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 Reporter |
Summary: The toughest part of this hike is what we call the Pine Creek Pull, or the steep uphill climb back up to the parking lot. This trail begins in gravel, turns to soil/rock path, and ends up bouldering. You can turn around whenever you want so you get to decide how far to go. This Pine Creek trail is also the access to deeper canyons SSW including Gunsight Notch and others waiting for you to discover them. Even if you only go a few miles into Pine Creek canyon, you're sure to find plenty of things to catch your interest. There are climbing paths cutting through the brush to the base of the cliffs, and Fern Canyon (dark shadows climb) forks off this trail to the N before reaching Mescalito. There are plenty of pools and seasonal waterfalls where you can enjoy the shade of this tree-filled creek, and get your feet wet. By the end of summer there are typically more mosquitoes and algae in the creek than fresh running water, but spring & early summer can be glorious. Trailhead: Be advised that the USGS topo does NOT accurately reflect the location of the scenic loop road within Red Rock National Conservation Area. 18 miles W of Las Vegas Blvd. on Charleston Ave (SR 159) to Red Rock entry (fee) station. Take the scenic loop to Pine Creek parking (fills up early). Descend steep trail down hill and head W towards Pine Creek as you pass Old Wilson Homestead (concrete foundation S of trail). Continue W on trail until fork in road, take S (L) fork and stay L of Mescalito. You'll pass the signed turn to Arnight Trail and Juniper Canyon but continue on your path as far as you want to go into the canyon. Turn around and retrace your steps to return. Do NOT hike in the afternoon in the summer. Although there is water, do not drink it, bring plenty of water for yourself and your dog. (Lat:36.12776 Lon:-115.47125) Trail Guides for Pine Creek (Red Rock Canyon): Keystone Hiking Trails Information by BLM - Red Rock NCA (BLM - Red Rock NCA) Hiking Around Las Vegas by Jim Boone (Jim L. Boone) 120 Best Hikes in Southern Nevada and Beyond (CD) by Branch Whitney (Branch Whitney) Best Seasons: Year-Round User Groups: Hikers, Dogs, Ranger Contact: Red Rock (BLM) ranger at entry to NCA (fee station) 702-515-5950 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Kat Green, who has posted 86 other hikes on this site Trail Reviews Submit your own review 
Reviewed by stephinitely on 12/16/2007 we went up at 9am, mid-december. the trail was relatively devoid of people. we hiked along the trail but were lured by the running water, along the left of the trail, past the brush. we missed the homestead on the way up, but did enjoy the meandering pools and slight waterfalls while making the steady climb into the canyon, to the left of The Mescalito. once fully into the canyon the trail dropped off. we tried what we thought were several, to find they weren't. on the way down, prior to discovering the homestead, we spotted three big-horned sheep who spotted us. would def hike again. 
Reviewed by Shannon on 3/21/2006 I have hiked Pine Creek many times, love to picnic on the creek bed to the south of trail. Recently hiked down into Fern Canyon, wow! was it beautiful. Planing on going agian this weekend to take some people who have never been. With the recent rain & snow temps in the high 70's there should be lots of water & falls.
Reviewed by David on 3/4/2006 I've hiked the north fork (right of Mescalito) of Pine Creek many times. Hiking/bouldering leads to a 30-ft. waterfall. There are two ways to get up on top. One is to scale the cliff vertically on the left side--it's not hard, but requires a little courage. The other way is to clamber up the slope to the right through trees and brush, then cross over on a shelf---this is the easy way! Just upstream of the falls, the hiker will find a fork. Left fork is a short side trip; leads into a horseshoe canyon (occasional waterfall). Right fork continues into the canyon proper. There is some serious bouldering here, and some slickrock to clamber up. The canyon ends at a terraced cliff/waterfall. Nice view of the canyon. Six hours round trip minimum
Reviewed by shawn on 6/5/2005 Hiked it today, very nice. I agree the loop part of the trail is bit confusing, but to do the left side of the loop, the trail heads parallel to the create 10-15 yards before the creek. Even still, all along the way other "trails" kept branching off, and at the end of the loop there was a "3rd" part, so I'm guessing I ended up further towards the creek on an unofficial trail. If you keep continuing past the loop, you get to see some nice views up and down the canyon only adding 10 minutes or so with nothing too strenuous. Also, on the north side of the loop, there is a trail that heads up rather steeply and leads to some nice views of the canyon, especially the grassy area nears the homestead site -- I didn't go as far as I could even.
Reviewed by ch on 5/7/2005 Hiked this trail on 4/29/05. Very pleasant and quite pretty. Seeing the foundation of the old homestead was neat, but I would have liked some sort of informational sign there so I knew what I was looking at. Like reviewer bvb, I also thought the left-hand fork of the loop trail dead-ended at Pine Creek, since I couldn't find any continuation of it. We backtracked and took the right fork, but that led us to an area where there are SO many unauthorized trails everywhere that we couldn't figure out which trail we were supposed to be on. We never did complete the loop. More signs showing the correct trail would have been very helpful.
Reviewed by mf on 3/10/2005 big horn sheep seen on the red rock cliffs the creek with its many small waterfalls with areas of ferns also the numerous paths off the main trail
Reviewed by bvb on 1/24/2005 Nice hike--very very busy. We had a hard time parking at the trailhead. Just past the Wilson Homestead, there is a fork marked with a sign "Pine Creek Loop" that points either way. The left trail seems to dead-end at pine creek. I wonder if its been washed out (not sure, because I've never hiked the trail before). The right fork seems to continue on towards The Mescalito--we had to turn around as we wasted too much time on the dead-end :). Notice: Traveling in the backcountry can be hazardous. You are responsible for informing yourself about these hazards and taking necessary precautions. Information on this web site comes from volunteer reporters and may contain errors or omissions. A current guidebook and proper equipment are essential for safe enjoyment of the hikes posted on this site. Keys: Nevada Hiking, Nevada Trails, Nevada Hikes, Clark County Hiking, Clark County Trails, Clark County Hikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||