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Canyoneering Route Description

Ice Cube Canyon (The Maze) - 4B IV
Red Rock Canyon, Nevada.

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Pictures 08-04-07
Pictures 06-22-08

Quick Facts

08-04-07, 3 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 12.65 hours)
06-22-08, 4 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 13.5 hours)
08-22-10, 8 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 11 hours)  Better time from leapfrogging with the ropes.

Time Required - 11 - 14 hours
Distance - 8.0 miles Total, 1.9 miles Technical
Rappels - 23 Rappels, Longest Rappel 190 feet.
Elevation Range - 4290 - 6850 Feet
Shuttle Required -No Vehicle - Passenger Permit Required- No

See the Canyoneer Trip Report Explanation Notes page for an explanation of how the technical mileage is determined.

Gear Used for Canyon

Rappelling and anchor gear, two 200 foot ropes, 50 feet of 1” webbing for sling placement, and wet suits. On one trip I used a 3 / 2 shortie wet suit with a 3 mil shirt over it and was pretty comfortable all day. I used the same set up the year before and experienced a few cold hours.  A 5 mil full wet suit is probably best except during the hottest part of the summer (July and August)

See the Canyoneer Trip Report Explanation Notes page for an explanation of how the gear used list is determined.

General Comments

It is nice to know there is a canyon of this level right here at home.  There are lots of rappels and a lot of great views.  A couple of the raps are very interesting.  Depending on water flow at the time you go through Ice Cube, you might get the chance to do the final rappel while getting pummeled with water from the water fall.  There are very few canyon routes in Red Rock.  This route is the only one that is right up there with the good stuff in Zion.

If you are lucky enough to do this canyon shortly after some heavy rains, as we did in August of 2007, you will be greeted with a flowing water fall for the last rappel.  Rap 23 takes on it's own charm when water is flowing and you are pummeled with water as you rap along the water fall.

Some do this route by dropping a vehicle at the Icebox Canyon trailhead then taking a 4 wheel drive vehicle down Rocky Gap Road to where the route leaves the road.  After the route is completed and the party ends up at the Icebox Canyon trailhead they must recover the vehicle on Rocky Gap Road.  This can take a lot of time since the Red Rock loop is a 13 mile one way loop.  It is much simpler to leave your only vehicle at the Willow Springs picnic area and make the route a loop.  Doing this as a loop hike simplifies things a lot!

Some of the raps can be bypassed like rap 17 and rap 21.  Your actual rap count may vary depending on how you navigate certain sections.

Overnight Permit:
The Red Rock Loop closes near sunset and a ranger sweeps the area for cars to be sure everyone is out.  The time the loop opens and closes varies with time of year but is near sunrise and sunset.  If you feel your group may take a long time with the route, you should try to get an overnight permit for Red Rock ahead of time.  If you come off the route after the loop has closed and do not have a permit you could be ticketed or fined.  For information on obtaining a permit contact the Red Rock Visitor Center at (702) 515-5350.

Note about the alternate Sneak Route:
There is an alternate route for this canyon that will shave off some time and miles.  The down side is you do not get to see the upper technical section and you  miss most of the middle non-technical section.  I personally enjoy the upper section of the canyon.  With that in mind I prefer the full route.  Try both out and see what you think.  See the Ice Cube Canyon Sneak Route Page for a route description.

For an alternative route check out the description for the Ice Cube Canyon Sneak Route.

Getting to the Trailhead and Exit Vehicle (Escape Pod) Parking

To get to the Trailhead

From the entrance gates to Red Rock, drive 7.3 miles on the scenic loop to the turn off for Willow Springs.  From this turn off drive 0.6 miles to the Willow Springs Picnic area and park anywhere near the end of the paved road.  This is where the route begins.

To leave the Exit Vehicle / Escape Pod

The route is done as a loop and no exit vehicle is needed.

Maps

Map showing entire route.

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Right Click then select "Save Target As" to save the Hi-Res version.

Map showing mostly the first section of Lodge Canyon and the side trips.

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Right Click then select "Save Target As" to save the Hi-Res version.

GPS Waypoint Information

Waypoint coordinates are given with the WGS84 datum and in Lat/Lon hddd° mm.mmm' format unless otherwise noted.

