Sidewinder / Flower Power Loop - 2/24/25

Sandstone Bluffs from The Crags

1948 DeSoto Automobile

Red Barrel Cacti in The Crags

Landmine Loop Trail

Fifteen club hikers went out for a quick 7 mile hike beginning at Wheeler Camp Springs Trailhead. This trailhead is located on SR 159 about .80 mile west of the main entrance to Blue Diamond, NV. Or, .60 mile east of the gated entrance to Oliver Ranch. (The large brown sign is no longer at the same place so, now, use a blue sign as your indicator that you are nearing the trailhead going east.) We gathered and headed through the fence finding numerous use trails to climb the hill in front of us. The trail up the hill put us on a spur trail that flows into the Landmine Loop Trail. This is a popular bike trail that encircles the Blue Diamond tertiary ridge. After connecting with the Landmine Loop, we began circling the ridge in a counter-clockwise direction. Soon, on our right, we could see an old rusted car in the distance. Previous inspection of said car proves that it is a 1948 DeSoto. We hiked on by and came to a fence constructed on our right that protected the Oliver Ranch property at one time. Now the burros and hikers know exactly how to get through the fence and enjoy the old ruins and burro brush.

Fifteen club Hikers

Beginning the Sidewinder Trail

The Sidewinder

Cottonwood Valley from Sidewinder

We passed the fence and turned diagonally up to the left on a trail through the dirt. This trail took us up the hill in our 10 o'clock direction. The rocky trail offered a turn to the left as we neared the top corner. We took the left and began our "Sidewinder" portion of the hike loop. This is a beautiful trail among outcrops of limestone with views of the red and white sandstone of Red Rock's escarpment. We zigzagged a little before the trail showed the reason for its name as it wound narrowly around the side of the hill offering gorgeous distant views of the escarpment, Calico Hills, North Blue Diamond Hill and the northern part of Cottonwood Valley. This is a hike where we usually see burros. However, on this hike ... not a one! The Sidewinder took us around the hill and winded its way up to The Crags. (aka The Blue Diamond Cactus Garden) Here, among the rising limestone pillars and shade, we took our break. The group had taken on the ascent at a good pace but there was still more to come. They were up for the workout. So, after the break, we started down the other side by using the switchback route through the garden. The trail passes through a junction saddle and continues to hike the next ridge top. (aka Hurl Backdoor) "The Crags" is one of two high points of the hike. The second high point is found along the undulating ridge trail. 

Passing Laszlo in The Crags

Break time in The Crags

Exiting The Crags via Switchback

Hurl Backdoor Ridge Trail

At the end of the ridge, we junctioned with another trail and turned left to circle down and around an unusual sandstone outcrop and pass the "Rocky Peninsula." At this point, the trail gives hikers a choice to turn down to the right or continue straight out toward the townsite. This junction marks the beginning of Flower Power. This trail is relatively new and takes the hikers on a ridge traverse with views, again, of the escarpment. It circles around the lower end to the left to end in a wash decorated with two rusted Volkswagens, one of which has a license tag with the Flower Power namesake. The trail continues out to a junk pile on the Landmine Loop. A right turn, a left turn and a right turn will get you back to the cars the same way you started out. Fantastic group! They seemed to love the quick pace workout and beautiful scenery.

Stats: 7 miles; 1050' gain; 3.5 hours

Flower Power Trail

Descending off Flower Power

Trail Namesake

Keystone Thrust Loop CCW - 2/20/25

Sandstone Bluffs from Keystone Thrust above ground Location

View up through Keystone Canyon

Starting up Keystone Wash

In and out of shade in Keystone Wash

Thinking that the wind was not going to be that bad ... nine club hikers met at the Lower Trailhead of White Rock Road off the Red Rock Scenic Loop. When we started out by crossing the paved road and dipping down onto the Grand Loop Trail, we learned the wind was going to be a deal. What started out as a stiff breeze, became a gusty cold wind coming down off the snowy mountains and right down through the Keystone Wash. We turned off of the Grand Loop into the wash and made our way up through the gravel and debris to the culvert that runs under the road. We thanked whoever cleared the upper end of the culvert of those roots that curtained the opening and continued up to the first limestone dryfall. After that, we climbed up through the white sandstone. It was beautiful as always ... even through the gusty wind. Using the right embankment, we skirted around some of the canyon wash then dropped back in. We could see the actual thrust fault high above us. Before, we would bravely climb straight up on the rocks and bushes to reach the rare above ground fault. On this hike, we used the wash on the right side to gain access to the top of the fault area.

