Gass Peak towers above Las Vegas, standing sentinel at the north end of the valley. I'd been meaning to hike up it since late last year, but didn't get around to even trying until April of this year. Sadly, the Desert National Wildlife Refuge was closed at the time due to COVID-19 and the federal and state governments requiring non-essential workers to stay at home. They had hoped to keep the refuge open while minimally staffed, but unfortunately people started taking advantage of the situation - offroading across the desert in protected areas, burning open fires, dumping trash, leaving graffiti everywhere... so DWNR was closed until they could bring rangers and other workers back. I say this as a reminder that we're GUESTS in this land - it is public land, so it is our public duty to LEAVE IT UNSPOILED so that everyone can enjoy it. Leave no trace. Pack it in, pack it out. And EDUCATE OTHERS - it's great if you're already good at leave no trace and you're a responsible recreator in the wilderness! How about all of your friends? Your family? That random group you passed by? Help them become responsible recreators so we can all continue enjoying public lands. And pick up that trash you see - I grabbed an empty cheetos bag (...) and a flossing pick that were on or directly next to the trail on my hike today. Grab that crumpled water bottle you see, or that broken mylar balloon tied up in the cholla. I know it's frustrating to pack out other people's trash, but at a certain point, we all have to be a force for the positive change we want to see in the world.

Okay, off soapbox for now. DWNR is open; the road to Gass Peak is off of Mormon Well Road. Mormon Well Road is pretty well-graded, and Gass Peak Road is also fairly well-graded at the moment. There are a few spots that are washed out and rutted on Gass Peak Road - we saw a 2WD smaller Chevy pickup that made it to the trailhead, but I'd be wary of taking anything with low clearance out there. I'd also advise all-terrain tires rather than passenger tires, but it's your call.

From the trailhead, the route to Gass Peak is very well-marked and well-groomed trail. You start by following an old service road/jeep trail, and then split off to the left to head up the ridgeline, while the service road continues to the right and downhill. It's clear that people have been out and performing trail maintenance in the last year - when the trail narrows to single-track, rocks have been moved to mark the edges of the trail and the zigs and zags they'd like you to take. It's very, very obvious when heading uphill. (At times, it is less obvious when heading back downhill.) The first mile of trail is shallower in grade, and after that, you start climbing up steeper hills toward the ridgeline. There are some very steep sections - I wish the trail had been switchbacked a little bit wider to make for a shallower climb, but that's my only complaint. The trail is in excellent shape and easy to follow for the most part. The only place the trail became a little hard to pick out was in the last quarter mile, on the final ridgeline to the summit. That's mostly because of the increased amount of rock; just keep looking up and forward, you'll see the trail and can pick your way to it. The views from the summit are fantastic, and the whole of the Vegas Valley is right in front of you. We could hear the gunfire from the shooting range at the base of the mountain, and Nellis AFB was busy with jets and cargo planes today. After eating an early (but well-deserved) lunch in front of the battery building, we retraced our steps and met the only other hikers we saw on the hike today as they were halfway up the trail.