Snoopy Loop (Red Rocks, NV, near Las Vegas)

Harlan W. S.
March 21, 2007

(I hate this Sony Cybershot camera with a passion. The camera has a tendency to become confused and reset to “moonlight scene mode” – hence many shots below are over-exposed. The only saving grace is that the camera was basically free.)

OK, back to the subject at hand: A climb of “Snoopy” in Red Rocks. The trailless, class 3 hike up this quasi-peak is actually quite scenic, and the “up” route below is principally brush-free (at least, by Adirondack standards). The “down” route is rough and brushy, but takes one across a very unusual area: a limestone gully that is quite wet, complete with frogs, thick grass, and perhaps 10 small waterfalls. The loop as shown is only 6.5 miles, but the accumulated elevation gain is ~4000’.

I’m inclined to believe there might be an easier way up, starting from the same valley. From White Rock Springs Peak, it appears there may be another break in the cliff band to the west.

The GPS trace. One parks ~0.4 miles west of Willow Spring, on the gravel Rocky Gap Road.	Snoopy, as seen near the start of the hike. The route moves R to L across the prominent limestone bands.	The route starts up an old 4WD road, Then travels up a faint trail on the south side of the wash, then eventually drops into the wash. The arrows at right show how one winds to the right of a cliff; the arrow at left shows another possible (untried) way to mount the ridge.
The wash passes through the major cliff band that normally blocks climbs up La Madre Ridge.	View up the first dryfall. The top passage is narrow, so you may wish to take off your pack.	View back down.
At last you must leave the wash at a huge dryfall, and cut SW (left as you climb) up a ramp. Here’s a view looking back from the ramp, showing the cliff band that normally blocks progress.	A view up the ramp as it turns a corner.	Another view back down.
	Finally, one gets to the top of the ramp. Will there be an easy way to mount the ridge on the corner?	Not a chance. The wall continues unabated. One must turn W on the S side of the wall, lose >350’, and then turn right up a class 2 ramp.
View E from the top of peak 2404m. It’s dark and snowing behind me, but bright sun in the Las Vegas valley. White Rock Hills Peak is to L; the “brow” of Snoopy is the peak in the foreground at R (note snow).	View NE. La Madre is the rightmost peak; Tia Grande is at left.	Now descending S. One aims for the talus slopes at left.
Finally I hit the wet southern wash, and the remains of a dead stag.	There are perhaps 10 small (in volume) but very slippery waterfalls on the way down.	Sometimes it is easiest to go high to cut around the falls; sometimes one has to use “grass holds” to descend.