak

Juniper Peak

Once in the canyon the route ascends boulders and then follows a small drainage. The old route would leave the drainage and head up a hill via a very loose path. The new route continues up the drainage. It was hard to determine where to leave the drainage and follow a path that heads NW (right) to the top of the hill. This is no longer the case. It's now very obvious where to leave the drainage and follow the path.

Juniper Peak is consider by many hikers to be one of the best moderate hikes in Red Rock Canyon.
Stats:

Distance: 6 miles — round trip
Elevation gain: 2,131 feet
Elevation peak: 6,109 feet
Time: 4 to 6 hours - Up and back
Difficulty: 3
Danger level: 3
Class: 3

Terrace Canyon Peak and Bridge Mtn and Bridge Point

Lots of hiking this weekend. First, on Saturday, nine hikers followed the insane route to Terrace Canyon Peak. The route has lots of climbing and some real exposure. Kathy, new to scrambling, handled the route with ease. Tracy, the other newbie, did equally as well.

I had planned the hike with another Meetup organizer so his group could take photos of our group as we climbed out of Terrace Canyon. They got a few decent shots of us. By 1:30 we were sitting on the summit trying to hide from the wind.

The descent route is very fast. We were down in the wash in about 30 minutes. Everyone did well and really enjoyed the hike.

On Sunday I led the classic hike: Bridge Mtn and Bridge Point from Pine Creek. This is a strenuous, 9 mile hike, gaining 4,200 feet in elevation. It's one of those impossible looking routes.
After bagging Bridge Mtn. we descended the Hidden Waterfall at the north end of the Hidden Forest. As you can see in the photo above, there was snow. It made for an interesting descent. About 30 minutes later we were standing on the summit of Bridge Point. In another two hours we were at the trailhead.

Kenny reported it snowed while he was hiking to Hayford Peak on Saturday. To say this April has seen its share of weird weather is an understatement.
Notes: Fern Canyon is a mess due to down trees. There's a new book at Bridge Mtn. The Terrace Canyon Peak route is well cairned. Both sign-ins books at Bridge Point and Terrace Canyon Peak have plenty of blank pages.