Gass Peak - 10/28/17

Desert National Wildlife Refuge

Gass Peak from Main Ridge Approach

View East near the Summit

Gass Peak from the Trailhead

Gass Peak is located on the northern border of the Las Vegas valley in the Desert National Wildlife Refuge. In fact, its mountain range is called the Las Vegas Range. To get to the trailhead, there is (at least) an hour long drive, partially on high clearance roads, from the Santa Fe Casino, our meeting location. After a stop at the Corn Creek Visitor Center to sign into the registry, eight hikers in two HCVs drove out the Mormon Well Road and turned right onto Gass Peak Road. Gass Peak Road is in good condition with the dips into the washes being a little bumpy. As we motored along the road, we delved into a beautiful mountainous desert area seemingly miles from anywhere.

The Team (5 Newbies, 3 Veterans)

In reality, all that was between us and 2.5 million people was that 6937 foot mountain and its small surrounding range.

View West from Approach Ridge

When we arrived at the small parking lot, someone's Jeep was already there. We passed him as he was descending the approach ridge. He said he had arrived at the trailhead around 7am for his cool climb.

Approach Ridge Trail

Junction with Main Ridge

Our leisurely trailhead time was around 9:30am. We started up the gated forest road on a gentle climb up a trailing ridge. When the road turns off to the right, we continued straight up the approach ridge. There is a trail ... in fact, there are a few trails! They all go the same place and eventually we began to see just one, sometimes two, main worn paths. The climb up this ridge is forgiving. There are several small "peaks" after which we enjoyed a few feet of flatness. That said, the last bit of climbing up to the main ridge junction is probably the steepest.

View Back at the Trailhead & Approach Ridge

At the main ridge, we were sure to note the appearance of two cairns set thirty feet apart. It is obviously important to recognize this junction on the way down.

Mountainous View from Main Ridge

The group of eight hikers were well-matched and we stayed together with the occasional rest and water stops. Although the hike is virtually all trail, it is still a formidable climb.

Hiker Shadows along Long Traverse

Two Hikers on Difficult Traverse Section

We turned to the right onto the main ridge and it wasn't long before we were at the bottom of the steepest section of the hike, staring up! This section is made easier with the use of several small switchbacks. After this, a long traverse on a difficult ascent angle begins. A few stops were taken during this part of the journey as we took in the gorgeous scenery far below and far away. It is difficult to describe the scenery except that there are mountains as far as you can see to the north and desert terrain laid out below. Twice, we traveled across rocky saddle areas. Views of Las Vegas and Lake Mead laid out before us on the south side. (A building fire had obscured the view of the Strip.)

Eastern View

We searched the area for bighorn sheep. We had seen hoof prints on the way up and a lot of scat. But, they were nowhere to be seen.

Gass Peak within Reach

The peak with its resident antennae array could be seen almost all the way up the trail. It beckoned us and mocked us all at the same time.

Smoke from a Fire over Las Vegas

One of Two Rocky Traverses

After the last rocky saddle traverse, the trail steepened again as we made our final push to the summit. The trail leads up just below a limestone wall. Finally, we arrived at the large solar panel array and turned right to climb to the summit. The weather was, as predicted, perfect! If not for the smoke from the fire, the views would have been clear in every direction. We sat for our snack and noticed that the old torn-up wind sock had been replaced with a weather vane. There is a nice new log book in the box and we added our names. The newbies were duly impressed with all of it.

Arriving at the Solar Array and Summit

Kay made an attempt at a timed photo under less than perfect conditions and still didn't make it to the group in time! But, it doesn't matter!

Kay needs to get her timing down on the summit photo.

The wide shot above shows the narrowness of the summit, the large array of communications equipment and the proximity of Las Vegas.

From Summit to Vickie to Solar Array to Las Vegas

Starting down the Main Ridge

All that remained was our descent. We took our time and everyone happily stayed together. The trail seemed easier to follow on the way up. On the way down, we had to search for it a few times. That really didn't matter either! It's a ridge! Anyway, we smoothly found the approach ridge junction with the cairns and made our way down the intermittent peaks ... and, finally, the forest road. Gass Peak is a great climb and the drive out and back must be viewed as part of the adventure. Fun group today!

7 miles; 2100 feet elevation gain; 4.25 hours

Steep Section Descent ... with Grace

Starting down the Approach Ridge

Arriving at the Trailhead