![]() Get higher up this canyon in the Calico Hills and the trail becomes clearer to follow. ![]() ![]() Steps have been built on this part of the trail too, which may be the most tiresome section of the hike. Follow the trail up a slope on the right. Calico Tank Trail passes through a gap between sandstone formationsĪvoid the narrow canyon bottom for the next stretch of the hike. Admire the interesting pockets and lines in the rocks that border this narrow wash. Drop into the gravel wash and walk up between the sandstone creations. Keep hiking and a trail sign will direct you to the right toward a gap between formations of yellow sandstone. Pass a sign on the left for an agave roasting pit, located just above the trail, where Native Americans baked foods. This process formed one of the most spectacularly and easily identifiable thrust faults in the world: The Keystone Thrust. Here in Red Rock Canyon, the older gray limestone and dolostone rocks were dramatically thrust over the younger tan and red sandstone. Approximately 65 million years ago, a vast series of thrust faults developed that built mountains throughout western North America. Younger rock layers are usually found above older ones, but in Red Rock Canyon the order is reversed by faulting. In Red Rock Canyon, the ancient gray rock of La Madre Mountain and Turtlehead Peak rise high above the younger stone of the colorful Calico Hills. Looking at the color of Turtlehead Peak compared to the sandstone closer to the trail offers a glimpse of the area’s unique geology, as a panel explains: Turtlehead Peak Trail goes to the left, approaching a steep ascent to a pointed summit. Bear right to stay on Calico Tanks Trail. On the other side, the trail curves to the right and proceeds north to a junction, 0.2 miles from the start. In 1912, cutting at the quarry stopped forever.Ĭontinue across the wash. Later that same year, other operators reopened the quarry, but even with better equipment, the operation still proved to be uneconomical. With the discovery of similar sandstone deposits closer to the railway, the Excelsior Stone Quarry shut down in 1906. The sandstone was of high quality, but production was expensive and unprofitable. These massive blocks were loaded onto wagons and pulled with a 17-ton steam-traction engine known as the “Big Devil.” The sandstone was then shipped by rail to markets in San Francisco and Los Angeles for use as decorative building facades. The giant blocks, some weighing as much as 10 tons, were quarried with channeling traction equipment. A quarry began here in 1905 and was one of the first industries in the Las Vegas area, as the panel explains: To the right, you’ll find large blocks of sandstone cut into cubes and an information panel describing the quarry operations. The trail curves to the left and crosses the wash. After a tenth of a mile, come to an opening in the trail at the former site of the Excelsior Stone Quarry. Begin hiking north along the side of a gravel wash on a wide easy trail. The park is a nature reserve and signage is basic.Calico Tanks Trail starts from Sandstone Quarry Trailhead, located 2.5 miles from the start of the Scenic Drive in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
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