Details

If doing the Sneak Route and needing beta for the portion of the canyon on that route, scroll down to the section just after rap 12.

The Approach:
From the Willow Springs parking area / trailhead (tWillowSpring) walk 2.4 miles on Rocky Gap Road to the start of an alternate route to Bridge Mountain.  At this point a wash crosses the road coming in from the right (west) side of the road.  A few feet before this wash, will be a faint trail leaving the road to the east (tAlt2Brdg2).  The trail is sometimes marked by a cairn and is where your route leaves the road.

The trail leaving the road leads to a wash running parallel with the road and crosses the wash.  Just after crossing the wash the trail becomes wide and starts to follow what looks like the remnants of an old dirt road.  You will not follow this wide path very far.  Just over 250 feet from leaving Rocky Gap Road, the trail leaves the wide path and turns left to start up the ridge line (wAlt2BrdgRP-01).

Follow the use trail up the ridge.  The path is easy to follow but is far from being a standard trail.  On the way up, there is one well traveled path and a few not so well traveled paths and they all tend to go to the same place.  Just follow up the ridge heading south then gradually turning south east.  Before reaching the top of the ridge the path starts across wide open, but steep sand stone.  Follow the cairns that lead to a saddle at the top of the ridge (wAlt2BrdgRP-02).  It should take about an hour to travel From Rocky Gap Road to the top of the ridge if you keep moving.  The elevation gain on this section is a little over 1500 feet in about one mile so it is steep.  Plan on a slow but continuous pace.  On the south side of this pass at the top of the climb are good views of Bridge Mountain to the southeast.

From the saddle (wAlt2BrdgRP-02) look south west across the head of Ice Box Canyon.  Follow around the top of the Ice Box Canyon just below the tree line.  The top of Ice Box canyon forks into what looks like two separate bowl shaped heads.  The tree line is very obvious and the route around both bowls at the head of Ice Box is also obvious if you aim for just below the tree line.  A ridge dividing Ice Box and Ice cube is about 0.5 miles from the saddle.

After walking around both bowl shaped tops of Ice Box Canyon, you will find yourself on a ridge that runs between Ice Box and Ice Cube Canyons. From this ridge it is about another 1500 feet to the top entry of Ice Cube Canyon (yIceCubeUperTp). The dirt and rock here is now a bit purple. Look slightly west of south, for a band of yellow rock mixed in with the purple. This is where Ice Cube Canyon comes in from the east. The entry point to Ice Cube is about 4.2 miles from the trailhead.

The Canyon / Technical Section:
From the head of the canyon (yIceCubeUperTp) walk down canyon LDC.  A short distance after entering the canyon will be a series of pot holes then some trees below with a large downed tree next to the other trees. Just beyond the trees is the first rappel. To get to the first rappel, do not travel along the canyon floor.  Instead stay a bit high LDC to bypass a drop.  After getting past the drop you will be able to drop down the side of the canyon to the floor near the group of trees.

Rap 1 (dIceCubeR1) is about 370 feet down canyon of the drop in point and 100 feet beyond a large dead tree.  Rap 1 is anchored from a stone horn and drops about 15 feet over a large grey rock and has an overhang portion.

About 100 feet after rap 1 is a deceiving down climb. It drops about 8 feet and looks like you need to rap or hand line down but is easy enough for most with no assistance.  There are lots of hidden foot and hand holds you can’t easily see from the top. Just above this DC is a cairn that houses a plastic jar and a log book for those interested in signing it.

Following the canyon floor beyond rap 1will soon lead to a drop off RDC of a large boulder sitting in the canyon floor. Walk LDC around the boulder into the trees to get to the top of rap 2.

Rap 2 (dIceCubeR2-4) is anchored from the base of one of these small trees and drops about 30 feet down a slope.

Rap 3 is only about 50 feet down canyon from rap 2. Rap 3 is anchored from a large tree RDC and drops about 35 feet down to some pot holes then into a narrow slot. In this narrow slot is another drop of about 45 feet to a landing and pool below.  Total drop is about 80 feet.

