Rainbow Mountain

Rainbow Mountain Wilderness https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/nevada The Rainbow Mountain Wilderness is home to the gorgeous sandstone escarpments, rugged canyons and linestone peaks that draw 1.3 million visitors to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area each year. Located west of Las Vegas, Rainbow Mountain Wilderness is part of the Spring Mountains complex, which also includes the LaMadre and Mt. Charleston Wilderness Study Areas. As housing growth eats up open space and forces wildlife to compete for habitat, more human residents are venturing into the hills to explore the bounty of this backyard wild country.

Bureau of Land Management Photo Credit: Sendi Kalcic Southern Nevada District Office 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive Las Vegas, NV 89103 http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/lvfo.1.html Size: 24,997 acres Elevation Range: 3,960 - 7,070 feet Designation: Clark County Conservation of Public Land and Natural Resources Act of 2002 BLM Rainbow Mountain Wilderness Area Description Just 12 miles west of Las Vegas, the colorful, bare sandstone of the aptly named Rainbow Mountain Wilderness emerges from the valley floor, standing guard over the surrounding pinyon-juniper forest and Mojave Desertscrub below. Its sheer, towering red and white cliffs are cut by rugged, narrow, twisting canyons lined with willow, ash, and hackberry trees. Encompassing 24,997 acres, this desert wonderland dominates the western view of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and is managed jointly by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Photo Credit: Sendi Kalcic With springs, sandstone ‘pothole’ water tanks, and an elevation range of 3,000 feet, topping out at the 7,070-foot summit of Mount Wilson, the wilderness supports a wide variety of wildlife and unique plant communities. Deep, cool canyons host chain ferns as much as six feet tall and ponderosa pines, which usually thrive at higher elevations like the rocky outcrops further up the mountainsides. Desert bighorn sheep, mountain lion, bobcats, mule deer, coyote, foxes, bats, squirrels, and numerous bird species also make their home in the Rainbow Mountain Wilderness. Directions Photo Credit: Sendi Kalcic The east side of the area is easily accessed from the scenic drive at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Access is also available from paved roads to the west and south of the wilderness, as well as from dirt, four-wheel drive roads to the north. Recreation Motorized vehicles, mechanized equipment, and mechanical transport are not permitted in designated wilderness. Maps USGS 7.5 Quadrangle Maps: La Madre Spring, La Madre Mountain, Mountain Springs, Blue Diamond, and Cottonwood Pass. Additional Information Photo Credit: Scott Massey • Please limit group sized to 12 members. • Maximum length of stay: 14 days • Camping is prohibited within one-quarter mile of springs and riparian areas. • No rock climbing within 50 feet of petroglyphs and pictographs. • Target shooting is prohibited. • Other than incidental browsing, riding and pack stock animals may be fed only packed-in, certified, weed-free feed. • Non-commercial hunting and trapping is permitted subject to applicable state regulation. • Alteration of any rock surfaces by gluing, chipping, and chiseling is not allowed. Southern Nevada District Office The Rainbow Mountain Wilderness provides a unique and beautiful backdrop for hiking, horseback riding, wildlife viewing, and camping. Bring a field guide to discover one of Rainbow Mountain’s endemic plant communities found nowhere else on earth, or enjoy a trip back in time, pondering the meaning of the many petroglyphs and pictographs telling stories of the area’s earlier inhabitants. No warranty is made by the Bureau of Land Management as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of these data for individual use or aggregate use with other data. Original data were compiled from various sources. This information may not meet National Map Accuacy standards. This product was developed through digital means and may be updated without notification. Southern Nevada District Office N BLM Rainbow Mountain Wilderness 

