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Railroad Pass Mountain Loop
(Bootleg Canyon Park, Boulder City)

Railroad Pass Mountain Loop - This hike leaves from the upper parking lot of the Railroad Pass Casino, climbs up the mountain on the right side and connects with a trail that encircles this small range above the Cascata Golf Course. Points of interest include the golf course's waterfall and driving range, a jug handle arch and the almost regular appearance of bighorn sheep. The moderate loop is 5 miles with 900 feet of elevation gain.

 
Rainbow Canyon
(Lake Mead NRA)

 Rainbow Canyon - The best hike utilizing this colorful canyon begins at the mile marker 16 trailhead on Northshore Road. The canyon flows up from the Lovell Wash almost directly northwest from the parking area. Inside the canyon, there is an old mine with remnants on the right hillside. By continuing up the mining road and dropping through a series of canyons, the route crosses under Northshore Road to return in another very colorful canyon on the south side of the highway. The moderate to moderately strenuous loop is 8 miles with 900 feet of elevation gain.

Rainbow Gardens
(Lake Mead NRA)


Rainbow Gardens - The starting point for this easy to moderate hike can be found by traveling east on Lake Mead Boulevard to its intersection with Northshore Road, then turning right on Northshore Road for about one mile to a large pullout on the right side of the road. The hike begins in Lava Butte Wash southwest of the pullout. The route follows the wash to a ridge, then follows the faint remains of a road across the top before dropping into another wash that turns into a slot canyon with 30-foot high walls and some amazing colored patterns. Round trip distance for the hike is 5 miles with 300 feet of vertical gain. The hike can be extended by one mile by entering Lake Las Vegas property on a dirt road and reaching a small arm of the lake.

Rainbow Loop
(Spring Mountains NRA)


Rainbow Loop - This partial loop moderately strenuous hike begins at the Fletcher Canyon trailhead parking area across from Fletcher Canyon on Kyle Canyon Road. Cross the bridge over the wash and turn to the right. The hike leads up the partially paved trail parallel to the road passing two campgrounds and the lower portion of the community of Rainbow. The trail then turns left up to the South Loop Trail and follows it for about 1/2 mile. Turning left at a switchback on the South Loop, the Rainbow Loop trail climbs up to a ridge on the remnants of a road where there are great views of the Kyle Canyon area. The trail then turns off of the dirt road to the right onto a small soft and wooded path which leads back down through Rainbow cabins and houses. At the bottom of the hill, turn right to return on the same trail leading back down by the wash. Total distance for the hike is 5.65 miles with 1170 feet of elevation gain. (The small wooded path still needs to be reconstructed since the fire of 2013.)

Rainbow Ridge
(Lake Mead NRA)

Rainbow Ridge - This ridge lies west of the mile marker 16 trailhead on Northshore Road. The length of the ridge is hiked from east to west then a steep descent on the southwest side drops hikers into an interesting canyon with a few dry falls. The hike crosses under Northshore Road then routes east. A visit to an interesting dry fall rock formation on the north side of the road finishes the hike cross country or down the pavement. Staying on the south side of the road in the canyon will also work. This strenuous hike is 7 miles with 1900 feet of elevation gain.

Raintree
(Spring Mountains NRA)


Raintree - This moderate to moderately strenuous hike utilizes either the North Loop Trail from Highway 158 or Trail Canyon and the North Loop from Kyle Canyon to the old bristlecone tree. Raintree is located on a saddle at the base of Mummy's Toe Mountain. The Highway 158 return can be done by out-and-back on the North Loop or by utilizing the Wild Horse Canyon or Ridge Trails on reaching the meadow area after retracing the switchbacks. These routes are less than 6 miles with an elevation gain of 1400 feet. From the Trail Canyon side of Raintree, the out and back hike is 7 miles with 2400 feet of gain. But the views from the trail on this side make the extra effort worthwhile.

 Up & Back on North Loop

Up North Loop /Down Wild Horse Ridge

Up North Loop / Down Wild Horse Canyon

Raintree via Trail Canyon

Rattlesnake Canyon
(Red Rock Canyon NCA)

Rattlesnake Canyon - This is a short but very sweet canyon with a lot of moderate to moderately strenuous rock scrambling that flows into the Willow Springs Picnic Area. The destination of this hike resembles a miniature Terrace Canyon. Out and back, this scramble hike is almost 2.5 miles with around 700 feet of elevation gain.