The tree used for the anchor of rap 3 juts out almost horizontally from the wall on the right then quickly begins to go vertical. This tree is huge but dead. It seemed solid enough at the moment. As a general rule it is not safe to rap from a dead tree because you can never be sure about the integrity of the root system. There is another large tree nearby that should be used instead. Next time I make it to this canyon I will most likely re rig the rap from the other tree, if it has not already been done.

At the bottom of rap 3 is a small pool with another drop just below it. This is where rap 4 starts.

Rap 4 uses an interesting anchor. There are no choke stones, large stones to build a cairn anchor or dead man with, no trees and no bolted hangers. Just overhead RDC is a large sandstone rock flake that separates from the walls of the slot. To anchor from here tie a large knot in the end of a loop of webbing, slip the webbing between the rock flake and the wall, then pull on the loop until the knot wedges above the rock. Anchor to the webbing and rappel.

Rap 4 drops about 30 feet with the first half being slightly sloped and possibly down climbed. The second half is an almost vertical drop. You should be careful not to shock the anchor here with sudden loads. Keep steady tension on the anchor and try to keep it minimal.

It would be a good idea to look over the anchor for rap 4 before pulling the ropes for rap 3.  If any thing were to happen to the anchor for rap 4 there would be few options available.  If the anchor is damaged and cannot be used, the ropes still attached to the anchors for rap 3 may prove useful.

Rap 5 (dIceCubeR5-7) is about 100 feet after rap 4.  Rap 5 is anchored from another small tree and drops about 60 feet. Rap 5 drops down to another slot with a pool at the bottom.

Rap 6 is directly at the bottom of rap 5. Rap 6 is anchored from a log jammed in the slot and drops about 80 feet as it winds through a tight slot. A short distance down, the slot levels out for a very short distance before dropping again. In this slightly level portion the slot gets tight before dropping again. You may have to work a bit to push your pack through and you definitely will not be able to turn sideways. Backing into and pushing your way through until you start dropping again seemed to be the best approach.

Because rap 6 drops then twists through a tight slot before dropping again a lot of rope drag is created. We found rap 6 to be difficult to pull. FYI.

Rap 7 is directly below rap 6 and is anchored from a small choke stone in the canyon floor. Rap 7 drops about 40 feet down a slope into and through a few pot holes.

After rap 7 down climb along the canyon floor for about 50 feet to a pothole where the water course takes a sharp left. When the water course takes a sharp left you are close to rap 8 and have two options. 

Option 1 for rap 8:
The first choice is to not follow the water course. Instead of following the water course left, climb out the other side of the pot hole straight ahead and up to the ledge RDC above.

Rap 8 (dIceCubeR8) is from the ledge up out of the water course.  Rap 8 is anchored from a small tree.  There used to be a piton here as well but it was removed sometime between June 2008 and Aug 2010.  Rap 8 drops about 110 feet and starts down a gentle slope and soon goes vertical down the side of the canyon wall. About half way down the vertical wall you meet up with the water course you didn’t follow just before rap 8. The rap drops you into a pot hole which you climb out of, then rap down to another pothole. The second pothole is a swimmer. Climbing out of this second pothole leaves you on more vertical wall and the rap drops to the canyon floor in another small pothole. From the bottom looking up, it appears there are potholes sitting on the side of the canyon wall that you drop into along the rappel. In reality the rappel bypasses then rejoins the water course. For some reason I find this to be a very enjoyable rappel!

If you would like to avoid the potholes on the way down rap 8 you can stay to your left (down canyon) as you start rap 8. This will give you a long vertical rap that drops to the bottom with no potholes in the way. In my opinion you miss a very fun rap that way.

Option 2 for rap 8:
The second option for Rap 8 is to stay in the water course and down climb and stem down about 30 feet.  This slot is very pretty with twisted walls.  Walk across a couple muddy pools and down climb another 20 feet down a twisted section that can be slid down and makes you feel like you are in a water park.  The pot hole at the bottom of the twisty slide has a large rock that can be used as an anchor.  Rapping from this rock drops you about 15 feet down into what looks like the hanging pothole on the other variation.  Doing the rap this way will use only a single 200 foot rope.  I do not have the total length for this variation yet.

Rap 9 (dIceCubeR9-11) is about 200 feet down canyon of rap 8.  Rap 9 is anchored from a choke stone and drops about 40 feet to a pool.

