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This page last updated on 04/10/2018
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Description: This hike starts at the Cowboy Trail Rides parking area and works its way up and across the northwest face of Blue Diamond Hill to the North Ridge. It then turns south and finishes climbing the ridge until, at about 1.81 miles out, it reaches the Muffin Rocks, about an elevation gain of 815 feet from the trailhead. These rocks are large boulders of conglomerate rock -- much the same as the conglomerate rock layer that underlies the red-and-white sandstone cliffs to the west. However, here atop Blue Diamond Hill, all of the sandstone has eroded away. The Muffin Rocks make a nice destination for which to gaze east over the Las Vegas Valley, or if you prefer, gaze west to the Sandstone Bluffs, or north towards Red Rock Canyon and Calico Basin.
02/06/2014 Trip Notes: This was my second visit to the Blue Diamond Hill Trails with the rock-hounds from the Henderson Senior Facility. On this visit I hiked the Muffin Trail (Fig. 02) to a grouping of rocks high on the ridge line called the Muffin Rocks; the pointed rocks on top of the ridge in the very center of (Fig. 01). Two of my fellow hiking friends, Mike and Harvey (Figs. 08 & 09), decided to join me in this attempt. Unfortunately, the extremely overcast day severely hampered what would have been some truly outstanding views had it been a sunny day. I must admit, that looking at the steep cliffs from the trailhead at the parking area, we all felt that maybe we had selected something that was going to be too difficult to achieve. Looking back across the desert towards our starting point provided some awesome views of the Wilson Cliffs (Fig. 03) that line the western edge of Red Rock Canon. However, once you cross the desert flats leading to the base of the ridge, there is a 1.8 mile long, well defined trail with dozens of switchbacks that winds its way to the top. The elevation at the top is 4,520 feet, more than 815 feet above our starting point at the parking lot. If you look carefully in (Fig. 04), you can see portions of the trail winding its way along some of the cliff ridges. This picture that was taken from a vantage point that was about half way up the hillside. Once we started up the side of the hillside, we were unable to see the “muffins” (Fig. 05) until we rounded a bend close to the end of the trail. Once at the top, there were great view in every direction. I only wish it had been a sunny day. To the north was Calico Basin (Fig. 06 & 08); to the east was the entire city of Las Vegas (Fig. 07 & 09).
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