Redstone Peaks Loop

Lake Mead National Recreation Area, NV Northern Lake Mead + Valley of Fire + Gold Butte

Trip stats

Distance
6.4 mi
Net Gain
2,800 ft
Time
3-5 hrs
YDS Rating
Class 3
Route
Loop
Peaks
6

Ratings out of 10

Effort
4.6/10
Personality
5/10
Beauty
6/10
Solitude
5.1/10
What do these mean? →

Peaks on this hike

Summits listed in route order

Ridgeline of the 6 summits in route order 01 02 03 04 05 06
  1. East Redstone
    3,382′ elevation · 200′ prominence
  2. Redstone Peak
    3,524′ elevation · 407′ prominence
  3. Mystery Cairn Peak
    3,478′ elevation · 328′ prominence
  4. Vista Peak
    3,484′ elevation · 132′ prominence
  5. Horn Toad Peak
    3,257′ elevation · N/A prominence
  6. Little Pyramid Peak
    3,368′ elevation · N/A prominence

Route map + Trailhead

Trailhead Coordinates

36.242050, -114.516050

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

Feb 16, 2019 — This great little loop along Northshore Road starts at the Redstone Trailhead and heads up a Class 2 gully to the saddle with East Redstone Peak and Redstone Peak. The ridgeline has maybe a single Class 3 move, but it's otherwise a really straightforward traverse with nice views of Lake Mead and the Redstone features below. Horn Toad Peak is maybe the only peaklet along the route with an actual Class 3 move, but unless you care to bag this little thing, don't worry about it. I took the ridgeline out to Little Pyramid Peak, which also had some nice views, before locating a short canyon to the north that led back into the Redstone area. You'll note from my map that there are an abundance of little nonsense peaks, most of which have a small amount of prominence, but I decided to include them all anyway. They served as nice little destinations along the route.

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Photos

30 photos

  1. Starting along the Redstone Trail, then quickly leaving.
  2. A wash leads through some interesting sandstone features before heading into the mountains.
  3. Approaching the notch leading to the saddle between East Redstone and Redstone. A social/animal trail laeds into it quite nicely.
  4. Looking down the gully from the saddle between East Redstone and Redstone.
  5. East Redstone Peak looking north toward the interesting lightly-colored formation that Northshore Road Follows north.
  6. Close-up of the interesting formation, and Northshore Road. You can also see Fire Benchmark on the top left.
  7. East Redstone Peak summit looking west toward Redstone Peak.
  8. Cool features along the traverse to Redstone Peak.
  9. Redstone Peak summit looking east toward East Redstone Peak.
  10. Redstone Peak summit looking west toward my traverse to come. Mystery Cairn (right) and Vista Peak (center) are up next.
  11. Redstone Peak summit close-up toward the Redstone Trailhead.
  12. Saddle before Mystery Cairn Peak.
  13. Headed toward Vista Peak, Lake Mead visible in the distance.
  14. Vista Peak looking south toward Lake Mead.
  15. Mystery Cairn Peak looking west toward Horn Toad Peak (right) and little Pyramid Peak (left).
  16. Class 3 move to gain Horn Toad Peak.
  17. Horn Toad Peak looking south toward Little Pyramid Peak.
  18. Horn Toad Peak looking north toward the Redstone parking area.
  19. Horn Toad Peak summit looking east toward the traverse I just came through.
  20. Saddle before Little Pyramid Peak.
  21. Just below Little Pyramid Peak, looking north toward the interesting-looking canyon I decided to attempt descending through. Horn Toad Peak visible top right.
  22. Class 2+ scramble to the summit of Little Pyramid Peak.
  23. Little Pyramid Peak summit looking northeast at my traverse.
  24. Little Pyramid Peak summit looking east toward the other Northshore Peaks I've come to know and love.
  25. Descending from Little Pyramid Peak's north saddle toward that canyon ahead.
  26. Crazy formations leading to the canyon.
  27. Easy canyon descend, maybe a couple Class 2+ moves.
  28. Descending the canyon down into the desert.
  29. View of the Redstone area from the west as I descend back to my car.
  30. View as I near the trailhead, the canyon I came out of in the center.

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

Redstone Peaks Loop 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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