Turtlehead Mountain

"First summit of Turtlehead and hike led by Ed Forkos, my first hike with him. He led us up a class 2/3 gully to the ridge just below the peak. Fun day with a detour towards Calico Tanks on the return through an interesting canyon. " — DudeAlmighty • Feb 27, 2024

"1.11.22~4.6 miles, 2,000’ gain. 1:35hrs RT. LayZ jaunt up and down The Turtlehead. Up in :58min, 4min on top, down in :33. But who’s counting? Stare at your own bellybutton…Had the mountain all to myself on this reservation Tuesday. There were snow patches & hidden ice in the shadows near the final approach so I had to tread slow & carefully up and down that area. IMO it’s The most under appreciated Peak in Red Rock and one of my favorite! Challenging, dramatic and unmatched majestic views. " — paula.raimondi • Jan 11, 2022

"I hiked up to this peak the first free second I was in Vegas. The peak was okay but I was encountering +50 mph winds on the summit and the scramble to the ridgeline. The hike was flat n' fine up to 0:25. Then it started getting windy n' steep. I didn't really like this part because it was supa steep. But what I did like about this part is that it has a La Madre Mountains Wilderness sign. After about 30 mins (too slow for me), we reached the summit. Yay!!!!!! It had 3 registers and one fire hose register. The views were just decent, not great atall. " — lcnguyen • Dec 1, 2021

"Really fun hike in the very beautiful Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, took our time to soak it all in. First mile is well marked and pretty flat, rest of the way gets a little steeper with some scrambling in the mix but still enough blazes and cairns to keep you on track. Awesome views of Las Vegas and snowy Mt. Charleston from the top." — jodola • Feb 9, 2021

"Parked at the Kraft Trailhead and made our way to Gateway Canyon. Made our way up through around and over the cliff bands to the summit, before descending the standard route down and looping back around to our trailhead. " — Kevin • Nov 21, 2020

"3.10.2020, Turtlehead and Horse peak CW loop, 13.1 miles, 3,700’ gain, 5hrs w/Karla. The World has become a more frightening place as of late so it was a perfect day to get off the grid and escape reality, even if only for a short time.....We immersed ourselves into the clouds, rain and cold. There were no views from the summit, only eerie fog. We were wet, cold, uncomfortable but happy. The landscape looked so dramatic and stunning in these conditions. Thank you Buddie! I’m grateful for our friendship :@) ➡️Calico Basin (into the park)➡️Calico Hills➡️Turtlehead Peak➡️backdoor route to Gateway Canyon➡️Horse Peak finale. " — paula.raimondi • Mar 10, 2020

"4.17.19...Turtlehead Peak. 7.8 miles, 3,100’ gain, 3:01hrs. 1:46hr to the top, :05min on top, down in 1:10hr. Up Hell Hill from the lot in :13 min. I had so much fun yesterday in this area, I decided to go back for some Mountaineer/jogging Speedwork. I put on my tinyest pack and grabbed a bottle of water for light travel. It was a cool morning with wind but perfect. I did a CCW lollipop loop starting at Calico (Kraft lot) using the gateway canyon backdoor scrambling route. I headed for Turtlehead peak too soon and ended up ascending a steep drainage/cliff area. I had to climb several class 3 dryfalls. I found work arounds for some that were too creepy. Very exciting! I usually do this peak from Grey Cap so I missed my usual class 2 slogging path. All worked out! Got home before 11am to make the kids pancakes! Win! Win!" — paula.raimondi • Apr 17, 2019

"What a choose-your-own-adventure sort of peak! So many use-trails that you're unsure what the standard trail actually is and where it is. The morning was cold and windy with that sort of biting chill that comes from damp air. It had rained the previous two days, so the ground was at least wet and firm rather than dry and loose. That made the whole loose-gravel-up-steep-slopes thing more bearable. We went up the gully and down a more gradual route. Signed the register. A nice quick hike. " — psychikingjes • Feb 3, 2019

"12.30.18...what I’m calling “The hardest route to Turtlehead Peak that ever existed.”...11 miles, 4,200’ vert gain. Today I proved you can get big vert by only trekking from Sandstone Quarry in Red Rock. I also learned that plan “A” doesn’t always work out and plan “B” can be a great alternative. The days are getting longer but not long enough....I got a late start today so I had to turn around on my original peaks at 2pm since it would be dangerous to descend this area if the sun went down. Great day anyway! Big Mountains+a good attitude mixed with good decisions=safety and a strong body! Whoop!" — paula.raimondi • Dec 30, 2018

"Horse and Turtle!...Karl was in town and has never hiked at Red Rock before so I came up with a mini tour of some of my fav trails and we bagged a couple of peaks too. We ascended Ash Canyon to the Summit of Turtlehead Peak 🐢(from the Kraft lot), scampered down the calico trails in the Park...looped back to Calico, then finished with Horse Peak and some trails in Calico basin. 13.5 miles, 3,500’ gain. 5:59hr" — paula.raimondi • Apr 3, 2018