Pinto Valley Route

This is a 10.8-mile one-way traverse, not a loop, between two Northshore Road pull-offs. From milepost 25.8 on the east, the route drops through a narrow wash into Pinto Valley, crosses its broad floor, then climbs and descends to milepost 18.2 on the west. The payoff is a quiet wilderness crossing through vividly colored gypsum and mudstone hills, with Signature Rock along the way. The walking is mostly gentle, but the distance, exposed terrain and route-finding make it a substantial half-day hike. Allow about five hours on foot, plus time for the shuttle.

The two trailheads are about eight miles apart by road, so arrange two vehicles or a pickup before setting out. Start at the north-side pull-off at Northshore Road mile 25.8; the west exit is a separate north-side pull-off at mile 18.2. Parking capacity and amenities at both access points are not documented. There is no reliable drinking water along the route, and shade is sparse; plan to carry your full supply.

The east approach follows the road briefly, slips behind a guardrail and picks up remnants of an old road over low ridges before dropping into the wash. The east fork narrows between colored walls; the west fork opens onto Pinto Valley's broad, mostly gravel-and-dirt floor. The line is not waymarked, and old roads fade in and out of the washes. After Signature Rock, keep to the north side of the valley floor and pass north of the yellow-and-red ridge; the tempting wash to the right is the wrong way. Farther west, an old road makes a sharp turn in the wash bottom that is easy to walk past.

Signature Rock is a pile of sandstone boulders with a shady overhang. Small petroglyphs sit on the highest boulder; most of the visible marks on the west face are historic names and dates from the twentieth century. Look without adding to them. The surrounding hills preserve bands of ancient lakeshore silt and mud, with ripple marks, fossils and bright gypsum veins. This is the route's most distinctive place to pause and frame a photo.

Sandstone Spring is an optional side trip, but neither it nor Cottonwood Spring is a dependable drinking source. Near Cottonwood Spring, two cottonwoods provide one of the route's few real patches of shade. A short third-class scramble drops below a pour-over there; if you don't want it, backtrack about 150 yards to the old road and use the bypass. The washes can flash flood in strong or threatening weather, especially during the summer and fall storm season, and summer heat is severe. Dogs are allowed on the trail on a leash no longer than six feet.

The gypsum-rich ground supports Las Vegas bearpoppy, silverleaf sunray and Palmer's phacelia. They are worth looking for on the open slopes and disturbed wash edges, but leave the fragile plants and crust undisturbed.