Overview

This fairly easy trail runs about 0.5 miles to a spring with oak trees and petroglyphs at the base of the Red Rock Escarpment west of Blue Diamond (south end of the Red Rock Cliffs). Access is from Highway 160 using Black Velvet Road, Lone Grapevine Road, and Wildhorse Loop Road, all of which should be suitable in a carefully driven sedan to about 0.1 miles short of the Lone Grapevine Trailhead. During the hike, the sandstone cliffs, which are inside the Rainbow Mountain Wilderness Area, loom higher and higher, eventually dominating the landscape.

Link to map.

From the Lone Grapevine Trailhead, the trail generally runs northwest through diverse vegetation typical of the Mojave Desert Scrub habitat type. At about 0.4 miles out, the mostly level trail passes a watering trough that attracts wildlife from miles around. Beyond the trough, the trail climbs a hillside to the spring. The spring area is fenced, but trees provides shade to hikers and birdwatchers.

As an in-and-out hike, visiting Lone Grapevine Spring requires about 1 mile of walking. Hikers and birders might consider walking a slightly longer loop (about 1-1/2 miles) by including Wooden Fence Spring in their desert adventure. The plethora of mountain bike trails in the area provide additional opportunities for hiking loops that include these and other springs. Starting from the paved Late Night Trailhead and connecting bike trails and dirt roads to reach the spring makes a nice morning hike.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ...this hike is fairly short and safe with no unusual hazards. Without a high-clearance vehicle, be sure to drive carefully and stop at the parking area atop a steep ravine about 0.1 miles before the trailhead.

While hiking, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. Also, even though this hike is short, be sure to bring what you need of the 10 Essentials.

Getting to the Trailhead

This hike is located in Red Rock Canyon NCA, but not in the Scenic Loop fee area.

From the Red Rock Visitor Center area, drive west then south on West Charleston Blvd. (Hwy 159) past Blue Diamond Town to Highway 160. Turn right onto Highway 160 and drive west for 4.7 miles to the paved Late Night Trailhead on the right. From the end of the paved parking area, follow Black Velvet Road for 1.3 miles to either of two roads to the left. These roads merge to become Lone Grapevine Road. Follow Lone Grapevine Road to a T-intersection with Wildhorse Loop Road. Turn right onto Wildhorse Loop Road and drive northwest to Lone Grapevine Trailhead. Without a 4WD vehicle, consider stopping at Lone Grapevine parking area #1.

The Hike

From the main trailhead (parking area #2), trees growing at the spring can be seen in the distance to the northwest. Starting out, the unmarked trail (Table 2, Waypoint 01) runs northwest and down towards a wash (Wpt. 02).

Just before dropping into the wash, the better trail turns left and runs upstream for about 100 feet before dropping into the wash and connecting with a trail on the other side (Wpt. 03). The route turns right and follows the well-defined trail.

The trail runs across open desert with many species of shrubs, including blackbrush, indigo bush, Virgin River encelia, spiny menodora, and the odoriferous turpentinebroom. There are also lots of Mojave yucca and buckhorn cholla.

At about 0.36 miles out (Wpt. 04), the Lone Grapevine Trail crosses the Late Night Bike Trail, which runs east-west at this point (actually a wide, triangle intersection). Continuing past the junction, the trail runs out to a metal watering trough (Wpt. 05), which is about 150 feet ahead at the base of a slope.

There is no vegetation around the trough, apparently victims of years of trampling from cows and horses in the old days, and now feral burros, bighorn sheep, mule deer, and other wildlife. A few rocks are piled in the trough to allow squirrels and other creatures to get out without drowning - please don't remove these few rocks.

Beyond the watering trough, the trail works up the steep hillside and then diagonals across the slope following a water pipe and heading for a cluster of trees 0.1 miles distant (Wpt. 06).

The spring area (Wpt. 06) is fenced, so it probably is better to stay outside and not trample the vegetation. The large trees around the spring are canyon live oak, and shrub live oak grow on the drier edges. Shrubs in the area include sagebrush, sandpaper plant, eastern Mojave buckwheat, and blackbrush. There are also lots of Mojave yucca, buckhorn cholla, and some desert needlegrass.

Be sure to check sandstone boulders outside the fence for rock art and lichens.

When ready to head back, either follow your footprints back down the trail to the trailhead, or consider making a loop. For instance, from just below the watering trough, follow the Late Night Bike Trail (Wpt. 05) west and then south to Wooden Fence Spring (Wpt. 07). Beyond that spring, the trail runs back to the road at a point about 0.2 miles south of the Lone Grapevine Trailhead.