Climbing a limestone wall in Wash

Climbing a sandstone crack in Keystone Canyon

Up through the wash next to the thrust Fault

Using the wash to gain the top of the Sandstone

The scramble up through the wash was fun. Next, we found the trail and connected with it. The trail led us up to the top of the red sandstone to an overlook that was likely right above the open fault. This fault is one of only a few above ground faults in the world. Following the trail around to the other side of the fault area, we dropped into the wash and out again as we climbed up the hill. The trail led us to the Keystone Thrust Trail / La Madre Double Arch Trail junction. Even though our intentions were to continue up towards the double arch, we decided to turn back towards the cars. The wind had become "not fun." So, a left turn took us down to the White Rock Hills Trail where we turned left and made our way down to the White Rock Road Upper Trailhead. Next, it was down the road to our cars. No, it wasn't a long hike but as one of our hikers said, "At least we all got out and breathed some fresh air!" The intended hike will have to be completed another day.

Stats: 3.25 miles; 700' gain; 1.75 hours

Trail on top of the Sandstone

Trail over the Sandstone (Turtlehead Peak in Background)

View into thrust area in Keystone Canyon from Trail

Fin Canyon Two Arches Loop (via MM 13.5)

Two Arches in Fin Canyon

Above the Fins

Red Hills and Rainbow Ridge

Following light trail out to neighboring Wash

Sixteen club members went out to Northshore Road's MM 13.5 to try out a new hike. Although some of it would be familiar to us, another part of it would be new to most of us except for a long-time friend and hike leader who joined us for this exploratory, Chuck H. We were so glad to have his company and expertise to show us the ins and out of Fin Canyon's Two Arches hike. Since our club had already seen the colorful walls of Rainbow Canyon and passed by the deep mine named Secor Queen - No. 3 Placer, a different loop was devised. 

It seems "Secor" might stand for "south east corner" in the mining claim lingo. And being a placer mine, one could guess that the old-time miners - with the deep hole they dug - were after minerals that had been washed down the canyon area many years ago. We don't know what minerals the miners were after - but we like to speculate that it was gold or maybe silver. 

Throughout this entry, I will be quoting from a trip report that was written by Chuck H. He graciously allowed me to use his trip report words to add much interest to our blog. These quotes will be italicized. 

Dropping into neighboring Wash

Group coming out of the scramble Canyon

Dropping into the HCV Wash

HCV wash Road

We dropped down behind the red hills at the MM 13.5 Trailhead and turned left in the upper reaches of Callville Wash. There was a light trail going our direction and we joined that path that led over the small hill in front of us and down into the wash on the other side. Our intention was to follow this wash up to a V-crack where the wash has pushed through between the west end of Rainbow Ridge and a smaller upthrust ridge that may have been part of it before water changed the structure of the area. We had to detour out and in the wash but eventually climbed up through the V. There is a trail that leads hikers from here to a scramble canyon in the distance going east. We followed it and the group divided as they chose to either scramble up the canyon slot or go around over the hill. We met on the other side and kept our eastward march. Running into an arroyo flowing down from Rainbow Ridge, we dropped in and descended into a larger canyon below. That canyon is part of the old Anniversary Mine road network but can only be navigated by 4WD HCVs. We turned right ... and, right again when we came to another mine road junction. 

Exiting HCV wash onto mine Road

Fin Canyon

Two Arches and pit behind Fin

Group of hikers behind Fins

As we headed up the old mining road in the direction of Fin Canyon, we began to see the massive fins on the ridge line to the right. Toward the top of the hill, we noticed several weathered rock foundations laid out in a rectangular pattern. These were the outlying foundations from the old 1920's Borate (Borax) mining camp. Based on a photograph taken at the camp back then, it appeared that some of the stone structures could have been topped off with canvas tent-type material. The main body of the camp foundations are located near the Anniversary Mine large tailings mound. However, those closer-in old foundations are on private mining lease property. Our hike today, respectfully, will not cross that boundary. In the old days, hikers were able to use Lovell Wash to access Anniversary Narrows and sometimes returned through the old mining camp above Lovell Wash. It was an historically interesting way to go with lots of artifacts, but accessibility changed and we had to adapt our routing. --- (written in 2020)

Anyway, we continued towards the descent point into Fin Canyon and its great overlook. 

