Icebox Canyon, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

Icebox Canyon Waterfall

Icebox Canyon is a fantastic intermediate hike in the Red Rock Conservation Area which is located just outside of Las Vegas Nevada. Icebox Canyon is about 2.5 miles round-trip from the parking area, but will probably take most hikers 2-3 hours to complete it at a normal pace. This trail can be a little sporting and requires some climbing and moderate uphill hiking on a rocky trail. Sprained ankles are a real concern on this one. If you have young children, if you're brand new to hiking, or if you're unsure you can handle the physical exertion, you may want to avoid this hike.

What to bring:

Red Rock Canyon is actually part of the Mojave Desert. Summer temperatures can reach 120+ degrees. Ideally, you want to hike this trail when the temperature outside is mild. I can not stress how important it is to bring at least a gallon of water per person if you plan on hiking this trail in the summer like a lunatic. Second, do not forget sunscreen. If you hike for 2 hours on clear day in Las Vegas, you will almost definitely end up with a serious sunburn . Third, sunglasses are a must. The Nevada sun will melt your eyes from your skull. Finally, let someone know where you're headed and what time you plan on returning. Protip: Remember to put your cellphone in airplane mode while you hike so your battery doesn't die searching for a signal. You won't get cell service in this part of Red Rock.

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

The Trail:

 From the parking area, the dirt trail heads uphill and winds through thick shrubs which provide a little bit of shade. The trail splits about a quarter mile in, with one path leading up through the middle of the canyon in the dry creek bed, while the other section climbs above the creek bed hugging the right side of the canyon. I recommend keeping to the higher trail on the right. Both trails meet back together again after another half mile. Once you're inside the main part of the canyon, the final section of the trail requires some rock scrambling. You won't be able to get lost because the cliffs are hundreds of feet high on both sides of you. Just keep heading upstream through the dry creek bed until you reach the end. If you're lucky, you'll see a small trickling waterfall when you reach the end. Some people climb the waterfall to see the small pool at the middle of the falls, but the rocks are extremely smooth and slippery. Many people have been injured attempting the final climb. The pool at the top of the waterfall is too small to swim in anyway. All warnings aside, this is one of the best hikes in the Las Vegas area. There are very few places in the Mojave Desert where you can hike in the shade and see a waterfall.

Directions:

Red Rock Canyon is located about 20 minutes from the strip in Las Vegas. From Blue Diamond Road, turn right at Scenic Loop Drive. You will pay a 7$ entrance fee at the gate to get into the park. Ask for a map at the entrance. Follow Scenic Loop Drive for 8 miles until you reach the parking area for Icebox Canyon.

The address for Google maps is:
Ice Box Canyon, Las Vegas, NV 89161

Red Rock Canyon Trail Map

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Black Widow SpiderHolster Field Test and Review

I do a lot hiking and I've been looking for an alternative to my neck strap to carry my Canon DSLR on the trail. I found the Black Widow SpiderHolster on Amazon and gave it a shot based on all of the good reviews. I was not disappointed. I took it on a weekend trip to Tennessee for my brother's birthday to explore Falls Creek Falls State Park and Burgess Falls State Park. There are photo opportunities around every turn in both parks and it was amazing not to have to dig into my bag every five minutes to pull out my camera. This is a fantastic piece of professional gear and does exactly what I need it to. After a few hundred hkes, you get really tired of your camera flopping around on your neck while you're hiking.

Out of the box, you can literally set up the Black Widow on your camera in less than 30 seconds. You just use a wrench to tighten a washer and a bolt. They also sell a plate you can attach to the bottom of the Black Widow to make it compatible with a tripod. I highly recommend picking one up as an accessory.

The camera locks into place using a nifty little ball joint. It sits nice a snug against your hip and you can use the Velcro strap to lock it into place with the lense facing backwards so you don't accidentally damage your lense. The quick release is basically fool proof. You can remove the holster and attach it to any belt, but I really like the Velcro belt that comes with the unit because its really comfortable and has some padding to keep the camera from banging into your hip.

On the trail with the Black Widow camera holster

The quick release is really smooth and fast. You can instantly pop your camera off the holster if you need to get a quick shot. The ball joint locks into place and you have to push the trigger to release it and slide the camera up and out. I did quite a bit of walking with this, and there is just no way your camera can come unattached.

After testing the Black Widow for a weekend on the icy trails in Tennessee, I may never bring my DLSR and hike without it again. I definitely recommend picking one up. I put together a short video of the hikes below if anyone is interested in checking out the waterfalls. Falls Creek Falls is often called the largest waterfall east of the Rockies.

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Fossil Falls. Strawberry, Arizona

Fossil Falls. Strawberry Arizona Waterfall

Arizona is extremely dry for most of the year. Most people hear the word 'Arizona', and they immediately think of the desert or the Grand Canyon. But Arizona has some of the best waterfalls in the United States. Fossil Falls is a pristine, emerald green waterfall located in Arizona’s Coconino National Forest. I've hiked all over the Southwestern United States and I've never seen another waterfall quite like it.  The falls are only about 25 feet tall, but they are fed by an underground spring and the volume of water in the creek is impressive by any standard.  Fossil Creek also has some of the best swimming holes in the Southwestern United States.  There are caves you can swim inside, rocks to climb, cliffs for jumping and plenty of sunny spots for lounging and picnicking along the creek. In the summer, you can expect that Fossil Falls will be very crowded. The reviews on Yelp make it sound like a madhouse. Several reviews mentioned open drug use and college kids partying and blasting music.  My girlfriend and I made the hike on a weekday in October of 2013 and we never ran into a single other person on the trail or at the falls. It was absolutely glorious. We had the entire place all to ourselves. 

