Turtlehead Peak with a Twist | Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Nevada | Visit [ Ссылка ] | Turtlehead Peak is one of the most popular hikes in Red Rock Canyon. With about a 5-mile round trip the well-marked trail ascends from 4,306ft at the trailhead to 6,285ft at the summit. The ascent is steep in some places with the steepest incline during the .4 miles ascent up the gully stretch approaching the saddle. There are a few places in the gully where the trail is questionable, as is your footing on steep loose gravel inclines, especially on the return descent. You may need to use your hands to scramble over some rocky sections. Be in good conditioning, walking or running 3-5 miles per day at least 4 days each week in order to enjoy yourself on this hike vs. being exhausted and wondering if you’re going to make it.

The best time of year to ascend Turtlehead Peak is Fall or Spring. Some Winter days can get a little icy and chilly near the summit. And, unless you plan to complete the hike before 10am in the Summer, the Summer temperatures can rise up to 110 degrees mid-day.

That having been said, the views along the way and on the summit are spectacular. However, depending on what you want to see and photograph, you may prefer morning or evening. In the morning as the sun is rising, the best views are Red Rock Canyon, Blue Diamond Mountain, the Keystone Thrust in the La Madre Mountains Wilderness to the North and the colorful Rainbow Mountains bordering the West side of Red Rock Canyon. In the evening hours before sunset the best views are the Calico Basin, Damsel Peak and the Las Vegas Valley.

I descend Turtlehead Peak by the main trail, so the descent portion of the video shows you what the trail is like.

Why do I call this “Turtlehead Peak with a Twist”? The “Twist” is that, rather than ascending the main trail in the gully, ascend the ridge to the left of the gully. This optional route involves traversing some rather steep avalanche slopes and taking on a few class 3 rock scrambles. However, the views are spectacular all the way up vs. in the gully. The ridge route is interesting and challenging and you actually descend to the saddle, relaxed and refreshed vs. huffing and puffing up an incline on the main trail. Note that the time the ridge route takes may be double the time the main trail takes. There is no trail up the ridge, so either watch the video carefully or be comfortable picking out a route in this kind of terrain.

Another aspect of “the twist” is during your final ascent up Turtlehead Peak to the summit, rather than taking the main trail, ascend closer to the edge of the cliff. Why? Because the rocks there are more stable than the loose gravel on the trail. Just be familiar with such terrain, stay about 6-feet from the very edge of the cliff and be familiar navigating this kind of terrain. You might try venturing briefly into this zone during each ascent until you are familiar with the terrain and the route.

On the other hand, the main trail is awesome, safer and mostly class 2 all the way to the summit. It’s probably the best route until you are very familiar with Turtlehead Peak, or have had good experience ascending class 3 rock scrambling terrain. The “twist” routes are at your own risk, and note that you will probably be the only person around.

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