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Middle Oak Creek Trail
Hiking Around Las Vegas, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
Oak Creek Cutoff Route
Oak Creek Cutoff Trail
Middle Oak Creek trailhead sign and gate through fence (view W)

Overview

The Middle Oak Creek Trail provides a pleasant walk across Red Rock Valley into Oak Creek Canyon, connecting to the regular Oak Creek Canyon Trail after 1.5 miles. For people who don't want to drive the entire Scenic Loop Road to get to the Oak Creek Canyon Trailhead, and for people who just don't want to pay the entrance fee, the Middle Oak Creek Trail provides alternate access to hiking and rock climbing areas along the Red Rock Cliffs.

This hike starts in an area burned during the 2007 Bonnie Springs Fire (see map). The contrast between the burned and unburned areas displays dramatically what happens when the Mojave Desert Scrub burns, and as importantly, how slowly the desert scrub grows back.

Link to map.

Link to BLM Georeference PDF map file.

Oak Creek Cutoff Trail
Middle Oak Creek trailhead sign (view SW)

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ...this is a safe hike, even for kids. While hiking, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. Also, this hike is just a short connector route, so be sure to bring what you need of the 10 Essentials for the entire hike.

Getting to the Trailhead

This hike is located in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, about 40 minutes from town, but not on the Scenic Loop Road. Drive out West Charleston Blvd, past the Scenic Loop Road entrance and exit, to the Middle Oak Creek Trailhead. Park here; this is the trailhead.

Alternatively, hikers may park a few yards farther north at another gate (Wpt. 07), but that parking area is smaller and harder to use. Also, on the way back with tired legs, hikers will have to hike straight up the hill rather than hiking diagonally across the hillside at a more gentle grade.

Oak Creek Cutoff Trail
Grand view from the trailhead (view W)

The Hike

From the trailhead (Table 1, Waypoint 06), the Middle Oak Creek Trail runs through a gate heading northwest and down across a hillside that burned during the 2007 Bonnie Springs Fire (see map).

At the bottom of the hillside, the Middle Oak Creek Trail bends left and merges (Wpt. 08) with a trail that comes down from the alternative trailhead. Now together, the Middle Oak Creek Trail heads west out across the desert flats towards the escarpment. While fighting the fire, firefighters successfully used this old road as a fire break. Here, the north side of old road is unburned and thickly vegetated with shrubs including Blackbrush, Joshua Trees, Mojave Yucca, Mojave Cottonthorn, Indigo Bush, Galleta Grass, Spiny Menodora, and Buckhorn Cholla.

Oak Creek Cutoff Trail
Hiker departing the Middle Oak Creek trailhead (view NW)

On the south side of the old road, the vegetation is growing back, but the dominant species are grasses and early successional subshrubs such as Globemallow, Matchweed, and a few of the burned Banana Yucca are resprouting from the burned stumps. Comparing the burned and unburned sides, it is clear that many years will pass before nature reclaims the burn area, and probably many more years after that before Cactus Wrens, which build nests in the cholla, return.

Before long, the trail passes out of the burn area, and higher on the bajada, the vegetation becomes more diverse with many more Mojave Yucca, Eastern Joshua Trees, and also Desert Almond, which usually is more common in dry washes.

Closer to the cliffs, Utah Juniper begins to appear, and many Narrowleaf Goldenbush and California Buckwheat join the mix.

Oak Creek Cutoff Trail
Hiker passing the first trail marker (view NW)

The Middle Oak Creek Trail runs straight west, passing several side trails along the way. At about 0.18 (Wpt. 09) and 0.64 miles out (Wpt. 10), use-trails to the right run north to the parking lot at the exit to the Scenic Loop Road, and at 0.75 miles out (Wpt. 11), a use-trail to the left runs south to join the many use-trails around Wilson Pimple.

Eventually the Middle Oak Creek Trail runs over a low ridge and drops to join the main Oak Creek Canyon Trail (Wpt. 02).

