Firehouse Hill Long Loop - 12/20/21

Yellow Sandstone Section with Firehouse Hill in Distance

Starting down through Yellow Sandstone Section

Rainbow Peak from Trail along the Red Rock Wash Bluff

Starting out was Really Cold!

Many of you know about Firehouse Hill. We always marked it up to being an easy moderate hike up to the top of the large hill behind the BLM fire station near the Red Rock Canyon Campground and at the base of the North Blue Diamond Hill. In the last few years, many bike trails have been laid out in this area between the North Blue Diamond Hill and the basin at SR 159 west of CC 215. Many of these bike trails go for miles circling below the cliffs so hiking the trails completely would be difficult unless you are training for a long distance haul like our friends Brian, Larry, Susan, Sandi and Setsuko ... to name a few. However, with the help of Google Earth, we mapped out a 6.5 mile hike making a loop around and up and down the formidable Firehouse Hill that rises to the west of Moenkopi Road.

Trail Along the Bluff

Yellow Sandstone Saddle Descent

Bike Trail among the Sandstone

Rita in the Sandstone Section

We turned onto Moenkopi Road from SR 159 and the trailhead is almost immediately on your right. The sign says that this area is called the Moenkopi Road Recreation Site. We started hiking out from the sign toward the escarpment in the distance veering right on the path. This trail hikes along above the Red Rock Wash bluffs. This wash is very wide and can flash flood when the conditions are right. After the bluffs, the trail forks and take the left fork into the hills. This started us on a steady climb up to a saddle below the cliffs. Above us, we saw the Muffins and the old Las Vegas Overlook. At the saddle, the trail dropped down entering a large area of beautiful yellow sandstone formations. The bike trail is well-worn and it zigzags in and out among the sandstone layers. When we finished this area, the trail began leading across the arroyo filled terrain. We only met one biker all day. It was early and very very cold! The trail was built for bikers and each arroyo crossing was constructed with big flat rocks for their easier crossings. To our left, we were passing Firehouse Hill on its backside. Ahead of us, there was another smaller hill in the distance. This was our target for the turnaround and the beginning of the bushwhacking we would have to do to complete the route on feet instead of wheels.

Leaving Yellow Sandstone Section

A little Ingenuity

Getting a little Warmer

View Back at the Sandstone

Before we reached the smaller hill, the trail led us down through a large arroyo where we took our break. (See photo below.) Next, the trail turned downhill. When the trail turned to begin its journey to the south again, we left the trail and continued downhill bearing to the left. Our bushwhacking crossed over the east end of the smaller hill and began a straight hike over to the south ridge of Firehouse Hill. There was a vague trail that climbed Firehouse on this ridge. At the top, we were obliged to continue our bushwhacking toward the south side of the peak section of Firehouse Hill. There is a good trail that climbs to the peak with which we would cross paths. We did indeed do so and proceeded to complete our climb.

Bike Trail through Arroyos

Bushwhacking across to Firehouse Hill

Second bushwhack Section to Trail

Peak from below Trail

On the long top of the peak, there is a rocky outcropping (official high point) where we stopped to take our group photo. (See last photo.) From there, we continued on the trail to descend the north side of the mountain. This trail led us gently down a long slope to the trailhead. Although we sure wish there was a convenient trail from that smaller hill to Firehouse Hill, the bushwhacking really wasn't too bad across the desert terrain. The three of us had a lot of fun trying out the new beautiful moderately strenuous route. The weather did warm up after an hour or so!

Stats: 6.4 miles; 1100' gain; 3.5 hours

Eastside trail to Peak

Trail crossing Peak

The "Try-it-out" Threesome