 The large amount of calcium and dissolved minerals in the water gives Fossil Falls its distinct turquoise color. The pictures barely do it justice. Fossil Falls is absolutely breathtaking when you see it up close. The hike, although daunting, is beautiful too. The best part of the trail definitely starts when you reach the floor of the canyon and hike along the creek. There are several camp spots cut out of the underbrush. According to the Parks Department, camping is permitted along Fossil Creek South of the Fossil Creek Bridge. Your campsite must be at least 100 feet from the creek and fires are strictly prohibited. I easily could have spent 2 or 3 days camping in the canyon and had a great time. 

The road from Strawberry Arizona to Fossil Falls is closed until further notice. This leaves two options for reaching the falls. You can either hike 8 miles round-trip into the canyon, or attempt the notorious 16 miles dirt road. I've read in many places that you must have a truck or 4-wheel drive to do the road. We opted for the 8 mile hike. The hike starts at the top of the canyon. You steadily descend for over 3 miles until you reach the creek. You hike upstream for approximately 1 mile until you reach the falls. There are also several smaller cascading waterfalls and swimming holes along the creek. This hike was easy in October with 70 degree temperature, but I bet it would be murderous in the summer. My legs were feeling the burn on the return trip. I went through 4 bottles of water. In the summer, each person in your group would probably need a gallon of water to complete this hike.

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Hidden Falls at Jenny Lake. Grand Teton National Park

Hidden Falls. Grand Teton National Park

Hidden Falls is easily the best waterfall in Grand Teton National Park.  The falls are located on the western side of Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. The shortest route to the falls is to hike around the southern part of Jenny Lake on the Jenny Lake trail. You can expect to see a wide variety of wildlife on the trail. We saw chipmunks, a coyote, several red-bellied marmots and a wide variety of colorful birds I couldn’t name. The falls are listed at around 100 feet tall, but the cascades go on for miles and the sheer volume of water on the river tops anything you'll find outside of Yellowstone. 

A recent landslide wiped out the lower part of Jenny Lake  trail that leads to the falls, so a new trail had to be cut into the side of the mountain. To bypass the landslide, the new trail adds a significant amount of elevation gain to the hike.  However, the new trail also offers a birds eye view of the Lake.   Most descriptions online put the hike at about 6 miles total roundtrip. We finished the hike in a little under 3 hours. You can shave 2 miles off the hike by taking the ferry across Jenny Lake.

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Bridal Veil Falls. Provo, Utah

Bridal Veil Falls. Provo, Utah

Bridal Veil Falls is an impressive 600 foot waterfall located about ten miles from the I-15 in Provo Utah. Although not worthy of a 9 hour drive from Orange County California by itself, Bridal Veil Falls is a great way to get out of the car for an hour, stretch your legs and see something impressive. You can actually ride your bike on the paved footpath from the parking area right up to the base of the falls and continue further up the canyon for some exploring.

I've read that route 189 is sometimes closed in the winter due to the snow, so you might want to plan your trip accordingly. I know that Bridal Veil Falls freezes over in the winter and becomes a popular destination for ice climbers.

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Havasu Falls: Grand Canyon

Mooney Falls: Supai Arizona,
 Grand Canyon

For a lot of hikers, a trip to the Supai reservation in the Grand Canyon to see Havasu Falls is the high watermark of a lifetime of exploration and adventures.  I’m in my early thirties now, and I thought it was time that I made the journey myself. After doing a lot of research online, I became an expert on Supai before I had ever even visited. Most people agree that the best times to visit are during the spring and fall when the temperatures are mild and the crowds are thin. I reserved my campsite by phone for early October about 6 months before of my trip. For three people staying two nights in the Supai campground, the fee came to exactly 85$ per person. You don’t actually pay for anything on the phone, they just give you a reservation number.  The lodge was already completely booked, but the prices for a room were several hundred dollars more expensive and I wouldn't have spent that much money anyway.

The next step for our trip was gathering supplies and planning the route.  The major factor to consider in the Grand Canyon is always the weather.  Summer temperatures can reach 120 degrees. In the winter, they regularly drop below zero.  Temps in the spring and fall can be unpredictable. In early October, the weatherman called for clear skies with daytime temps in the low 70’s, and nights in the upper 40’s. Perfection.  The hike to the campground in Supai is ten miles each way from the parking lot at Hualapai hilltop. To clear up any confusion about directions, the best route from either direction on Route 40 is to take route 66 and then exit North on Hualapai Highway (Indian Route 18).  You just follow the Hualapai Highway for an hour or so until it dead ends at the parking lot for Hualapai Hilltop. It should be hard to miss. It’s the parking lot situated on the edge of a billion year old crevasse 1 mile deep and 18 miles across.

Gear:

Considering the mild fall temperatures, I packed food for two days,  1.5 liters of water per person, 3-man tent split into three packs, hiking pole, 1 change of clothing and socks, 1 light jacket, 1 light sweatshirt, 2 pound sleeping bag, sleeping pad, gloves, hat, ten feet of nylon clothesline, cell phone, camera,  1 roll toilet paper, travel size toothbrush and toothpaste, travel size shower gel/shampoo, needle and a small spool of thread, 1 emergency kit*

*Emergency kit

Emergency  blanket, alcohol swabs, small tube of dermabond, crazyglue, matches in waterproof case,  toilet paper, Purel hand sanitizer, travel size suntan lotion, flashlight/headlamp with spare batteries,  needle and thread,  energy bars, pocket knife, emergency whistle,  bandages, rain poncho, compass, water purification tablets/iodine,  powdered Gatorade individual packs,

(You can store your emergency kit in an aluminum thermos for boiling water in an emergency)


A very condensed trip report:

We left our hotel in Las Vegas early in the morning and made the trailhead in a little under

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