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| Shortcut / Climbers Trail |
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| View from Cottonwood Overlook |
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| Starting up from the Trailhead |
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| View down shortly after Starting |
What a beautiful day for a hike! Susan, Sue and I drove up to Potosi Mountain Road and parked right there at the junction with SR 160. This used to be the Boy Scouts of America summer camp road but that camp has since been closed. There are a few residents and some kind of car facility along the road now. The hike we were about to do is mostly located within the Red Rock Canyon NCA boundary. The other part of the hike is within the Humboldt Toiyabe National Forest boundary as far as we have been able to decipher. There are still a few signs along Potosi Mountain Road that demand "No Trespassing" but, again, as far as we can decipher, these boundaries are protecting the sides of the road in the wash on the south side and on the hillside on the north side. For the hike described here, we do not encroach on either of those boundaries as the last leg of the hike is on Potosi Mountain Road. This dirt road is graded very well and when hiking the wide road, we usually meet a handful of cars. It is open to off-roading through traffic.
The hike starts near the steep wall of the hill on the south side of the parking area. Use trails have been made. We picked the trail closest to SR 160 on the right side of the wash and followed it to a steep climb that looks similar to the photo above. This makes a switchback onto a ledge of sorts and the trail begins a fun scramble up the rocks. The trail, itself, is in very good condition right now and is easy to follow with a few cairns.
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| Working our way into the cliff Bases |
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| Making our way to the large trail Sign |
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| We found the sign ... again! |
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| Heading up shortcut Trail |
It is my belief that the rock climbers who visit this area have made improvements in the trail but when you get further up the hillside and past the large sign in the photo above, be careful not to wander off to a dead end climbing wall. If you haven't done this hike before, it will take some experimenting to find the correct route and know which forks to take. The cairns and lined rocks are for the rock climbers, not hikers! Just keep that in mind. So, a few things have changed and we did the best we could but got off track anyway. I have always known about a shortcut up to the overlook that passes a climbing area. But always managed to walk right past it. Now, the shortcut right turn is a lot more worn than the hiking route and it gobbled me in! We turned and, after some exploration, realized something was wrong. But, hey, we learned something! After retracing our steps, we finally found the "Fortress Trail" sign and turned left. The trail from here to the overlook is fun and we climbed on up to take our break. On our way back, we decided to take the shortcut trail down. We recognized where we had been before down the hill. Next time, we will know much more about this section. Woohoo!
Most of the trail from this point is easily followed and we made our way to the descent ridge which is also an old telephone pole road. The higher ridge leads down next to the man made basin or pond (down below) that was used by the Boy Scouts. Above our heads, we followed the telephone line. This took us down to Potosi Mountain Road where we turned to the right. From here, there is about a mile of walking on the road to get back to the car and trailhead.
Of course, it is possible to make this hike an out and back but you would lose a few interesting spots that are seen along the Carabiners Trail. And, steep downhill hiking isn't always fun! And, that's what would be awaiting you on a return hike down the hillside.
Anyway, we love this hike and hope to do it again and again!
Stats: 4.8 miles; 1500' gain; 4.5 hours (with the wrong turn)
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| The Carabiners Trail |
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| Power line road to Potosi Mountain Road |
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| Potosi Mountain Road |
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