Rattlesnake Trail
(Red Rock Canyon NCA)

Rattlesnake Trail - One end point of this point to point trail is found by turning left into a side wash from the Calico Tanks Trail just after turning the corner into the tank canyon. The other end point is inside Gateway Canyon where the Kraft Mountain Loop trail intersects. It is most often used to connect hikers from the west side of the Calico Hills to the Gateway Canyon area and it contains moderate scrambling sections with incredible views of the sandstone of Red Rock Canyon.

Red Cap (aka Turtlehead Junior)
(Red Rock Canyon NCA)



Red Cap - Also known as Turtlehead Junior, this scramble route is accessed from Sandstone Quarry inside the Red Rock scenic loop. There are two popular routes that can be used for the climb - one on the front and the other on the back side. The peak, which has a red sandstone mantle, is the highest point in the Calico Hills. This strenuous hike is short at about 3 miles total distance, but half of it involves significant scrambling on the sandstone slabs above the canyon serving the Calico Tanks Trail. There will be plenty of obstacles to get over or around and some great climbing requiring use of hands. Visit the location of four natural tanks which often hold water on the top of the ridge following the descent from the summit. The descent then generally goes along a climbing route known as Mass Production Wall and down the Calico Tanks Trail. Total gain for the hike is around 900 feet. A more difficult 5-mile option is to start at Calico II Overlook, hike to Sandstone Quarry and the peak, turn left on the Calico Tanks Trail after the descent past Mass Production Wall, then rock scramble down to Calico II from the end of Calico Tanks. Routes on Red Cap can vary from moderate to strenuous scrambling.

Front Ascent with Descent at Mass Production Wall

Front Ascent with Descent Down Back

Route Up via Dragon Canyon & Down via Ash Canyon on Back

Front Ascent/Mass Production Wall/ Calico II Descent

Red Cap/Calico II Peak Combined

Red Cap / Calico II Loop
(Red Rock Canyon NCA)

Red Cap / Calico II Loop - This is a great moderately strenuous scramble! From Sandstone Quarry, it begins with a climb up the north side of the Calico Hills up to the peak of Red Cap. The hike continues along the ridge passing the tanks then traverses via scrambling over to Calico Peak. Next, descend down to the main tank and climb up to Calico II Peak. From there, the route descends down a rock scramble to the Calico II turnout area and uses the Grand Circle Trail to return to the cars. Totals: 4 miles and 1500 feet of elevation gain.

Red Mountain
(Boulder City)



Red Mountain (Boulder City) - The River Mountain Trail trailhead, located adjacent to St. Jude Children's Ranch on Highway 93 in Boulder City, is the starting point for this hike. There are several approach trails that can be used to reach the observation point at the peak. The normal approach is an out-and-back on the city trail that climbs through the canyon separating Red and Black Mountains, going from the top of the saddle to the peak. Other approaches involve using the bike trails going into Bootleg Canyon Park and climbing to the peak from the southwest. These routes can be shorter and have better scenery. The bike trails also have a higher difficulty rating. Either way, the total distance is between 5 and 6 miles with 1225 feet of elevation gain. You can also add a trek to Black Mountain Overlook to the hike, bringing the total distance to 7 miles. Routes can vary between moderate to strenuous on the bike trails.

Red & Black Loop

Bootleg Loop with Red & Black

Red Rock Summit
(Red Rock Canyon NCA)

Red Rock Summit - Usually done as a training hike for the Grand Canyon or other strenuous destinations, Red Rock Summit is the highest point on Rocky Gap Road between Willow Springs Picnic Area and Lovell Canyon. The entire hike is conducted on dirt & gravel road, with a total distance of 9.5 miles and an elevation gain of 2000 feet. The broad canyon in which the road travels is surrounded by unique views of the surrounding mountains.

 Red Springs Loop
(Red Rock Canyon NCA)


Red Springs Loop - The hike begins at the Red Springs picnic area located in Calico Basin. The trail follows along the east side of the Calico Hills to the base of a notch named Angel Pass. Climbing the notch involves significant rock scrambling, but the view from the top is worth it. On the descent, you will pass a boat shaped rock with a carving of an angel, probably attributed to a rock climbing artist. The return on the moderate loop is in Calico Canyon as it follows around the south end of the Calico Hills. Total distance is 3.75 miles with 600 feet of elevation gain.

