Trip Report: Rock Climbing Calico Basin in Red Rocks Canyon, NV
When: 6/23/2019
Location: Route: Big Bad Wolf (5.9 3 pitch sport route)
Conditions: Sunny with heat in the 70's until around 10 am, then just got hotter.
Duration: The Climb took approximately 2 hours.
Difficulty: The difficulty of all three pitches averaged out to 5.9
Kid Friendly: No
Dog Friendly: No
Useful Links: www.mountainproject.com
Full Report:
My Uncle and I started the climb around 5:30 am on Sunday, June 23rd, 2019. Red Rocks is located about 20 miles west of Las Vegas, so it gets hot this time of the year. We pulled into Calico Basin, which is about 2 miles from the official entrance to the 13-mile loop of the Red Rocks National Conservation Area. We decided to climb in Calico Basin because of being able to grab an early start before the heat became an issue. From car to the base of the climb took about 20 minutes of hiking.
The climb is so awesome, especially for those that are starting to dabble in the world of Multi-pitch climbing. The climb is 3 pitches long, at a total of 220 ft. The entire climb is sport bolted, and for the most part, all of the bolts are relatively close, and you feel protected and safe the entire time.
The first pitch is a stout 5.9, 70 ft long, and 8 quickdraws. I led up this pitch and brought my uncle up. In my personal opinion, this was the most fun pitch of the climb. There were tons of great holds, and the climb just flowed so well. My uncle led the second pitch. The second pitch was more of a slab climb, with some thin holds, coming in at 5.8, 80 ft, 8 quickdraws. The third pitch starts as a climb, but then quickly becomes more vertical, with some really fun, juggy holds for the remainder of the climb. It rates around 5.8, 70 ft, 8 quickdraws. There is a final section of the climb that isn't long. It's more of a 5.0 scramble with a couple of bolts.
There are a couple of ways to descend. You can walk off towards the left once you reach the top of the climb to a descent gully. We chose to rappel off down to each set of anchors instead. This is a newer climb for the Red Rocks, so the bolts were close together and each bolt had great feet for setting a solid clipping stance. I had a blast on this climb and would highly recommend it to anyone heading to Vegas that wants a fun little adventure.
There are tons of other great longer climbs, but this one is a great tick if you're limited on time!
Full Report:
My Uncle and I started the climb around 5:30 am on Sunday, June 23rd, 2019. Red Rocks is located about 20 miles west of Las Vegas, so it gets hot this time of the year. We pulled into Calico Basin, which is about 2 miles from the official entrance to the 13-mile loop of the Red Rocks National Conservation Area. We decided to climb in Calico Basin because of being able to grab an early start before the heat became an issue. From car to the base of the climb took about 20 minutes of hiking.
The climb is so awesome, especially for those that are starting to dabble in the world of Multi-pitch climbing. The climb is 3 pitches long, at a total of 220 ft. The entire climb is sport bolted, and for the most part, all of the bolts are relatively close, and you feel protected and safe the entire time.
The first pitch is a stout 5.9, 70 ft long, and 8 quickdraws. I led up this pitch and brought my uncle up. In my personal opinion, this was the most fun pitch of the climb. There were tons of great holds, and the climb just flowed so well. My uncle led the second pitch. The second pitch was more of a slab climb, with some thin holds, coming in at 5.8, 80 ft, 8 quickdraws. The third pitch starts as a climb, but then quickly becomes more vertical, with some really fun, juggy holds for the remainder of the climb. It rates around 5.8, 70 ft, 8 quickdraws. There is a final section of the climb that isn't long. It's more of a 5.0 scramble with a couple of bolts.
There are a couple of ways to descend. You can walk off towards the left once you reach the top of the climb to a descent gully. We chose to rappel off down to each set of anchors instead. This is a newer climb for the Red Rocks, so the bolts were close together and each bolt had great feet for setting a solid clipping stance. I had a blast on this climb and would highly recommend it to anyone heading to Vegas that wants a fun little adventure.
There are tons of other great longer climbs, but this one is a great tick if you're limited on time!