Snow, rain bolster hike's beauty

Visitors can scale the massive walls of Ice Box Canyon in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Ice Box Canyon offers more than 70 climbing routes. special to View Advertisement

All our recent rain, and snow in the higher elevations, make this an especially good time to visit the canyons of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Ice Box Canyon is one of the more picturesque, and over the next month, you'll probably see the seasonal show of cascades, deep pockets of water and possible waterfalls within the colorful sandstone bluffs.

Moisture is always welcome in these parts, but never forget that hiking canyons can be potentially dangerous because of flash flooding. Be sure to get an up-to-date weather forecast before you head out on the trail.

The trailhead elevation is 4,286 feet, so it will be perhaps 10 degrees cooler there than Las Vegas, and once inside the shady canyon itself, even more so. Although, how far you travel within the canyon is up to you; officially, it is a 21/2-mile round-trip, with an elevation gain of a few hundred feet. You will encounter rocky and slippery terrain, so hiking boots with good tread and ankle support, never a bad idea, are especially in order here.

From the trailhead, take the signed trail, and within minutes you will reach Red Rock Wash, a major drainage. The wash is about 50 yards across, and during and directly after a rain, it can become a raging torrent. If rain threatens, yet the wash looks dry, do not be tempted to cross, for you might not be able to return safely if the weather wasn't bluffing.

As you make your way across the drainage, look for the sandstone steps on the far side, which will take you up onto the natural bench. Travel along the obvious trail, and after about 0.2 miles from the trailhead, you will come to a signed junction. The trail to the right is the SMYC Trail, which connects hikers over to the Lost Creek area. The one going left is Dale's Trail, which leads to the Pine Creek area. For the Ice Box Canyon hike, head straight, toward the mouth of the canyon.

As you continue, you will find a plant community primarily of scrub oak, desert willow, pinyon pine and manzanita. There are quite a lot of social trails along the way, which can be confusing, but staying on the most well-worn path and continuing to head up canyon will keep you on track. Some of these spur trails lead to the base of the steep cliff walls and are used primarily by rock climbers. There are more than 70 climbing routes in this canyon alone, and more than 2,000 in the park.

You might see white-tailed antelope squirrels, cottontail and jack rabbits, kit foxes, coyotes or even a bobcat on this hike. Once inside the canyon, look along the walls and you might see desert bighorn sheep. Birds seen here include Gambel's quail, mourning doves, white-throated swifts and cactus wrens.

After about one mile, the trail descends steeply into the boulder-filled drainage, which, if you choose to continue, will serve as your route for the remainder of the hike. This makes a good turnaround point if you have kids along or others not up for some difficult rock scrambling. Those up to the task will not only get a good workout, but drink in great gulps of the canyon's beauty.

It is a jumble of color with different textured rocks, from rough and jagged to slippery and water-worn. There is no one ideal route, and you will have to find what works best for you. Don't forget that it is a lot easier to go up than to get down, and many people fall to their deaths while rock scrambling each year.

Deborah Wall is the author of "Great Hikes, A Cerca Country Guide," published by Stephens Press. She can be reached at Deborabus@aol.com.