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| - I rate my hikes based on variety, difficulty, and reward. This hike tgets 5 stars on all counts!
Variety: starts out as a regular desert trail, but gets into more scrambling, bouldering and rock climbing as you get deeper into the canyon. Depending on the season, there are also pools of water to navigate. Between the rock climbing and the water crossing, it keeps your mind engaged so that you don't get bored just walking along.
Difficulty: they call this a moderate hike. Plenty of little kids complete it, so I guess that's accurate...but I found it fairly challenging, actually, what with all the scrambling. It takes about an hour each way... for me, a perfect mid-grade hike.
Reward: I like hikes with a purpose -- and this one has a waterfall at the end which gives a sense of completion when you finally get to it.
The only downside to this hike is its popularity -- if you go on a weekend in spring or fall, it can be pretty crowded. Saying "Hi" to all the other hikers you pass can get tiresome, so my friend and I played a game and tried to give a different greeting to each person we passed. "Hi!" "Hey!" "Hello!" "Howdy!" "Hola!" "Good day!" "Top o' the morning to you!" It got old pretty fast!!!
Aside from the crowds though, it's all good here. Close to town (45 min from the Strip, in Red Rock National Conservation Area), easy to park, bathroom at the trail head, and cool and shady in the canyon, even in summertime. Check it out!
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