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.