Hidden Falls Canyon
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| | Difficulty:3A III (v3a1 III) Raps:4-11, max ↨120ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:Optional 0 min Vehicle:Passenger Rock type:Sandstone | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 29 Nov 2025
"Approach hike - 2 hrs. Anchors get harder to find as the canyon progresses, and the recent rains making everything wet made a lot of the optional |
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| Best season: | Sep-Jun
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36.1468, -115.5122
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Introduction
This is a sweet canyon in the Red Rock Canyon Area outside of Las Vegas. The approach is steep but on a trail most of the time and very easy to follow. It's a fun canyon to practice downclimbing on because most raps are optional and present a variety of challenges. Big views, towering walls and some beautiful slickrock sections through varied and visually striking geology. It's a nice day out.
Approach
Hitchhike up the road as far as you can. The trail up to the ridge is cairned, obvious and well-established. It is possible to do this route without a shuttle vehicle. If you have a 4wd shuttle available you can cut off some mileage and about 1,200' of elevation gain.
Descent
R1: 40' dissolution hole RDC
R2: 120' fat pine LDC
R3: 40' small oak down on a ledge RDC or a not-so-hard downclimb in the middle of the drainage if it's not slick with algae. Apparently you can also stay up higher RDC and avoid this all together.
R4 optional: 25' chockstone RDC of big boulder in drainage or can downclimb off ledge RDC which is easier than it looks from the top
R5 optional: ~30' from a bush RDC but frankly a pretty easy downclimb right down the middle
R6 optional: 25' from pinch point LDC of a huge slabby boulder in the middle of the drainage but walking down the sloping face of the boulder and then downclimbing RDC to a little platform with a rabbit hole that gets you into a grotto beneath is more fun
R7 optional: ~25 bush LDC but pretty easy downclimb in the middle or RDC
R8 optional: webbing on pinch at the top of the drop LDC. We used it as a handline to downclimb
R9 optional: can go around on ledges LDC
R10 optional: 40' bush into a (probably usually avoidable) pool; can skip by climbing up and around on ledges LDC.
R11: 75' bolt LDC, canyon is escapable above this but it's probably the best rappel and you have the rope so just do it
Exit
You're almost at your car already
Red tape
$15 day pass or the national parks annual or senior passes are accepted.
Beta sites
BluuGnome.com : Hidden Falls Canyon- Chris Brennen's Adventure Hikes (Southwest) : Hidden Falls Canyon
- Super Amazing Map : Hidden Falls Canyon
Las Vegas Slots Book by Rick Ianiello : Hidden Falls Canyon- https://www.stavislost.com/hikes/trail/hidden-falls-canyon
- Nov. 26, 2022 Descent