Overview

This fairly easy hike runs up the north side of a Pine Creek to the first fork in Pine Creek Canyon. The trail then crosses the seasonal stream and runs back down the south side until rejoining the original route near the remains of an old homestead. This area is interesting because it harbors a great botanical diversity of Mojave Desert Scrub vegetation with a relict population of ponderosa pines that normally are found only at much higher elevations. The canyon gets some full sun, especially early in the day, but generally it is a nice cool place to hike. The round-trip trail is about 2.42 miles, but from the top of the loop you can scramble and boulder hop as far up the canyon as you want. In the back of the canyon, the trail runs so close to the Rainbow Mountain Wilderness Area that you can touch it.

Link to map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ... this is a rocky trail and you have to keep watching your feet, but other than that, it is pretty safe if you stay on the trail. If you hike up the canyon past the end of the loop, the route requires scrambling over and around boulders and up slick-rock terraces. Be careful if you get high enough to fall and hurt yourself, and watch for wet or icy rocks in the canyon and around the stream. Don't drink the water unless you treat or filter it.

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 is a short hike, be sure to bring what you need of the 10 Essentials.

Getting to the Trailhead

This hike is located along the Scenic Loop Road in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, about 1 hour west of Las Vegas. Drive out to Red Rocks, pay the fee, and then drive about 2/3rds of the way around the Scenic Loop Road to the Pine Creek Canyon Trailhead. Park here; this is the trailhead.

The Hike

From the Pine Creek trailhead (Table 2, Waypoint 1), which sits atop a bench overlooking Pine Creek Wash, the well-defined trail runs south, cutting down and across a steep sidehill. Near the trailhead, the vegetation is fairly sparse and dominated by few species, including blackbrush, Mojave yucca, banana yucca, and Utah juniper.

After crossing the hillside for 0.19 miles, the trail drops into the bottom of Pine Creek Wash (Wpt. 2). Here, the soil moisture is higher, and the vegetation abruptly changes to include shrub live oak, sagebrush, Utah juniper, desert willow, and buckhorn cholla.

At the edge of Pine Creek Wash, the trail turns west and runs along benches on the north side of the wash. After 0.11 miles, the trail intersects the start of the Fire Ecology Trail (Wpt. 3), and after another 45 yards, the trail intersects the end of the Fire Ecology Trail (Wpt. 4). Continuing on another 0.13 miles, the trail passes a junction with Dale's Trail (Wpt. 5). The vegetation is much thicker and diverse here, manzanita and yerba santa join the species mix, and ponderosa pines are nearby.

The trail continues west towards a grove of ponderosa pine, a seasonal stream, and the remains of Horace Wilson's old homestead. The main trail forks (Wpt. 6) a total of 0.80 miles out, just past where old man Wilson built his home. In here, singleleaf pinyon pine, ashy silktassel, and many other species of shrubs join the species mix. The fork is the start and end of a loop that runs up into the mouth of Pine Creek Canyon.

Continuing up the right (north) fork, the trail starts into the canyon, proper. The trail runs up the north side of the canyon, beneath towering sandstone cliffs, to just below the Mescalito Wall (Wpt. 7), the tall buttress that seems to block the head of the canyon. From here, you can continue up the smaller canyons on either side of Mescalito. Follow use-trails and scrambling over and around boulders for as far up the canyons as you want. Higher up, the canyons are deep and narrow. The south canyon forks a couple of more times. Given that you are boulder hopping up the canyon, you can go anywhere you want, but staying to the south (left) at the first fork and staying to the north (right) at the second fork is said to make for a good hike.

The trail runs back down along the south side of the canyon through some very pretty country with ponderosa pines. The trail eventually passes an intersection with the northern end of the Arnight Trail (Wpt. 8), and crosses back over the creek just above the Mr. Wilson's homestead. There are lots of cattail, desert willow, and rabbitbrush in addition to the ponderosa pine and shrub live oak where the trail crosses the creek.

Across the creek, the trail runs up through Mr. Wilson's old garden towards the homesite. Except for yerba santa, the garden is still mostly clear of shrubs after all these years.

Wander across the garden area and visit the homestead (Wpt. 9). Old-man Wilson built his home here in the early 1920s. He lived here for about 10 years and planted a big garden and orchard. Only the foundation of the house and some fruit trees remain. He left the canyon in 1933 and moved to the big city (Las Vegas).

When ready to head back, pick up the main trail by the homestead foundation and walk 0.80 miles back to the trailhead.