Rap 10 is just beyond the pool below rap 9.  Rap 10 is anchored from another choke stone and drops about 15 feet to a swimmer pothole below. On the other side of the pothole is an easy slide and down climb to the canyon floor.

Rap 11 Rap 11 is shortly after rap 10. Rap 11 is anchored from a choke stone and drops about 10 feet to a large pool at the bottom. After swimming across the pool the rap continues down another 30 feet to anther pool below. The second pool is a swimmer.

After rap 11 the canyon opens up a little and travel turns into lots of boulder hopping. soon there is a large drop that can be climbed around LDC. Some portions of the climb around are steep with some exposure. It can be made a bit easier and safer by staying higher where there is a bit more level ground.

About 350 feet down canyon of rap 11 is a major drop that is down climbable with some effort. A better option is to climb up LDC then over to rap 12.

Rap 12 (dIceCubeR12) is anchored from a small pine tree and drops about 25 feet. You cannot see the pine tree when you start to climb around. This is like a climb around rap combination. From the bottom of rap 12 walk down the slope to the canyon floor.

After rap 12 starts the non-technical middle portion of the route.  The canyon stays wide open and travel is straight down the canyon floor. There is no trail and the route has lots of boulder hopping and a small amounts of bush whacking.

About 0.6 miles down canyon of rap 12 is where the Sneak Route will will drop into the canyon (jIceCubeSneak).  If using this beta for canyon information via the Sneak Route, this is where your canyon section will start.

About 0.7 miles down canyon is a 30 foot drop that can be bypassed LDC.  This drop is marked as the top of the lower technical section (yIceCubeLowrTp).  This 30 foot drop is about 550 feet down canyon of where the Sneak Route drops into the canyon.

Rap 13 is where the canyon starts to close in again and is about 0.9 miles down canyon of rap 12.  Rap 13 (dIceCubeR13) is anchored from a small tree and drops 60 feet to a pool below.

Below rap 13 the canyon is wide but has steep high walls. Along the walk below rap 13 is a huge boulder wedged overhead between the walls of the canyon for your viewing pleasure.

Rap 14 (dIceCubeR14) is about 500 feet after rap 13 and is anchored from 2 small boulders.  Rap 14 drops about 100 feet to a large pool below. Rap 14 drops along a flat sheer wall for most of the way with a couple small ledges near the bottom. The pool is a swimmer if you go from the rope straight down canyon. However if you stay far LDC, the water is only a little over knee deep.

There was a film of green algae like stuff on the water at the pool below rap 14.  It gave a very nice scenic look to the area below rap 14. This rap is scenic just because of the large closed in area you are rapping into and the height of it along a sheer flat wall to a large pool below.

Rap 15 (dIceCubeR15-17) is about 400 feet after rap 14.  Rap 15 is anchored from a pile of rocks and drops about 20 feet to the wide slot below. Rap has a deep over hang and can be a bit awkward.

From the bottom of rap 15, travel down the ledge on the right, to a long pool. On the other side of that pool is the top of rap 16.

Rap 16 is anchored LDC high on the wall. There is a long strap of webbing extending down to the pool and across the other side where the rap leaves the pool RDC. Rap 16 drops from the pool about 15 feet to another pool.

Rap 17 is just beyond the pool at the bottom of rap 16. Rap 17 is anchored from the base of a medium size tree about 20 feet up canyon from the top of the rap and drops about 12 feet to yet another pool.  Rap 17 can be easily bypassed ny walking around a ledge RDC.  This rap is not needed but remains as part of the beta to keep from re labeling the rappels.

Rap 18 is a few hundred feet after rap 17.  Rap 18 has 2 options for an anchor. One is the large choke stone you stand on to start the rap. This makes the rappel very precarious to initiate. Since the anchor is the rock you are standing on you have no support from the rope until you have stemmed your way down under the rock you were standing on. The rock is only about 2 feet thick and there is a sever overhang under the rock. After using this anchor once, it becomes apparent there needs to be a safer option.  The other option is from a tree just up canyon from the rock.  The small tree just up canyon of the drop is by far the safer choice.

Rap 18 (dIceCubeR18) drops 15 feet to an ankle deep pool at the bottom.

