Parking area near Kraft Boulders
The temperature here in Vegas took a friendly dip down to about 82-degrees this past weekend… that warranted an immediate trip back out to Red Rock Canyon. We decided on doing some rock climbing this trip instead of hiking, so we headed down into Calico Basin (outside the National Conservation Area) to do some bouldering at Kraft Boulders.
Normally in late May, the daytime temperatures get so hot that doing outdoor activities at Red Rock Canyon are out of the question (unless you start at the crack of dawn, before the sun is high in the sky). I knew as soon as I read the weather forecast on my Android phone that we needed to take advantage of the cooler weather and dust off our climbing gear. We grabbed our seasoned crash pad (padded protective mattress that absorbs falls when bouldering), climbing helmets and chalk bags, and started driving towards Red Rock.
Vast boulder field at Kraft Boulders
A lot of other people must have been thinking the same thing, because by the time we reached the end of Calico Basin Road (after stopping for breakfast on the way), the Kraft Mountain parking lot was nearly full! It was a pretty day, dominated by a perfectly blue sky and warm (but not hot) temperatures. We loaded up our gear and headed down the short trail to the boulder field at the foot of Kraft Mountain. Surprisingly, although the parking lot was full, there were very few people bouldering.
Reaching the top of a boulder
The kids (age 6 and 4) warmed up on an easy boulder, then started to really challenge themselves on some of the tougher problems. Their climbing skill have really picked up this season and they were soon reaching out for smaller and more difficult holds on steeper walls. You could see the great sense of accomplishment on their grinning faces as the reached the top of one boulder after another.
Climbing up a boulder at Kraft Boulders
After much climbing, and a lot of hydration (even at 82 degrees, the high sun and dry air was sapping us of our liquids), we triumphantly headed back to the car… having conquered many boulders today… and getting no blisters from our climbing shoes! Another great day at Red Rock.
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