Floyd Lamb/ Tule Springs State Park

      So Levi purchased the book, Afoot and Afield Las Vegas and Southern Nevada: A Comprehensive Hiking Guide, about 2 years ago.  It was written by Brian Beffort. It basically has hikes located north, south, east, and west of the Valley.  We have decide to try and hike all of the locations listed in the book:)


      Yesterday we took a 5 minute drive to one of these hiking destinations: Floyd Lamb State Park, also known as Tule Springs.  This hidden treasure of Vegas is located in the northwest area of the valley, just a little over a mile east of Highway 95 and Durango.  Levi and I had been to the park on a couple of occasions, but we only glimpsed areas from our car.  We've talked about visiting the park for the Farmer's Market, but kept missing it (every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month).  I think we'll be frequenting this park more, since we've explored it.


      But I digress....Floyd Lamb Park offers a variety of activities for the young and young at heart.  The park has 4 lakes stocked with several species of fish throughout the year, a variety of trees and other vegetation, wildlife including different species of birds, picnic areas with bbq grills, walking paths with beautiful view, and even a historical site area . There were a number of people at the park when we arrived, despite the 100 degree weather.  They were eating and visiting with family and friends at the picnic tables, throwing footballs on the lawns, fishing, exploring the historic buildings, feeding the ducks and geese, or walking and biking on the paths.  The park is definitely a place to get away and relax. The map below was taken directly from their brochure.   The following site includes more detailed information on the park and includes the park's brochure, http://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/TextOnly/Find/12095.htm.

Just an FYI: daily entrance fees include $6 per vehicle and $1 for walk-ins, bikes, and horses.  Dogs are allowed as long as they are on a leash.  Poop bags are set up throughout the park for your convenience.
      A brief history of the park:  For thousands of years, Tule Springs (as it was originally named) was a watering hole for people and animals. Fossils from mammoths and bison, to name a few, have been discovered here!  The area/water rights were claimed by a number of people, until it was purchased by Prosper Jacob Goumond in 1941.  He transformed an area of the park into a dude ranch or more popularly known as a "divorce ranch."  Nevada's divorce law of 6-week residency had just been established and guests used the waiting time here participating in recreational activities the ranch had to offer.  The dude ranches eventually died out and the park was  acquired by the city and then state.  The name was changed to Floyd Lamb after a State Senator.

Levi with our dog Brewy walking up the
 path when we first arrived.

   

We paid the entrance fee, selected an open spot in the first parking lot, and explored the park via the walking trails, first exploring the historic site. Here are some of our discoveries:
The following are buildings from the Goumond dude ranch....

Duplex-Guest Rooms

Bathhouse and Generator Room

Pool-obviously filled in

Generator-much bigger than the one we
use for the RV

Walking across a bridge that once laid
above a man made pond for the dude
ranch guests

Animal housing is further away from the guest housing and
recreational facilities 

This was an original adobe hut built  in the mid-1910s by
a former owner of the property.

As I mentioned before, there is quite a bit of bird wildlife in Tule Springs.  One of the first species we came across was peacocks....and lots of them.  They were roaming around the shaded lawn just in front of the historical site.

Levi got some good close up shots.  I was a distance away
with Brewy on her leash.  She wanted to chase after them.

Even more shots of various birds. I want to get a book on identifying birds soon.  Maybe one on identifying animal tracks, and plants.

  

The walking path provided beautiful views of the lakes and the park's many facilities (including picnic areas and restrooms).

      Besides cooking out, many of the park-goers were fishing.  I think Levi has found another serene destination in busy Las Vegas.  Of course, he'll need a fishing pole and fishing license....maybe Santa will get him this for Christmas this year......

      We had to keep hydrated throughout the visit. It was 100 degrees outside.  The trees provided some nice shade.  

      A final picture to complete the visit.  Levi and I thought this image completed the hiking adventure.  This park is very family friendly.  Floyd Lamb Park has so much to offer educationally and recreationally!

 

DO OVERS:)

Well, Levi and I did not complete our initial challenge of hiking all trails in and around Vegas within a span of one year...after ONLY 2 hikes (Robber's Roost being the second and last), we got sidetracked and ended up opening our own business-Natalie's Pet Sitting Services (I just had to plug that in) with a little coaxing from a friend (Jen)! Things have settled down and we've refocused.  We're going to try this hiking thing again-possibly within a year:) So without further ado......