Rap 19 (dIceCubeR19-20) is about 300 feet down canyon of rap 18.  Rap 19 is anchored LDC from a small tree. Webbing is stretched across a small pool to the rap RDC. Rap 19 drops about 12 feet to a pool below. The pool is a swimmer for a few feet at the bottom then gets shallower so you can walk. The pool winds through a short narrow section to another drop of about 5 feet. This drop is sloped and easy to slide down to the next pool that is a little over knee deep.

Rap 20 is a short walk after the pools below rap 19.  Rap 20 is anchored from a small tree and drops down a rock pile about 15 feet to a narrow section.

Just beyond rap 20 is a long narrow swim. To get to this swim you need to stem your way down between the walls of the canyon to the water below. This narrow swim section is about 100 feet long with a rock in the middle to climb over. Over head is a large boulder wedged between the walls of the canyon. This section is a very fun place if you aren’t too cold to enjoy it.

After a short walk past the narrow swim is a down climb in another narrow section to a pool below. After exiting the pool is another short walk to rap 21.

Rap 21 (dIceCubeR21) is anchored from a small tree RDC and is another favorite rap on the route. This rap is within a huge rock fall in the canyon. The rap goes below a boulder the size of a house and drops about 30 feet to a large pool below it. The narrow canyon walls form the sides and the large boulder forms the roof. The pool below, almost feels like you are in a large natural indoor swimming pool. This would make a great swimming hole in the heat of the summer if it were easier to get to. The pool below the boulder is a swimmer for a few feet before it starts to get shallower and you can start walking down canyon in the water still under the boulder.

Rap 21 can be down climbed if you stay RDC before getting to the rap and work down a series of ledges.

After the large pool and boulder the canyon opens slightly with easy travel.

Rap 22 (dIceCubeR22-23) is about 300 feet after rap 21.  From the top of Rap 22 you can see out of the canyon to the Red Rock Scenic Loop. It is in very sharp contrast to what you have been seeing most of the day.  Rap 22 is anchored from a large boulder and drops about 60 feet to a narrow section with knee deep water in it. About 40 feet at the other end of this knee deep pool is the top of rap 23 the final rap.

Be careful with the placement or the anchor for rap 22.  If the webbing is not strung long enough the rope runs over a boulder with pinch points on either side.  When the rope gets weighted it will pull into one of the pinch points and you may need to ascend back up the rope to go get it unstuck.  Ask me how I know this.  Be sure to extend the webbing beyond these pinch points.  This WILL make the start of the rap more awkward but will ensure you can pull your ropes when you get to the bottom.

At the bottom of rap 22 is a 40 foot long narrow pool (only knee deep).  The pool is in very narrow section and at the other end is the top of rap 23.  Looking out from the top of rap 23 feels like looking out a large keyhole high above the desert below.

 Rap 23 is 190 feet and is anchored from one bolt and hanger and 2 wedge style anchors. It appears the anchor point used to be from a small choke stone at your feet as you begin the rap. Since this is no longer the case, rap 23 is the only rap that is not anchored from a natural anchor in this canyon. The view from the top of this rap is great. You can look over the Red Rock Scenic Loop in the bright sun while you are perched high above in a wet shaded crack in the canyon.

For this rap use both of the 200’ ropes tied together. When setting up the ropes for this rap it is help full to offset the knot from the top so it is well over the edge from the top of the rap to help keep the rope from getting stuck in the cracks at the top of the rap. The start of Rap 23 is very narrow and requires some work to get your pack through the opening and begin starting down.

The bottom of rap 23 has a large pool at the bottom. There is ample sitting room on the other side for a break and clean up of gear.

The Exit:
From the bottom of rap 23 is a lot of boulder hopping to get to the wash below. There is no one good route through this section. Be prepared to move slowly for about 600 feet as you work your way toward the main wash at the bottom (yIceCubeLowrBt).

Once in the main wash (yIceCubeLowrBt), travel down wash and look for a path LDC cut through the dense vegetation up to the trails on the banks above. From there it is about 0.5 miles to the Ice Box Canyon Trailhead (tIceBoxCyn).

From the Ice Box Canyon Trailhead travel north west along the road about 1.2 miles to the Willow Springs Parking area where you left your cars (tWillowSpring).

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