Questionable Decision Canyon

A skinny canyon in Red Rocks! Maybe a little like North Wash, if you angled it downwards 45 degrees. Steep, tight, and colorful. Named for the nearby Indecision Peak. A questionable decision is better than no decision.

Access Road: Heading south on I-15 from Vegas, take the NV-160 Blue Diamond Rd Exit. After 10 miles, turn right on highway 159. In 6.3 miles, after Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, park at First Creek Trailhead on the left.

From the Trailhead: There are probably easier ways to get to the top of this canyon. But it's unlikely that any are this awesome. You might also need a map to and some navigational skills to figure this one out.

Start out hiking up the wide easy path towards First Creek Canyon. Once you get close, the path will disperse into several social trails. Find your way up these paths or through the drainage into and up First Creek. After a good bit of boulder hopping and picking your way up, the canyon narrows down and you will climb up through a narrow slot in between a large slab and the canyon wall up on the right. Shortly after this First Creek forks. Head left to take the southernmost fork. This route may be marked with cairns.

Head up the wash heading right where the canyon forks again, the left drainage comes out of a cliffed out slick rock bowl. You will find yourself hiking up steep slabs of sandstone just to the right of watercourse. At the top of these slabs, cross the watercourse and head up to the south wall of the canyon on your left. Stay along the bottom of this wall until you get to where it can be easily climbed. At the top of this small climb you will find a ledge that traverses back towards the slickrock bowl you past earlier. Take this ridge back over the bowl to the top of a ~400 foot dryfall.

Now head up a small dryfall above the extremely large one, then head left up more sandstone slabs in between some short, wide sandstone spires. Once past these there should be relatively flat ground ahead of you. Traverse along the border of the sandstone and limestone formation to get around the ridge. Pass by the first small drainage which points North into the second one which points East. Head down this drainage and you should come to a ~130 foot drop below which the canyon turns right to enter a narrow slot.

Skills required: Navigation, Lots of stemming, some of it considerable exposed. Anchor building can be challenging, as can rope pulls as there are lots of places to get ropes stuck. Also contains some pretty awkward starts, one to a significant free hanging rappel. And, walking up steep slickrock slabs for a long time.

Additional Risk: R for stemming, and 4 for difficult anchor placement

Water: 1 spot in the top of the canyon has an unavoidable waist deep pool.

Anchor Conditions: Some ass clown bolted the top section of this canyon. Don't expect them to stick around. Like all Red Rocks Canyons, bolting is illegal, so expect to use natural anchors only.

Gear Recommendations: 180 foot drop, helmet, harness, webbing, rapids, something for hanging your pack, ect.

Flash Flood Danger: Moderate.

Make your way back down out of First Creek to the trailhead, keeping in mind the main trail that you’re looking for is on the down canyon right side of the wash.

BLM land, but south of the loop so no entrance fee required. No camping below 5,000 feet.