Turtlehead Mountain sits in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area 15 miles west of Las Vegas. From the Red Rocks Scenic Road, it is a very pointed peak that rises sharply over the surrounding terrain.


I was in Las Vegas a day early for a weekend softball tournament. My family went shopping, so I went hiking. Vegas had been in a long period of cool, wet weather. I was a bit worried that Turtlehead Mountain at 6,323 feet, would have a lot of snow on it. As I drove to the mountain on a brilliantly clear Friday morning, I could see a lot of snow on the peaks west of Vegas.

Once I got onto the Red Rock loop road, I stopped at several pull-offs and photographed the gorgeous rock formations. The day was perfect, cool and sunny. 3 miles into the loop was the Sandstone Quarry trailhead which accessed Turtlehead Mountain. As I headed up the peak, I didn’t just want to follow a trail, so I went east around the big rock that the trail goes west of. This turned out perfect, as the wash I followed turned into a narrow canyon with neat pools of clear water. At the end of the canyon, I had a couple of tricky climbing moves to get out, but the views of the peak were great from here and I definitely felt like I was in the southwest. From the end of this small canyon, I continued up the creek bed and eventually climbed a ridge above it and angled north until I found the trail in the west gully on Turtlehead Mountain. Staying on the right trail on the west slopes proved difficult, as it would come and go. On the way down I seemed to do better at sticking on the correct trail. Either way, the terrain is steep and rocky, but manageable without a trail.

As I reached the top of the west slopes, I had about 400 feet to go. The route turns south and climbs the northside of the peak. Here I encountered snow. It was about a foot deep and icy in spots, but there was a good trail through it. 15 minutes later I was standing on the top of the peak. The top sports a cairn, a ammo box with a register, and tremendous views of Las Vegas, the Calico Hills, Red Rock Canyon, and the surrounding larger peaks. I hung out at least 30 minutes before heading down. This was a great hike with perfect weather. I would highly recommend this to anyone in Las Vegas with 5 or 6 hours of time to spare.

SANDSTONE QUARRY TRAILHEAD: Take NV SR-159 to the Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center. Drive 3.0 miles on the 13-mile Scenic Drive to the Sandstone Quarry Trailhead where there is a parking lot with restrooms. The trail is featured with a map in the park brochure that you receive when entering the park and paying the $5 fee. Also keep in mind that the loop road is one-way. You will have to drive the final 10 miles of the loop after finishing the hike.

The Turtlehead Peak trail is 2.5 miles and ascends the peak's west and north slopes. It starts at the Sandstone Quarry trailhead (4280'). Follow the trail north to a clearing where you will find a sign for Turtlehead Peak and Calico Tanks. Instead of heading directly for the summit, the trail goes northwest through some dry creek beds and climbs up to the saddle to the west of the peak. Once you get to the saddle, the trail to the summit is obvious, heading southeast up the north side of the peak.