Arrow Canyon Range High Point and Arrow Peak

Arrow Canyon Wilderness Area BLM, NV Northern Mojave Desert

Trip stats

Distance
9.4 mi
Net Gain
3,300 ft
Time
4-6 hrs
YDS Rating
Class 3
Route
Out/Back
Peaks
2

Ratings out of 10

Effort
5.8/10
Personality
7/10
Beauty
6/10
Solitude
6.8/10
What do these mean? →

Peaks on this hike

Summits listed in route order

  1. Arrow Canyon Range High Point
    5,226′ elevation · 2,426′ prominence
  2. Arrow Peak
    5,205′ elevation · 152′ prominence

Route map + Trailhead

Trailhead Coordinates

36.650050, -114.920500

The directions link below drops a pin on the trailhead coordinates and lets Google Maps pick the route. If the drive has rough roads or access issues that GPS nav might get wrong, I cover that in my trip report.

Get directions (opens Google Maps in a new tab)

Trip report

Mar 30, 2019 — The Arrow Canyon Range is a nice-looking desert clump of peaks north of Las Vegas, and I've had the traverse from Arrow Canyon Range High Point to Arrow Peak on my radar because it was recommended very highly. I thought I'd just descend the way I came, but changed my mind. As you can see from my map, continuing on added significant time to the route, but avoided going back along the Class 3 traverse. Choose your own advneture, I guess.

It seems standard to park along the powerline road (seen as the mostly straigh line in my map on the west side), by going north on the Great Basin Highway and taking an awful gravel road. I didn't think my car would make it, so I parked on the side of the main road, choosing to traverse through the desert. I won't say I crossed a fence, but my map might imply that I did. It's up to you – I don't know what's private property and what's not. Anyway, after heading through the desert, I passed the powerline road and continued to a major drainage just south of Arrow Canyon Range High Point. The drainage goes at Class 2, leading to a saddle where I then followed the ridge heading north to the summit. I'd say maybe Class 2+, with lots of loose rock. The summit of Arrow Canyon Range High Point had nice views of the desert, but wasn't a particularly interesting summit in my opinion. The ridgeline to Arrow Peak did look interesting though, so I continued on. The limestone of the traverse is really solid and I pulled a few Class 3+ moves that I might not have were I less confident the rock would break. It made the traverse particularly fun, especially because I'd been playing on breakable sandstone for the last few days. The Class 3 sections are either avoidable by keeping to the east, but really Arrow Peak is only worth doing because the scramble is enjoyable, and though I wouldn't call it a classic desert scramble, I had a good time.

From the summit of Arrow Peak, I decided to explore to the north, hoping I could find a route down sooner rather than later. I probably should have just returned the way I came, but whatever. The descent route I chose went at Class 2+, and I avoided the ridge crest toward the end because it looked sketchy, though I'm not sure if it actually was. I stuck to the eastern slope instead, which brought me to a saddle that then led down a Class 2 gully to the desert floor. I worked out to the powerline road and trail-ran it back.

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Photos

40 photos

  1. Arrow Canyon Range High Point to the left of the saddle (pictured center). I won't say I crossed this fence to avoid a big roundabout awful drive to the powerlines you can see in the center...
  2. Approaching the gully to the south of Arrow Canyon Range High Point.
  3. Looking back down the gully.
  6. At the saddle, looking north toward Arrow Canyon Range High Point.
  7. Heading up toward Arrow Canyon Range High Point, looking south toward Arrow Canyon Range South Peak.
  8. Class 2 scramble ahead.
  9. Route wraps around to the left.
  10. Loose Class 2.
  13. Looking back from below the false summit.
  14. Approaching the false summit of Arrow Canyon Range High Point.
  15. False summit, looking north toward the true summit of the high point, and the ridgeline to come.
  17. Arrow Canyon Range High Point summit ahead.
  18. Arrow Canyon Range High Point summit, looking south.
  19. Heading across the Class 3 scramble to Arrow Peak.
  20. Obstacles along the way. I kept to the right of this one, since I wasn't sure how rough it would be on the other wise. However, once I got around it, I regretted not doing the scramble. I recommend going for it if you're comfortable.
  21. Approaching a Class 3 section.
  22. Looking down the Class 3 limestone stuff.
  23. Arrow Peak ahead.
  24. Looking south along the ridgeline.
  25. Approaching Arrow Peak, some more Class 2/3 ahead.
  28. Class 3 section below the summit of Arrow Peak, view looking south.
  29. Arrow Peak summit.
  30. Arrow Peak summit, looking south along the ridge.
  31. Continuing north rather than backtracking, some Class 2/3 stuff to navigate.
  32. Looking back toward the cliffs just north of Arrow Peak.
  33. Continuing down the pleasant slope from Arrow Peak.
  35. I kept to the right of the ridge to avoid some potentially sketchy cliffs. The saddle seen in the center is my intended escape from the ridge.
  36. Looking south from the saddle toward the ridgeline I came down from.
  37. Continuing down from the saddle. I kept to the gully on the right, since my topo made it seem less steep.
  38. Class 2 on the way down.
  39. Looking back up from the mouth of the gully.
  40. Headed through open desert back to the powerline road that I took back.

Photo 1 of 1

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Hire or refer me as a web developer, or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so it's funded by yours truly. It also takes a ton of work to edit photos and write these reports. I really appreciate it!

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GPX track

Arrow Canyon Range High Point and Arrow Peak GPX route and driving track

The complete GPX track is available to download, so you can load the route straight into your navigation app or device. The trip report, route info, photos and planning details stay free.

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