White Rock Hills Peak via North Ridge Route

Yesterday (11-11), on Veteran's Day Davis and I found a much better route to White Rock Hills Peak from the north. The photo to the left is an approximation of the route. The boulder the route passes is amazing. Where did it fall from?

The upper part of the route hooks up with the Surprise Canyon route, a great route founded by Eva and Richard. In fact you have the option of descending via Surprise Canyon route.

Near the summit we saw a huge big horn sheep. I have not seen many big horns lately. On the flip side we saw burros as we drove the Scenic Loop. I thoght the BLM rounded them up and moved them. I just published the route. Members can download it now.

Hikers wanted: If you want to do this hike, let me know. I will let you download the hiking directions for free. All I ask is for you to give me your opinion on the route. How you liked it and how easy it was to follow. Email me if interested: BranchWhitney AT hikinglasvegas.com (replace "AT" with the "@" symbol.)

Note: We placed a sign-in book at White Rock Springs Peak.

Rainbow Peak and White Rock Hills Peak

On Saturday (4-4), 12 hikers scrambled to the summit of Rainbow Peak. We started at Oak Creek trailhead and hiked into Juniper Canyon. We then headed up Gunsight Notch. There are some down trees due to the snow this past winter. They need to be removed as they make for tough going.

We then traversed above Gunsight Notch Canyon and headed up to Rainbow Wall. I was the only hiker who had been to the top of the wall. Needless to say the other hikers were quite impressed looking down 1,200 feet into Juniper Canyon.

Are next stop was Rainbow Peak via the Ledges. It got real quiet as hikers got their first glimpse of the exposed ledges. We all made it across and then down to the saddle. From there it's an easy walk (sort of) to the summit.

After eating and signing the book we followed the Rainbow Peak without the Ledges route down into Juniper Canyon. This is a very short and quick descent aided by three ropes. All in all a great day.

On Sunday (4-5), 16 hikers stood on the summit of White Rock Hills Peak. We ascended the southern route, which is the original route. It's pretty well cairned, but still is one of the hardest routes to follow in Red Rock. After eating at the peak we descended via Surprise Canyon, an excellent route and it's very well cairned.
Notes: The books and containers at both peaks are in good shape, though the book at Rainbow Peak is fragile.

New Route to White Rock Hills Peak

Richard has found another fantastic route to the summit of White Rock Hills Peak. The route ascends a broad SE facing gully. Great scrambling and unpredictable turns make this one of the best routes to the summit of White Rock Hills Peak. The route is very well cairned and has been cleaned. It's a great winter hike. I was at the peak today with just one layer on and it was comfortable. Not bad for a mid-January day!
The photo to the left is Richard and Eva after climbing through a tunnel. I will be leading this hike on Sunday (1-20).
From the view from the summit we could see lots of snow and ice on north facing walls and ridges. It will be awhile before north facing routes are doable in Red Rock.