View down between Fins

Sixteen hikers at Two Arches

Starting traverse trail below Fins

Group on traverse Trail

Immediately to the right - up high - we spot a huge black fin with two gigantic erosive arch-like windows; below to the left we spot the opening to a mine tunnel; and, immediately below the windows is the sky ridge game trail cutting laterally around the side of the ridge out of sight.

Chuck says that hikers can go into the mine adit for around 100' but it can get muddy in there after a rain. Our adventure that we were looking forward to was to use the "sky trail" that traverses along the ridge to the right. But, first, Chuck led us up a trail to the view behind the fins and arches. We climbed up to the amazing perch and took our photos. The two arches were located next to each other inside one of the black-colored fins. The lower arch reached down to the bottom of a pit behind the fin. If you fell into the pit, it is likely that the only way to exit would be to go out the bottom arch to what was likely a small drop on the other side!

Two fins - Arches in fin on Right

Enjoying the traverse Trail

Ending trail behind Saddle Peak - Descend to Right

Descending from Saddle Peak

We descended back down to the saddle crest overlook as seen in the tenth photo. A clear trail dropped easily down in front of us to take hikers to the sky ridge route. This trail made the hike! It was fun with beautiful views. As we passed below the two arches, we took our photos trying to get the blue sky to describe the vacant holes in the fins. The huge semi-circular fins rose steeply above the trail as we balanced carefully along between steep downs on one side and the steep ups on the other. Too soon, we found ourselves on the other end of Fin Canyon up behind Saddle Peak, an interesting geological butte that actually looks like a Western riding saddle. Although you can turn left here, we chose the easier route to the right where a vague trail led us down to the Rainbow Canyon mining road where we took our break shortly before the road reached its high point to the west. Upon reaching the road's summit, we could see a snow-covered Griffith Peak far in the distance through the V notch between two mountains.

We started down the other side of the saddle (road summit) and bore off to the right. As we descended, we passed by an old-time encampment containing a lot of rusty artifacts. Many different-sized rusty brown cans lay scattered about the old camping area. Back in the day, one can just imagine some prospectors gathered around the evening campfire heating up a can of beans, adding some jerky and hardtack, slurping coffee from a tin mug and opening their Prince Albert can for a smoke. Bedrolls or tents were probably located near the campfire, and maybe, some horses or burros were tethered nearby.

Taking a break on Rainbow Canyon mine Road

Returning into HCV Canyon Road

Climbing back out of wash to overland Hike

Susan hikes in front of Scramble Canyon Entrance

We continued down to junction with the Anniversary Mine Road and turned left. We had just completed the far loop of the hike. Not long after, we again turned left onto that HCV mine road and returned down that road to the same wash we had come down from the overland march. We climbed up the small wash onto the desert pavement and hiked across to the scramble canyon / over the hill spot. We all chose to hike over the hill this time and took the trail down to the water-forced V-crack. Around the limestone paved terrain on the left of the wash below, we came to a small wash that led up the lower end of Rainbow Ridge. At the top of this wash, there is a colorful overlook. Chuck's hat blew off in the wind down to the exit wash on the left side of the overlook. We picked it up as we hiked down through the wash and followed it all the way out to the upper reaches of Callville Wash. When we junctioned with the longer wash, we decided to go in a 2 o'clock direction to find a way up to the cars. In retrospect, going in a 4 o'clock direction would have been a little better but we ended our adventure on an adventurous note!

Starting up small wash to Rainbow Ridge Overlook

Rainbow Ridge Overlook

Grandma sitting on top of the far mountain Ridge

Small canyon Descent

We wiggled our way all the way up to a spot just below Northshore Road, climbed up a steep embankment and walked along the road for about a tenth of a mile to get to our cars. (If we had taken the other choice, we would have returned to the easier way up to the trailhead.) At any rate, we had a great morning and were honored to have had Chuck along with us. This hike will definitely become a yearly endeavor for the club.

Stats: 5.5 miles; 900' gain; 3.75 hours

P.S. Thanks again, Chuck, for the use of your words!

Sixteen hikers in narrow Wash

Small descent opens out at Bottom

Nearing Callville Wash

Climbing back up to Cars

Map of the lower loop of the Figure 8 Track

Map of the upper loop of the Figure 8 Track