North Fire Peak and Fire Benchmark Loop in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, NV

Hike North Fire Peak and Fire Benchmark Loop Lake Mead National Recreation Area, NV

Class 4 10.4 miles 4200 gain 6-8 hrs Loop Mar 3, 2019
Effort
Beauty
Personality
Solitude

North Fire Peak and Fire Benchmark Loop GPX Track

I need to offset my substantial website costs somehow! You can download a hike/drive GPX to assist you here. Before sharing my GPX tracks with others, please remember my site is otherwise a free resource.

2021 Update: While this is a nice loop, you might want to check out the more extensive exploratory route of the Fire Range here, which we called "The Ring of Fires". It's a much more committing and serious route, but might help in planning a trip to the area.

I've been hoping to plan a route in the Fires, hitting some of the high points in this lesser-visited small range, and set out without really doing enough homework. Fortunately, the route-finding gods were feeling merciful, and I was able to persist through the whole traverse. Valley of Fire State Park seen from above is spectacular.

Starting from Northshore Road, head into the obvious and scenic limestone canyon and take the right fork. You'll pretty quickly be hit with a Class 3 dryfall obstacle, followed by a second Class 3 climb on the left just after pulling the lip of the dryfall. Continue up the surprisingly scramble-less canyon until it opens up and the canyon continues northwest. Rather than follow the canyon up to (what Harlan Stockman writes is a Class 4 dryfall), you can get to the ridge to the north by instead heading up a mostly mellow slope. Follow this ridge to North Fire East Peak and North Fire Peak, continue along the ridge to Bighorn Peak. The views of Valley of Fire State Park are really pretty amazing. Here's where I wish I did more research, though I honestly don't think any info exists on this descent. I decided to follow the ridge and look for a weakness on the right. When none came and I was only a couple hundred feet from the ground, I started getting a little worried I'd have to backtrack the whole traverse so far. There seemed to be other potential options higher up to head descend via the west face instead, but I really don't know. I continued along the ridge and finally saw a scary-looking route that could go: Class 4 on that lovely solid, sticky limestone I love so much. It worked. A few notes: the Class 4 down-scramble from Bighorn Peak can apparently be avoided by instead rappeling through the canyon that drains southeast then right-angles southwest from the summit to rejoin this route. Alternatively, you could bag Fire Benchmark first, leaving the Class 4 scramble as an up-climb rather than down-climb.

UPDATE: Adam Walker more recently did a version of this route, but instead of ascending Bighorn Peak, he was able to wrap around its north side and avoid the only Class 4 move. I didn't include this option in my map, but just letting anyone know that option exists somewhere if you want to keep the route at Class 3.

From the base of Bighorn Peak, locate a ridge to get up to Fire Benchmark (Class 2) and from the summit, where you get great views of everything, head down the standard east ridge (Class 2+/3) to get down to the road. There are a couple of tricky sections, including one area where you need to leave the ridge to avoid cliffs. 

PEAKS ON HIKE
Elevation (ft) / Prominence (ft)
Peaks on hike
Elevation
Prominence
1
North Fire Peak - East
3640 ft
n/a rise
2
North Fire Peak
3743 ft
807 rise
3
Bighorn Peak
3743 ft
266 rise
4
Fire Benchmark
3947 ft
1093 rise

Hire me or show me some love!

Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!

