Desiree Cole nears the top of Inti Watana. Photo by Andrew Burr

Las Vegas

Mt. Wilson

• Elevation: 7,070 feet
• Route: Inti Watana to Resolution Arête (5.10+, 14–17 pitches)
• Drive: 40 minutes

Sailing up the 2,000-foot Aeolian Wall on Mt. Wilson’s northeast face, Inti Watana to the final pitches of Resolution Arête offers one of the best desert alpine adventures at Red Rock, as well as one of the few real summit routes in the park. Expect a 1.5- to 2-hour approach, 14 to 17 pitches of climbing, and a 3-hour descent. You’ll find the best temps in spring and fall.

CLIMB IT: Take a light rack for the mostly 5.9 or easier, generously bolted face climbing on good edges, punctuated by a few cracks. Belays are bolted for the 10 to 12 pitches of Inti Watana, and you can rappel that route with two 60-meter ropes. To top out on Mt. Wilson, follow 4 to 5 pitches of wide cracks on Resoluton Arête, followed by 400 feet of easy fifth class with a few 5.8 sections. Hope you don’t see the nighttime lights on the Strip from the summit—it will take several hours to descend First Creek Canyon.

BACKPACKER RECOMMENDS: Scramble to the top of this sandstone giant on an adventure hike via First Creek Canyon, the descent route from Resolution Arête.

GET THERE: From the Strip, drive west on Charleston Boulevard for 19.5 miles. About 1.5 miles past the Red Rock Loop Road exit, park at a gate on the right side of the road. Walk west on the old road toward Oak Creek Canyon for approximately 1.5 miles to the saddle between Wilson Pimple and Mt. Wilson. Head up and left toward Mt. Wilson, aiming for a gully to the right of a hanging gully. