Mud Peaks, near Lake Mead, NV

These three little peaks (Mud Crag, Mud Hill and Mud Tower) off Northshore Road can all be climbed as class 2. However, the popular guidebook for the area states the class 2 route on Mud Tower is on the NE face; actually, the class 2 route is on the SE face. The NE face is crumbly, scary talus that is class 3 at best, and up to class 4.

Now, most will want to connect the peaks for a single day hike. In the route shown in the first map,travel among the peaks involves crossing some confusing washes. Plus there are scrabbly descents off the Crag and Hill, where one occasionally slides, ungracefully, to the edge of a cliff, so caution is urged.

Harlan W S, Kevin H
December 15, 2018

View of the route.	zoomed-out context map	The easiest approach to Crag is via N-S washes, eventually cutting WNW
	looking back ESE in a side wash.	Mud Crag. The scrabbly talus may have you walking like a chimpanzee, but it is just class 2; I touched my hands down a few times for balance.
Me for scale.	ESE at ridge before Mud Crag	View WNW to Mud Tower at end.\Mud Hill is on a parallel ridge across the valley visible at R
Various shots from the top of the Crag.
View ~NE to Muddy Highpoint	Charleston Peak and Mummy in distance
Now we descend off NW side of Mud Crag	WNW view along Crag-Tower ridge
Bighorns. The terrain is a little rougher.		View back ESE at Crag
		Now we are on the parallel ridge, view ~SE across the rough valley
Kevin's view of me to WNW as I top Hill	View ~SE across intricate, maze-like valley	The Crag (L) to Tower (2nd from R) ridge to ~SW
	View of Crag as we drop down S side of Hill	This is the NE face of Tower. One may be able to head up to the blue ?
Descending S side of Hill	The bottom of descent is full of steep, crumbly washes
crossing valley	The Tower is on R. We cut around to back (S) side of lump in center, via L side	Once on SE side of Tower, Kevin and Amber went up good left side; Jodie and I went to the right side to investigate the fabled NE face.
I cut off the NE face early, and had to climb up a 10' wall to the ridge.	View ESE at true summit.	Jodie and I cut back cross-country, to get her to the 2 half of a football game!