Assuming hikers continue west toward Oak Creek Canyon, notice a trail junction (Wpt. 12) to the left shortly after joining the main trail. This use-trail runs south towards Wilson Pimple, and this spot could be a point of confusion when hiking back to the trailhead. On the way out, recall that the Middle Oak Creek Trail runs across a dip and then up onto a low ridge southeast of the main trail, not down into Oak Creek Wash.

Oak Creek Cutoff Trail
The trail descends gently across an old wildfire scar (view NW)
Oak Creek Cutoff Trail
Hiker passing a second trail marker (view NW)
Oak Creek Cutoff Trail
Grand scenery (view NW)
Oak Creek Cutoff Trail
Hiker staying right at an unmarked spur-trail junction (view NW)
Oak Creek Cutoff Trail
Spur use-trail; not the main trail (view W)
Oak Creek Cutoff Route
Hiker in the burned area in 2009, 2 years after fire (view NW)
Oak Creek Cutoff Trail
The trail continues across burn area (view NW)
Oak Creek Cutoff Trail
The main trail merges with trail from alternate trailhead (view W)
Oak Creek Cutoff Trail
Trail continues across desert flats (view W)
Oak Creek Cutoff Trail
Hiker at trail junction: main trail continues straight (view W)
Oak Creek Cutoff Trail
Use-trail to the left (view SW)
Oak Creek Cutoff Trail
Use-trail to the right (view NE)
Oak Creek Cutoff Trail
Hiker continues through the old burn zone (view W)
Oak Creek Cutoff Trail
The old road held as a fireline (Feb 2011; burn on the left)
Oak Creek Cutoff Trail
Burned side of the trail (Feb 2011; view SW)
Middle Oak Creek Trail
The old road held as a fireline (May 2019; burn on the left)
Oak Creek Cutoff Trail
Trail passes out of the burn zone and into unburned desert scrub
Oak Creek Cutoff Trail
Trail continues across unburned desert scrub (view W)
Middle Oak Creek Trail
Springtime in the desert (view W)
Middle Oak Creek Trail
Springtime in the desert (view W)
Oak Creek Cutoff Route
Unburned desert and buckhorn cholla (view W)
Oak Creek Cutoff Route
Gnarly old Joshua Tree that escaped the fire (view N)
Middle Oak Creek Trail
Unmarked trail junction to Scenic Road Exit Trailhead (view W)
Middle Oak Creek Trail
Trail to Scenic Road Exit TH (view NE from Oak Creek Middle Trail)
Oak Creek Cutoff Trail
Trail junction; direct route to Wilson Pimple stays left (view W)
Oak Creek Cutoff Trail
Route to Wilson Pimple (view S from Middle Oak Creek Trail)
Oak Creek Cutoff Route
Trail follows the old road (view W)
Oak Creek Cutoff Trail
Trail forks; the left is not a better route (view W)
Oak Creek Cutoff Trail
Hiker on Middle Oak Creek Trail (view S)
Oak Creek Cutoff Route
Hiker nearing Oak Creek Canyon Trail (view W)
Oak Creek Cutoff Trail
Hiker at Oak Creek Canyon Trail (view W)
Oak Creek Cutoff Trail
Creek Canyon Trail terminates at Middle Oak Creek Trail (view NW)

Table 1. Hiking Coordinates Based on GPS Data (NAD27; UTM Zone 11S). Download Hiking GPS Waypoints (*.gpx) file.

Wpt. Location Easting Northing Elevation (ft) Point-to-Point Distance (mi) Cumulative Distance (mi) Verified
06 Middle Oak Creek Trailhead 639608 3996174 3,834 0.00 0.00 GPS
08 Old Road 639432 3996298 3,797 0.14 0.14 GPS
09 Trail Jct 639372 3996294 3,780 0.04 0.18 GPS
10 Trail Jct 638669 3996325 3,866 0.46 0.64 GPS
11 Trail Jct 638510 3996325 3,881 0.11 0.75 GPS
02 Trail Jct, Oak Creek Canyon Trail 637340 3996372 4,021 0.75 1.50 GPS
12 Trail Jct 637319 3996360 4,025 . . GPS
07 Alternate Trailhead 639597 3996293 3,825 . . GPS

Happy Hiking! All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate.
copyright; Last updated 240330

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