Rainbow Gardens Crest Loop - 2/2/26

Lava Butte from top of exit Ridge

A few of the first spring Flowers

Susan's beautiful photo of Lava Butte from Ridge Crest

Entering the gardens through the Wash

We missed the usual December hike to Rainbow Gardens and here it is February. What a nice surprise it was! We found that many of the early spring flowers were blooming in the washes and low ridges. Right away, we noticed the phacelia, the brittlebushes and the Asian mustard, an invasive plant that isn't that bad looking as it begins to grow. (It becomes more ugly as the year wears on.) A few goldeneyes, young flowering rock nettles, california poppies (evening primroses), purple mat and flourishing beaver tail cacti that are not budding as yet. Susan and I had a great time slowly wandering up the main wash looking for the "super bloom" of Rainbow Gardens!

More of the first spring Flowers

Bedsprings Junction

The Kitchen

View north from the Kitchen

We took a right at Bedsprings Junction and crossed over the ridge to Rainbow Gardens Canyon. The colors of the canyon were dullish. Perhaps because the sky was not a nice color of blue. We passed the ladder and took a right up onto a steep ridge with a trail. This led us up to the crest of the ridge that surrounds the colors of Rainbow Gardens and below Lava Butte, that imposing dark boulder covered butte that rises with a prominence of almost 875' and an elevation of almost 3000'. While sometimes referred to as a lava butte, it is actually an igneous, dacite-based laccolith formed about 13 million years ago, rather than a surface eruption, according to the USGS report. ~ AI

Starting down through the Rainbow Gardens Canyon

Last curve in the Rainbow Gardens Canyon

Colors below the ridge Crest

Arriving at the ridge Crest

There is a marked trail along the ridge crest with a few very large cairns. Be careful because the trail comes very close to the cliff that would not be good to fall over the edge! However, the view from the cliff is one of the best on this hike. We followed the trail all the way over to the saddle in front of Lava Butte after taking a break at a high point cairn. At this saddle, we took our "group" photo and followed the trail over the edge and down to the saddle below the climb to Lava Butte. About halfway up the trail to the base of the butte, there is a faint trail that crossed to the right side of this area. I prefer to take the higher trail to put hikers at a better location. On the other side, we climbed up to a ridge that would take us down to the white hills passing two old cairns on a game trail.  

 

View over the ridge Cliff

Over the Cliff and on the the Lake Las Vegas home Construction

                                                 More spring flowers and one of the large Cairns

This ridge descent is not marked well but, suffice it to say, we followed the vague trail along the left side of the ridge summit. We passed two very old cairns that we would all prefer stay there and descended to the wash that leads between the two white hills in front of us. This wash will take you down to a cross-wash where we continued straight and climbed the hill in front of us. The high point here is a gorgeous view if you turn around and look at Lava Butte!

Through the White Hills

All that remained was a ridge trail, bearing to the right through a couple of shallow saddles. This will take you back to the original main wash that will, in turn, take you back to trailhead. As in the past, I missed the first right fork saddle and ended up back-tracking a little. I'm going to get it right, again, someday!!!

Stats: 6.7 miles (with back-tracking); 900' gain; 5.25 hours (We went slow and enjoyed our hike!)

Kay and Susan in front of Lava Butte

Flower Power / Sidewinder Loop CW - 1/31/26

Cairn on end of Rocky Peninsula

View of Flower Power Trail

Sidewinder Trail

Flower Power Car

There were four Wanderers on the trails behind Blue Diamond today. We decided to change it up a little and do the Sidewinder / Flower Power Loop backwards, or clockwise. We liked the different direction and discovered a few new views. This hike is one of my favorites due to the beautiful views of the Red Rock escarpment and the dolomite type rock in the tertiary ridges.

We found our way through the fencing in the back of the trailhead parking lot and followed the worn paths up to the lower mesa above. Joining the Landmine Loop, a popular bike trail in this area, we headed toward the tertiary ridge in front of us. When we reached the junkyard intersection, we turned to our left and followed the trail up to an old rusted car with a license tag on it that read Flower Power. You can either turn left at the car or go on up a little and turn to join the Flower Power Trail. This trail circles the hill in front of you around to the left. The path is clearly marked with cairns. As you hike along the side of the hill back toward Blue Diamond, your views are of the Blue Diamond Gypsum Mine on the left and the beautiful escarpment behind you.

Nearing the top of Flower Power Trail

Watching the small Airplanes

Kay in front of the Rocky Peninsula Cairn

Kissing Rock beyond sandstone Outcrop

We followed the Flower Power Trail as it gradually climbed up to the top of the ridge. The last part held a few wiggling zigzags. Finally, we headed straight back in the direction from which we had come on top of the ridge. At the end of this ridge, the trail turned left. We went straight to walk out on the Rocky Peninsula for a short break. At the end of this peninsula, someone has built a nice pointy cairn! We stopped for just a moment then returned back to the trail. Here, we turned to the right, crossed the saddle, looked for burros and headed up past the sandstone outcrop. This outcrop was part of the result of the Keystone Thrust movement that happened across Cottonwood Valley below. Isn't geology amazing?

Beautiful trail in front of Red Rock Escarpment

Susan nearing Blue Diamond Cactus Garden

First Yucca bloom of the Season

Chunk Arch

Next, we climbed up to the intersection of the Hurl Backdoor Trail that follows along the long and highest ridge leading to the Blue Diamond Cactus Garden. There, we continued along the trail and around a section I named the Blue Diamond Sidewinder Trail many years ago. They probably call it something else now but, for me, it is the Sidewinder because of the fun trail around the contours. After we joined the Landmine Loop once again, we saw a large group of burros inside the Oliver Ranch fencing near the Mormon Green Springs. There were either one or two babies on the ground! Here, we continued down next to the ranch fencing and back to the cars. It was a lovely day.

Stats: 6.7 miles; 1000' gain; 4.25 hours

Starting out Sidewinder Trail

Sidewinder Trail

Herd of 10 burros with babies near Landmine Loop and Mormon Green Springs

Black Friday Loop - 1/27/26

Bighorn (Lower Right) - One of about Five below Cave closest to TH

Three Wanderers saw a small group of bighorns not far from the Buckskin Cliff Shadows Trailhead on Tuesday. They were likely using the large cave above them for shelter from the cold. Our hike was a shortened version of the large Black Friday Loop indicated by the tracks below. Instead of using the Cheyenne Base Trail, we bisected the loop by going straight up toward Hidden Canyon on Black Friday and making the return down the Hidden Canyon Trail. This loop can be hiked a number of different ways.

Stats: 3.8 miles; 575' gain; 2.5 hours

Peak 3844 v Gene's Trail Variation - 1/22/26

 

Sue, Kay and Amora on Peak 3844 with Susan behind the Camera

Due to my own convalescence, the Wanderers are just putzing around on easy trails with Amora. Today, we hiked a variation of Gene's Trail off of Calico Basin Road. It was cold. It was gloomy. But, it wasn't windy. We were pretty comfortable. Amora led us around the hills to the south and west of Peak 3844 until we arrived at the top of the small peak. We tried to use trails we were not too familiar with. We heard horses and dogs in the distance and marveled at the east end of Kraft Mountain. No one was in much of a hurry ... except Amora. But, she has become a very obedient hiker. "Careful!" is a constant mantra for the 1.5 year old poodle. She's a wonderful dog.

Stats: 3.5 miles; 575' gain; 2.5 hours