RED ROCK CANYON CIRCUMNAVIGATION
24.7 Miles | 9 hrs 28 min | +/-10,426 ft elevation
Overview: Up until this challenge, I had never covered more than 20-miles in one push, so attempting this circumnavigation was a pretty big deal. I opted for a dawn patrol start (after sleeping next to my car) and upon waking-up, immediately attacked the first few miles of trail. I reached the back side of White Rocks without any major issues and without ever really breaking stride. Throughout the day I would occasionally duck into the shadow of a Juniper to find refuse from the sun and the highlight of the day was by far soaking in the fresh water springs at the top of Rocky Gap Road. After my refreshing soak, I dropped the hammer through the Dale’s Trail section (one of my favorite areas of RRC) and made it to Pine Creek just ahead of schedule. However, it come at a cost as I was pretty gassed. The final 10-miles, across a spiderweb of endless sandy washes, ended up being a hard fought mental battle that made arriving back to my car a truly euphoric experience.
May 14, 2005 | Red Rock Canyon NCA, NV
CHALLENGE MAP
CHALLENGE SPLITS
CHALLENGE INSIGHT
Calico Basin: Slept next to my car so I could get early start and left right at sunrise. I had spent a lot of time running in Calico Basin so I was very familiar with the first leg of the challenge and attacked Hells Hill right out of the gate. Once on top, I bushwhacked my way over and to Turtlehead Peak.
Turtlehead Peak: This would mark the first and only time I had ever been up Turtlehead Peak. I had no idea how to access it properly from where I was, so I just attacked it straight on from its South Face. I ended-up in a Class IV scramble at one point, but eventually topped and avoided falling to my death.
Sandstone Quarry: Used the proper trail to exit Turtlehead Peak and followed it back to Sandstone Quarry parking lot where I saw my first humans of the day. From here I jumped on the Grand Circle Loop for a few miles, making my way towards White Rocks.
White Rocks Parking Lot: Met a couple at the start of the trail that were turning back to their car. They were bailing on the trail and I was able to convince them to top off my water bottles since they were retreating. That was actually a huge relief as I was miles from my water cache and starting to run low.
White Rocks Loop Trail: In all honesty, I’d probably bail from White Rocks if I were a tourist as well. It’s densely populated with Juniper trees, making it hard to see the surrounding mountains and it’s basically a 4-mile overgrown tunnel. Most people know this, hence the reason no one ever takes this trail…which is exactly why I loved running this section so much. No people.
Rocky Gap Road: I was starting to tire a bit by the time I hit the junction to Rocky Gap. Word was, the fresh water spring was running so I hiked the additional 2 miles RT so I could cool myself down in a road side bath. It turned out to be the best decision of the day.
Lost Creek Parking Lot: Rejuvenated from my bath, I bounded back down the Rocky Gap Road with my sights set on my water cache that I had dropped the night before. I placed it across the street from the Lost Creek parking lot and hid it in some bushes up on the hill.
Dale’s Trail: By mid-day, Dales Trail was a sufferfest. This is one of my all-time favorite trails in Red Rocks, but I was really starting to feel the miles at this point. I stopped in the shade a bunch and did my best to stay hydrated.
Pine Creek Canyon: By the time I rolled into Pine Creek Canyon I was a shell of the man that started this journey. I had just covered 18 miles and nearly 9,000 ft of elevation change in 6-hours. From here on out I was a member of the walking dead.
RRC Overlook: I stumbled into the Overlook parking lot hell bent on hitching a ride back to Calico. But, with no viable options, I departed and stepped back into the desert. In all honesty the next few hours were a blur.
Entrance Station: The fee station was like an oasis to me as I trudged along in the baking sun. But of course, it was only a mirage as I still had nearly 2-miles of up-and-down terrain to cover before arriving at my car so my arrival to this hopeless oasis was short lived.
Calico Basin Return: That final hill was brutal, climbing past Modern Mecca (rock climbing area) and topping out at Red Springs took every once of energy I had. I was so tired by the time I reached my car I wasn’t even sure I could safely drive home. But after a few sips of Gatorade and an ice bath in cooler water, I was able to recover just fine and made it home without any issues.
Only Photo: Back in 2005, I was still using a film camera to document all my adventures. Over the years I’ve lost a lot photos and this is the only surviving photo from this challenge. A hiker headed into Pine Creek Canyon was kind enough to take my photo and helped capture what would be my first +20-mile day.
