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Easy Beginner Sport Climbing at Red Rock Canyon
- Mar 13, 2021
- 4 min read
What This Is / Why It Matters
One of the meccas of climbing sits just outside the Las Vegas Strip at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. While it’s best known for climbing, the area also has excellent hiking, and even just driving the scenic loop is worth doing on its own.
This field guide covers a two-day super beginner sport climbing experience at Red Rock, written from the perspective of Colorado climbers adjusting to sandstone and sandbagged grades that just didn't want to try super hard.
What It’s Like
We are Colorado climbers and therefore used to Colorado ratings. That being said, combine sandstone with a more sandbagged rating system and you can say we got our butts kicked.
We climbed off the Calico I parking lot, which is the very first pullout on the scenic loop and has plenty of parking throughout the day. There was no need to stress about arriving early. There are hundreds of climbs and tons of crags accessible from this single lot, so spending an entire day without moving the car is completely normal.
The hike from the parking lot is fairly simple since you can see the crag, but it’s also easy to get off trail. Much of the approach involves scrambling up and down rocks and bluffs. Follow the trail down until the obvious branching point and go left and down. From there, follow the trail as best you can while keeping the wall in sight. You can see Hamlet Wall from the parking lot, which makes navigation easier if you get eyes on it early.
Hamlet Wall
The first place we climbed was Hamlet Wall. This wall is great for beginners, starting with a simple 5.4 with four bolts and progressing up to around 5.10a.
The first route we climbed—and our first outdoor rock route of the season—was The Play’s the Thing (5.4). It was a straightforward friction climb with four or five bolts. Nothing fancy, but perfect for building confidence on unfamiliar sandstone.
We then traversed up the ramp to Contagious Blastments (5.5). We swapped leads halfway after Michael climbed the bottom portion, which also seemed to be the crux. This route definitely gave us the heebie-jeebies.
After just these two climbs, it felt like an accomplishment, so we called it for the day and headed back to the parking lot.
Child’s Play Wall (Day 2)
On day two, we felt more courageous. With beta from a friend who was a former guide in Red Rock, we headed for Child’s Play Wall.
This wall would be about a 15-minute hike if you know where you’re going—but we didn’t.
We headed toward Circus Wall, which is visible from the parking lot. Once there, which is a fairly distinctive wall, we went left to wrap around the back side. You do not go right. There is a slab you scramble up like a ledge, followed by a lot of scrambling over rocks until you reach Cactus Massacre Wall.
Directly on climber’s right, there is a drainage. Go up that drainage, and Child’s Play Wall will be the last wall with bolts on your left.
All of the routes on this wall are named after children’s games. The wall was established in 2018, and it shows. Much of the rock still shifts while climbing because it doesn’t see a lot of traffic. We climbed Rounders (5.6), which had many holds marked with X’s.
Civilization Crag
After that one route, we moved over to Civilian Crag and climbed Tsuper Stardom (5.4). This climb was super relaxing, and my partner played rope gun and led every route that day.
There were quite a few people at this crag, especially considering it’s farther climber’s right than Child’s Play Wall. Fortunately, the route we climbed wrapped around the backside of the wall, so we were able to climb by ourselves.
We were originally trying to locate a chimney climb called The Hot Gates but we never found it.
What Surprised Me
At this point, we were having fun but spending far more time route-finding than actually climbing. We were exhausted from the heat, sunburned, and ready to head back to the parking lot—which ended up being just as difficult to navigate as the approach in. Along the way, we helped a few other tourists who were just as lost as we were.
What to Know Before You Go
Overall, for a two-day beginner climbing trip, this was a success. We had fun, stayed safe, discovered new climbs, and now have better bearings for next time.
We stopped by Desert Rock Sports and picked up a Red Rocks guidebook printed in 2021, though the publication date still says 2016. We also ran into another climber who was missing entire routes that our book included. Routes are being added all the time, and guidebooks are constantly playing catch-up. Expect some discrepancies between what’s in print and what’s actually on the wall.
Who This Is For / Not For
This is a good fit if you:
Are a beginner sport climber
Are comfortable scrambling and route-finding
Expect grades to feel harder than Colorado
Want accessible single-pitch climbing
This may not be ideal if you:
Expect gym grades to translate cleanly
Want obvious and well-marked approaches, lol
Are uncomfortable with loose rock or exposure
Gear we brought:
FAQ
Is Red Rock Canyon good for beginner climbers?
Yes, especially near Calico I. There are many short, bolted routes suitable for beginners, though grades can feel sandbagged.
Do I need a guidebook for Red Rock Canyon climbing?
A guidebook helps, but routes are added frequently. Expect some discrepancies between printed guides and what exists on the wall.
Sources
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area (official):
Bureau of Land Management – Red Rock Canyon:
https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/nevada/red-rock-canyon
Mountain Project – Red Rock Canyon climbing area:
https://www.mountainproject.com/area/105731932/red-rock-canyon
Desert Rock Sports (Las Vegas climbing shop):
