LVRAY
04-12-2013, 12:12 AM
Old Bill is one of several very nice canyons in the Red Rock Conservation Area outside just outside Las Vegas. While The Maze (i.e., Ice Cube) is often considered to be the "best" local canyon, Old Bill is longer, more technical, and perhaps more scenic. The views from both the top and from within the canyon are often spectacular. Periodically, you catch glimpses of Las Vegas in the distance, which makes you laugh when you think of a million people on the concrete while you are in a spot very few of them have ever seen, nor probably ever will.
We started setting up the shuttle vehicles before dawn and it took 8 of us approximately 14 hours to complete the canyon, not including retrieving our shuttle vehicle. The approach is from Lovell Canyon on the back side of Red Rock. It is relatively easy, but exposed approach and I would not want to do it in the summer heat. The upper portion of the canyon is on the north side of the main drainage and is quite slotty with several raps and numerous downclimbs and potholes of cold water. It is really is a very entertaining section, but slow going with a larger group. This section ends with a beatiful 260' drop into the main drainage. There are a few more raps in the main drainage and many, many boulders to downclimb. While not nearly as slotty as the upper portion, there are still a few potholes of water, including at least one swimmer. Once in the main canyon, you don't see much sun, so the canyon feels pleasantly cool and relatively moist, rare for a day in the desert. This section has a different vibe compared to the upper portion, but it is still very scenic & interesting. Overall, it is a very fun canyon that just keeps giving and giving as you go. The biggest drawback is the exit hike, which is a bit long. We exited in the dark with headlamps without incident, but if you could time your trip with the full moon, the exit would probably be quite beautiful.
The canyon has been extensively bolted, including many of the downclimbs. Thus, the description on Bluugnome is out of date and the sequence of raps will not always correspond to what you see in the canyon. The big drop has also been bolted part way down, although we did not use them. These bolts are in a very odd location as they are not located near any sort of outcropping or anything that would aid in transferring from one rope to the next. It is almost as if the bolters rappelled down the length of their longest rope and then just bolted in a new anchor.
In sum, Old Bill is a beautiful, challenging canyon that sees far less activity than most of the well-known routes in the Red Rocks area.
At the head of the canyon, views of Las Vegas in the distance.
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After the initial drop in, the canyon begins to slot up.
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Part of the upper slotty section. Plenty of fun downclimbing in this section.
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After the slotty section, the canyon begins to open up with a series of drops into the main drainage.
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Waiting to take our turns on the big drop into the main canyon.
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The main canyon drainage opens up with a series of boulder hopping, downclimbs and potholes.
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We started setting up the shuttle vehicles before dawn and it took 8 of us approximately 14 hours to complete the canyon, not including retrieving our shuttle vehicle. The approach is from Lovell Canyon on the back side of Red Rock. It is relatively easy, but exposed approach and I would not want to do it in the summer heat. The upper portion of the canyon is on the north side of the main drainage and is quite slotty with several raps and numerous downclimbs and potholes of cold water. It is really is a very entertaining section, but slow going with a larger group. This section ends with a beatiful 260' drop into the main drainage. There are a few more raps in the main drainage and many, many boulders to downclimb. While not nearly as slotty as the upper portion, there are still a few potholes of water, including at least one swimmer. Once in the main canyon, you don't see much sun, so the canyon feels pleasantly cool and relatively moist, rare for a day in the desert. This section has a different vibe compared to the upper portion, but it is still very scenic & interesting. Overall, it is a very fun canyon that just keeps giving and giving as you go. The biggest drawback is the exit hike, which is a bit long. We exited in the dark with headlamps without incident, but if you could time your trip with the full moon, the exit would probably be quite beautiful.
The canyon has been extensively bolted, including many of the downclimbs. Thus, the description on Bluugnome is out of date and the sequence of raps will not always correspond to what you see in the canyon. The big drop has also been bolted part way down, although we did not use them. These bolts are in a very odd location as they are not located near any sort of outcropping or anything that would aid in transferring from one rope to the next. It is almost as if the bolters rappelled down the length of their longest rope and then just bolted in a new anchor.
In sum, Old Bill is a beautiful, challenging canyon that sees far less activity than most of the well-known routes in the Red Rocks area.
At the head of the canyon, views of Las Vegas in the distance.
65173
After the initial drop in, the canyon begins to slot up.
65175
65174
Part of the upper slotty section. Plenty of fun downclimbing in this section.
65177
65178
65179
65180
65181
65176
65182
After the slotty section, the canyon begins to open up with a series of drops into the main drainage.
65183
65184
Waiting to take our turns on the big drop into the main canyon.
65185
65186
65187
65188
65189
65190
The main canyon drainage opens up with a series of boulder hopping, downclimbs and potholes.
65191
65192