Redstone Discovery
(Lake Mead NRA)

Redstone Discovery - There is one particular area off of Northshore Road around the 25 through 28 mile marker that holds a large area of redstone on the lake side of the highway. Within this area, there are several petroglyph panels and many arches and windows. It is also home to bighorn sheep, coyotes, rodents and various predatory birds. An inclusive moderate route through the redstone begins at the 25.5 mile marker. It is 4.5 miles with 650 feet of elevation gain.

River Mountain
(Lake Mead NRA)

River Mountain - The highest peak in the River Mountains is reached from the River Mountain Trailhead on Highway 93 in Boulder City, NV. This hike climbs up to the saddle between Red and Black Mountain then uses bike trails, washes and cross desert routes to reach the power company's maintenance road that is used to service the large towers that are lined up the canyon. This very rocky and rough road leads up to a saddle with a view of Lake Mead then a trail to the left leads on up to the peak. This route is 8 miles with around 1800 feet of elevation gain. A shorter route to River Mountain Peak can be done from the upper trailhead in Bootleg Canyon using the Inner Caldera Loop. It is 6 miles with 1200 feet of elevation gain.

Out and back from River Mountain Trailhead

Partial Loop using Inner Caldera Loop

River Mountains Trail
(Lake Mead NRA - Boulder City)


River Mountains Trail - This moderate hike connects the area near the Black Mountain trail head in Boulder City to the start of the Historic Railroad Tunnels hike at the Alan Bible Visitor Center. Although longer versions can be done, the best route, an out-and-back hike of 6.6 miles, starts at a parking lot near the junction of Pacifica Way and Highway 93 about halfway down the long grade to the lake. The trail follows another section of the abandoned rail line, going through a rock cut and over some dikes crossing a few drainages. There is an elevation gain of 240 feet on the return segment. There is absolutely no shade on this hike, so be prepared with extra water. The complete trail is a loop around the River Mountains with a distance of around 30 miles.

Route from River Mountain Trailhead to Railroad Pass Casino

Robbers' Roost to Stepladder
(Spring Mountains NRA)

Robbers' Roost to Stepladder - This is an easy to moderate mostly downhill point to point hike that begins at the Robbers' Roost Trailhead on Highway 158. The hike begins with a jaunt up to Robbers' Roost where highway robbers had their lair. Then the hike returns to the trailhead and descends down past an old storage cabin to the Stepladder Trail trailhead on Highway 157. The entire hike is 4 miles with only 300 feet of gain in the Robbers' Roost section.

Rocky Gorge
(U.S. National Forest)

 Rocky Gorge - This hike can be accessed from the Blue Tree Campground Trailhead on Lee Canyon Road (Hwy 156). It starts down through a small wash then crosses over the high ridge to the left. The small limestone rock canyon is found beyond this ridge. After the trail passes through the canyon, it continues up to the Pinion Pine Trail and the Sawmill Wiggles junction. The return takes the Blue Trail back to the trailhead. The entire loop is 8.5 miles with 1500 feet of elevation gain. A shorter version of the loop connects the two sides of the loop at the dirt road known as No Mad Trail. This version is 6 miles with 1100 feet of elevation gain.

Rocky Gorge Loop

Lower Rocky Gorge Loop

Rubber Ducky Yucca
(Red Rock Canyon NCA)

Rubber Ducky Yucca - This joshua tree (yucca brevia) has been singled out by hikers and bikers alike to hold many donated rubber duckies strung from its branches. Once in a while, the BLM rangers come by and take them all off so it depends on whether you are lucky enough to see the tree full. There are several longer hikes which incorporate a visit to the tree usually coming out of the Late Night Trailhead. Most of these hikes are moderate in nature. However, an easy partial loop hike of 2.3 miles with 250 feet of elevation gain can be done to just go see the tree.

Rufus Cove
(Lake Mead NRA)

Rufus Cove - This hike is a strenuous 10 to 13 mile out and back hike to a cove just east of Callville Bay. The hike begins at the 16.5 mile marker on Northshore Road and involves hiking across desert, up washes, down washes and scrambling around water. The hike can either end at the lake or continue on out the neighboring peninsula to the very end. There is 2600 feet of elevation gain on a hike partially out the peninsula.