Start up the major south-draining canyon, keeping right at the first fork.
Start up the major south-draining canyon, keeping right at the first fork.
Boulder obstacles.
Boulder obstacles.
Class 3 obstacle. Climb up over the lip and keep left.
Class 3 obstacle. Climb up over the lip and keep left.
Above the lip. The second Class 3 move is just on my right in this photo.
Above the lip. The second Class 3 move is just on my right in this photo.
Continuing up the canyon.
Continuing up the canyon.
Image 5 from gallery
Image 6 from gallery
Image 7 from gallery
Short sections of narrows in the canyon.
Short sections of narrows in the canyon.
Image 9 from gallery
Image 10 from gallery
Image 11 from gallery
Eventually the canyon opens up. Go up the slope on the right in this photo.
Eventually the canyon opens up. Go up the slope on the right in this photo.
On the way up the slope, looking back into the canyon.
On the way up the slope, looking back into the canyon.
Along the ridge, looking down into the canyon I came up.
Along the ridge, looking down into the canyon I came up.
Continuing to North Fire Peak East.
Continuing to North Fire Peak East.
North Fire Peak East ahead, Valley of Fire visible in the distance.
North Fire Peak East ahead, Valley of Fire visible in the distance.
Looking back along the ridge toward Lake Mead.
Looking back along the ridge toward Lake Mead.
Valley of Fire State Park seen from North Fire Peak East.
Valley of Fire State Park seen from North Fire Peak East.
North Fire Peak East, looking southwest toward North Fire Peak.
North Fire Peak East, looking southwest toward North Fire Peak.
Image 20 from gallery
Bighorn Peak ahead.
Bighorn Peak ahead.
Looking back along the cliffs toward Valley of Fire.
Looking back along the cliffs toward Valley of Fire.
Image 23 from gallery
Valley of Fire State Park in the distance, looking back toward North Fire Peak.
Valley of Fire State Park in the distance, looking back toward North Fire Peak.
Bighorn Peak, looking toward whatever route I could find to get down, Fire Benchmark in the center distance.
Bighorn Peak, looking toward whatever route I could find to get down, Fire Benchmark in the center distance.
Along the ridge, headed down in hopes to get to that ridge in the center leading to Fire Benchmark.
Along the ridge, headed down in hopes to get to that ridge in the center leading to Fire Benchmark.
Class 4 downclimb.
Class 4 downclimb.
Looking back up the Class 4 downclimb.
Looking back up the Class 4 downclimb.
Approaching the Fire Benchmark ridge.
Approaching the Fire Benchmark ridge.
Starting up the ridge, looking back toward Bighorn Peak (right).
Starting up the ridge, looking back toward Bighorn Peak (right).
Fire Benchmark up there on the right.
Fire Benchmark up there on the right.
Looking southeast down a pretty canyon, Lake Mead in the distance.
Looking southeast down a pretty canyon, Lake Mead in the distance.
Image 33 from gallery
Fire Benchmark, only a Class 2 scramble away.
Fire Benchmark, only a Class 2 scramble away.
Looking back down the ridge I came up (the ridge is in shadow in this photo). Bighorn Peak in the center.
Looking back down the ridge I came up (the ridge is in shadow in this photo). Bighorn Peak in the center.
Final scramble up the ridge to the summit of Fire Benchmark.
Final scramble up the ridge to the summit of Fire Benchmark.
Fire Benchmark summit, looking southwest.
Fire Benchmark summit, looking southwest.
Fire Benchmark summit, looking northeast toward Bighorn Peak and Valley of Fire.
Fire Benchmark summit, looking northeast toward Bighorn Peak and Valley of Fire.
Close-up of Bighorn Peak (right), and Valley of Fire State Park.
Close-up of Bighorn Peak (right), and Valley of Fire State Park.
Headed down along the easy ridge from Fire Benchmark.
Headed down along the easy ridge from Fire Benchmark.
Image 41 from gallery
Looking back up toward Fire Benchmark along the east ridge.
Looking back up toward Fire Benchmark along the east ridge.
Looking up a canyon toward Bighorn Peak. This is the same canyon I mentioned was pretty, seen from the summit of Bighorn Peak. Apparently it's technical so don't go down it without a rope.
Looking up a canyon toward Bighorn Peak. This is the same canyon I mentioned was pretty, seen from the summit of Bighorn Peak. Apparently it's technical so don't go down it without a rope.
Looking back toward a Class 2+ obstacle on the way down the ridge. You have to wrap around a cliff band to avoid sketchy terrain.
Looking back toward a Class 2+ obstacle on the way down the ridge. You have to wrap around a cliff band to avoid sketchy terrain.
Looking back at the Class 2+ obstacles (left), Fire Benchmark (top left), and the edge of Bighorn Peak (far right).
Looking back at the Class 2+ obstacles (left), Fire Benchmark (top left), and the edge of Bighorn Peak (far right).
Lake Mead.
Lake Mead.
Close-up down into the canyon to the north of the Fire Benchmark east ridge.
Close-up down into the canyon to the north of the Fire Benchmark east ridge.
Looking back up the east ridge of Fire Benchmark I just came down.
Looking back up the east ridge of Fire Benchmark I just came down.

Hire me or show me some love!

Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I’m not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!