 |
| White Christmas in Las Vegas |
 |
| Colorful Terrain approaching High Point |
 |
| Who 'Dat? |
 |
| Climbing up to the Loop Trail |
An informational sign at the trailhead reads:
"When the Bureau of Reclamation built Boulder City, it declared this federal town would be free of gambling, liquor and prostitution. But the government didn't control the 20-acre parcel of land outside the government boundary. On this parcel, less than a mile outside federal lands, Los Angeles entrepreneur P.J. Warren built a casino at the crossroads of the dam site, Las Vegas, and the rich mining districts along the Colorado River.
Built in 1931, the Railroad Pass Casino was a popular destination for residents and travelers. Even before the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, bootleg liquor was served while gamblers played roulette, craps and blackjack. The casino was also famous for its live music and dancing."
 |
| East Arc of Loop |
"The casino played a vital role in developing the community. The owners helped raise money for a much-needed school for local children, and cashed dam workers' paychecks or secured their money in a safe."
 |
| Fifteen Hikers |
"The business has continued to flourish and today, Railroad Pass Casino and Hotel prides itself as being the longest continuously operating gaming establishment in Southern Nevada."
 |
| Highland Range - Bighorn Habitat to South |
 |
| Northeast Arc of Loop |
The trailhead is located behind the newly built truck stop at the Railroad Pass Casino and Hotel. The truck stop hasn't been open a year and already, business is booming! Fifteen hikers gathered at the trailhead parking lot to hike the loop trail that travels around the small mountains rising up behind the casino. Knowing how old the casino is, I wonder how old the trail is. I do know that I first took the club around the loop in February of 2013. The hike became a staple of the club until they began building the truck stop. This stopped easy access to the route for a couple of years. Now that the dust has settled, ...
"We're ba-ack!"
 |
| Cascata Golf Clubhouse |
Getting up to the loop trail was similar as before. We hiked up the trail ramp and found a use trail up through the dirt and rocks. Next, we had to cross the railroad tracks (only used for tourist train purposes) and continued on the old trail that snakes up to the loop trail.
 |
| The Group Gathers with the Highland Range in the Distance |
We turned right on the loop and began the familiar route. It appears that the bikers have improved the trail for their purposes. It was somewhat easier to use and navigate. Behind us to the south, we saw water in the playa reflecting a snow covered range of mountains called the Highland Range. This range is a crucial bighorn habitat.
 |
| Cascata Waterfall - Not Running |
 |
| Tip Toeing over Slippery Rock |
The trail circled around the small blackish mountains in a counter-clockwise direction. After passing the northeast arc of the loop, we came to the Cascata Golf Course property. The golf clubhouse sits stately in the large swell of land. The driving range extends toward the mountains and our trail travels directly around its perimeter, mind you a couple hundred feet above. The golf course maintains a waterfall that pumps the water up onto a high hill where we hiked. Unfortunately, they did not have the water flowing today. In fact, we didn't see a single golfer. I guess the wet weather made it close its doors. We hiked into a cove of sorts that sits below a jug handle arch. Up on the ridge, we saw a single bighorn disappear to the other side.
 |
| The "Skinny" Part |
Coming out of the "cove," we found the skinny part of the trail that has a teeny weeny bit of exposure. Since the dirt was damp, the footing seemed fairly good.
 |
| Bighorns on the Fairway |
Next, we rounded the corner above the dry waterfall and the Cascata fairways came into view. A corner or two later and we came to the scene in the photo above. Nine bighorns were feasting on the green green grass of Cascata! They turned to watch us even though we were really far away from them!
 |
| Taking Photos of the Bighorns |
 |
| Bighorns Circling Up |
We continued our circle until we came to the saddle where the trail connects with the Mother Trail. While we hiked, the bighorns were changing their formation like a high school marching band. Well, not quite that organized! At the saddle, we stopped for a snack break finding shelter from the wind behind a few rocks. The view of Las Vegas and the snow covered Spring Mountains behind the city was extremely beautiful. We don't get this much snow very often, ... maybe once every five years or so. We had so much snow in southern Nevada in the past three days that I-15 south has been closed due to weather. Wow! The traffic is routing down past the Railroad Pass Casino to junction with SR 95 to Searchlight! What a mess!
 |
| Bighorns Below |
After our break, we started down from the middle of the saddle area where there is a grouping of switchbacks. Watching the city / snow view while we descended, we crossed over to a rocky wash.
 |
| Snack Spot View - Spring Mountains & Red Rock |
Down through the wash and out along the desert floor, we followed the trail while rounding the western side of the loop. The trail forked left to start gaining elevation again when we passed a couple of "locals'" homesteads.
 |
| Descent through Wash |
 |
| Long Line of Hikers still Coming |
Rumor has it that these "locals" even have wifi in their humble cave abodes. Our trail forked to the left one more time to climb back up to the original elevation of the loop then we found the approach trail and turned to the right. Down we went back to the cars. This was a beautiful hike! It was cold and the waterfall was off. But, the hike was fantastic nonetheless! Great folks!
4.6 miles; 900 feet elevation gain; 2.75 hours; average moving speed 1.6 mph
 |
| Colorful Rock Terrain |
 |
| Hiking around the Back Side of the Loop |
 |
| Crossing the Tracks before Trailhead |
No comments:
Post a Comment