Robbers Roost

Taken from the parking area in front of the trail head

Robber's Roost Trail
This is a short loop trail that climbs up a canyon to a couple of caves. It then winds through a forest of pinion pines and mountain mahogany before returning back to the main trail.  Legend has it that Robber's Roost was a hideout for bandits during the days of the old Mormon Trail. The caves not only offered shelter, but also an excellent vantage point for spotting would-be attackers. The canyon had the advantage of terminating near the caves, thus giving the outlaws the ability to easily fence off the back of the canyon as a corral.  This corral was a place where robbers could exchange their trail-weary horses for fresh, strong ones. Many times the bandits concealed stolen goods and livestock at Robber's Roost; booty that had been snatched from travelers en route to California and Utah.  Trail access: Travel 3.2 miles north on state route 158 (Deer Creek Road) from state route 157 (Kyle Canyon Road). On the right is a parking area and the trailhead is on the left.

It was snowing when we got to the parking area, which was kinda nice.  Although, once again we did not check the maps to see exactly where we where going and somehow managed to take the wrong trail, despite the BIG sign that said "ROBBERS ROOST TRAIL HEAD" across the street. So a very short hike turned out to be a 2 to 3 hour extravaganza.  We were able to get some nice photos and see some beautiful country that had a fresh layer of snow.  The only other issue was that one of us wore our tennis shoes, instead of water resistant hiking boots, to walk through 6 to 8 inches of snow.  We will not say which one, but you may be able to guess from the picture.

Freezing feet aside, here are some of the wonderful discoveries and adventures we experienced on the wrong trails.

After giving up on finding the right trial and deciding to go home, Natalie saw the large sign across the street that read: Robbers Roost. In our opinion, the real trail was pretty easy and not as exciting as the wrong trail.  There are a couple of caves that we did not explore due to slippery rocks and Natalie's "toecicles".  So after a short quesadilla break, we made the short hike back to the car. These are some of the photos from the real trail.

Keystone Thrust, Red Rock Canyon, Nevada

"Head N from upper White Rock Hills pkg lot, following the sign for Keystone Thrust trail. After you pass the agave roasting pit and cross the wash, look for the sign and wooden steps which turn off White Rock Hills trail & head E to join old jeep trail. Climb up hill towards Hogback Ridge as you follow the well marked trail past another pit. Turn R (E) at the signed fork at the saddle above the ridge. Head down into a small canyon with red sandstone floor. You are now on the Keystone Thrust fault. The geological phenomena is that the red Aztec Sandstone (150 million years old) is above the old gray limestone (500 million years ago), instead of the normal position of younger rocks on top of older rocks, as new layers form on top of previous layers. At Keystone Thrust, the older rocks are on top of younger rocks. This thrust was caused by horizontal thrusting of earth's plates during tectonic activity 65 million yrs ago. Erosion has since exposed some limestone."

 Information gathered from: http://www.localhikes.com/Hikes/KeystoneThrust_4120.asp

Keystone Thrust is located in Red Rock Canyon located on the west side of  the Las Vegas Valley. This conservation area has several trails to hike on.  Daily passes are 5 dollars, but we opted for the annual pass for only $20.   Before heading off on our adventure, however, we had to check out the New Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center, which is presently still under construction.  What they do have now is pretty cool though. A section of the center displays a panoramic view of Red Rock.  Levi had to get a shot of this, and it looks something like this:

Levi and I have to agree that Keystone Thrust was an easy, beginner trail to start with, even though it is considered a moderate hike. The terrain always offers something interesting to see throughout the entire hike: the ancient agave roasting pit, vegetation which includes believe it or not pine trees in the desert, and the sandstone/limestone soil which creates a variety of effects.




Having not previously read the description of this trail, there was however some disagreement between us as to which landmark was truly Keystone Thrust! Levi was convinced that the Thrust was this small  mountain just beside the actual site.

As it turns out, Natalie was correct, thus winning a foot massage. The actual sight is not a mountain at all; instead, it is flatter, quite like this:

Natalie Standing In Thrust

The wind picked up as we were exploring Keystone Thrust's little treasures.  We'd guessed it was moving at a rate of 15-20 mph.  It nearly threw us off balance. Levi was hilarious trying to get his jacket and balancing on the rocks. We were safe, but it did make lunch tricky, huddling behind a rock eating Port of Subs. 

...And with the wind blew in the dark clouds. It was another treat from Mother Nature we were able to eyewitness on our journey back.  No rain, thankfully, but boy did we get a lot the next day!

Hello

Since this is our first entry, allow us to introduce ourselves.  My name is Levi, and my wife of almost two years is Natalie. Hiking is one of the things we love to do together.  To make our hiking experiences more memorable, we decided to take on a challenge:: hike all of the trails available in the Las Vegas area within the span of a year.  We can't think of a better and cheaper way of documenting our many adventures than a blog.