
After hiking from outside Red Rock Canyon's limits to the Oak Creek Trailhead, I took the Arnight Trail. The goal is to get to Pine Creek Canyon, visible center.

After taking the Arnight Trail and the Knoll Trail, I dropped into Pine Creek below and followed the Pine Creek Trail for a bit. Mescalito seen center.

The Pine Creek Trail led into Pine Creek Canyon and then faded away. I then followed the drainage. This is a cute little waterfall shortly after entering the drainage.

Rock-hopping within Pine Creek Canyon.

Small pools.

Pools and boulder obstacles as I head up Pine Creek Canyon.


View back down Pine Creek Canyon. I kept left at all major canyon junctions.


A major junction within Pine Creek, keeping left, which starts up Terrace Canyon.

View back as I take the final left at the fork with Terrace Canyon, to reach the mouth of Gunsight Canyon.

The mouth of Gunsight Canyon.

View back down as I start up the Gunsight Canyon slickrock.

View up the drainage toward the base cliffs of Rainbow Wall, center.

Cool step-like formations in Gunsight Canyon.

Another shot back down Gunsight Canyon.

Ascending within the drainage, attempting to find the Class 2 options to avoid steeper sloped terrain.

Close-up back down to the mouth of Gunsight Canyon.

Higher up, another shot back down.

A Class 3 move within a depression at the base of the drainage.

Close-up down into the featured slickrock of Gunsight Canyon.

Ascending the slopes above Gunsight Canyon. The goal is to reach the ridgeline above. Ahead you see a small cliff band. Cairns lead around to the left, Class 2.

Higher up, view down into Gunsight Canyon.

Class 2 to the ridgeline.

At Gunsight Notch, view east. This spot separates Gunsight Notch Peak from Rainbow Wall.

Class 2/2+ up to Gunsight Notch Peak.

View back down the slope and into Gunsight Canyon.

Gunsight Notch Peak, view toward Juniper Peak (center) and Bridge Mountain (left).

Close-up down into Pine Creek Canyon.

Gunsight Notch Peak, view toward Rainbow Wall.

Onward to Rainbow Wall! It will be tempting to go directly up in the center of this photo, but cairns mark a route on the right, following a ledge.

Along the ledge.

Class 2 with some exposure.

View back toward Gunsight Notch Peak (top center) after the ledge move.

Shortly after the quick traverse section, the route wraps around and heads back east.

Class 2 slabs.

I came up from the bottom right. The route now leads along the ledge in the center of this photo along the base of the significant wall seen on the left.

The ledge is usually quite wide.

View back. I came up from the bottom left to gain the ledge seen on the right.

Continuing along the ledge traverse. There was only one Class 2+/3 section where it got steeper, but it's no more difficult than anything encountered so far.

As the wall became less tall and would continue to do so. The route becomes more convoluted, since the ledge widens into a series of slopes. You can't go too wrong, and can easily keep this portion of the route Class 2/2+.

A ledge that you might not end up doing if you took another option toward the end of the traverse.

At the end of the traverse, the view opens up. You can see the west ridge of Rainbow Wall ahead. However, the route leads left and up (out of frame) instead of going to the ridge from here.

Class 3 crack.

More fun scrambling past the crack.

Class 3.

View back down the Class 3 stuff. I came up from near the tree in the center of this photo.

Class 2 slab to reach higher ground.

More tame ground, Class 2 to reach the ridgeline.

Along the ridgeline (rather, just to the right of it), headed to the Rainbow Wall summit. Rainbow Peak seen on the right.

Summit of Rainbow Wall, view down into Juniper Canyon.

Close-up into Juniper Canyon down the impressive Rainbow Wall face.

Heading west along the ridge from Rainbow Wall, starting my descent.

A rock outcrop, avoidable on the right.

Avoiding the rock outcrop.

View back along the ridgeline toward Rainbow Wall.

Descending the ridge to a social trail, cairns leading the way.

View back up at Rainbow Wall once I join the social trail. Oak Creek Canyon on the bottom left.

Descending into Oak Creek Canyon.

View up a pretty slickrock descent drainage (Class 2).

Within Oak Creek Canyon.

Slick Class 2/2+ obstacles.

Pretty trickling water.


Descending Oak Creek Canyon.

Lots of boulder-hopping.

Slabby and interesting obstacles.

View back up some of the boulder-hopping stuff.

Continuing to descend. The boulders ease up a bit, but there's still plenty of Class 2/3 fun to be had.


Nearing the mouth of Oak Creek Canyon, view back the way I came.

Once the canyon opened up, I looked around for social trail exit options on the left to get up to the northern bank of Oak Creek Canyon.

View back into Oak Creek Canyon's mouth.

I followed the Oak Creek Canyon trail back to the trailhead.
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