Rainbow Wilderness Area Rock Climbing Inventory Statistics: Area: Walls Routes Bolts Anchors Willow Springs 11 107 147 23 Icebox Canyon 11 71 188 59 Pine Creek Canyon 28 194 264 173 Juniper Canyon 10 66 307 153 Oak Creek Canyon 14 60 274 104 Mt. Wilson 8 26 129 53 First Creek Canyon 7 31 39 23 Black Velvet Canyon 11 72 474 147 Whiskey Peak 6 58 154 44 Mud Springs Canyon 3 5 18 8 Windy Peak 4 20 12 5 Southern Outcrops 3 36 7 7 116 746 2013 799 TOTAL: 275/746 routes field verified – 36% 30 new routes not found in literature Route information and locations were identified based upon information gathered from Red Rock Canyon: A Climbing Guide, Rock Climbing: Red Rocks, Red Rocks Climbing, and Red Rock Odyssey and www.climbingredrocks.com. 33 new routes were discovered that were not mentioned in the literature review. This included two fixed lines that provided access to the Western Spaces Wall in Black Velvet Canyon. The hardware counts for the majority of the climbs in the Rainbow Wilderness were collected from literary sources. Field verification of this data was only possible on 275 of the 746 routes inventoried in the Rainbow Wilderness. In other words, only 36% of the total hardware data in the Rainbow Wilderness could be confirmed by field survey observations. This should be taken into consideration when making an estimate of the overall accuracy of the bolt and anchor inventory data. Willow Springs Rock Climbing Inventory Statistics: Wall: # of Routes # of Bolts # of Anchors Nadia’s Niche 5 0 1 N’Plus Ultra 6 9 0 Bigfoot Wall 10 33 4 Upper Tier & Bighorn Buttress 8 12 5 Lower Tier 20 39 4 Ragged Edges Cliff 28 28 4 Graduate Cliff 4 10 3 The Case Face 6 8 1 The Egg 1 0 0 Mossy Ledges 2 1 0 Sumo Greatness Slab 17 7 1 107 147 23 TOTAL: 37/107 routes field verified – 34% 1 new route not found in literature Route information and locations were identified based upon information gathered from Red Rock Canyon: A Climbing Guide (pgs. 178-197), Rock Climbing: Red Rocks (pgs. 169-182), Red Rocks Climbing (pgs. 129-133) and www.climbingredrocks.com. Sumo Greatness Slab, The Case Face and the Bigfoot Wall were the only walls that were completely field verified for bolts and anchors. The climbs on the other 9 walls in this area were verified to exist but the nature and location of many of these climbs prohibited an accurate hardware count. The route on The Egg was field verified but GPS data was not collected for this wall. It was determined that the traditional nature of the climb and its relative lack of use did not constitute the need for the survey team to undertake the dangerous approach necessary to reach the wall. Willow Springs Access: Take the Scenic Loop Road from the BLM Visitor’s Center for approximately 7.3 miles until the sign for Willow Springs. For Sumo Greatness Slab, Mossy Ledges, The Graduate Cliff and The Case Face drive to the and of the Willow Springs road and park in the dirt parking area just past the picnic area mentioned in Willow Springs East. The climbs on Sumo Greatness Slab are found on both sides of the petroglyphs discovered in this area and accessed by the Petroglyph Wall Trail. The Graduate Cliff, The Case Face and Mossy Ledges are accessed by a trail (pictured right) heading southwest from the wash paralleling the road toward the Ragged Edges Cliff. Follow the trail a short distance then hike up a gully to the northwest to reach Mossy Ledges. Accessing the Case Face requires you to continue following the trail toward the base of Ragged Edges, then turn north (right) up a talus slope to an area above the cliff band. Stay on the trail and turn north (right) to the reach the Case Face or follow the trail left (south) to the Graduate Cliff. To reach the remaining walls park at the Hidden Falls/Lost Creek parking area (pictured left), the first parking area on the Willow Springs road. Ragged Edges Cliff is accessed by hiking the Children’s Discovery Trail (pictured right) through the wash then climb a heavily braided network of trails over a small mound before reaching the base of the cliff. The Bigfoot Wall, Lower Tier and N’Plus Ultra areas can be reached by hiking the Hidden Falls/Lost Creek Trail. After crossing the wash you come to a wooden platform. Veer left from the main trail just past the platform to reach the Bigfoot Wall. N’Plus Ultra is accessed by turning south just before reaching the Bigfoot Wall and bushwhacking through a wash and scrub oak along the base of the eastfacing cliff. Follow a very faint trail to reach the climbs. The Lower Tier is located at the end of the main trail on the cliffs to the left and right of Hidden Falls. The Upper Tier and Bighorn Buttress are accessed by scrambling over ledges from either to the north of N’Plus Ultra or the top of Ragged Edges Cliff. The final area in Willow Springs, Nadia’s Niche, is best reached b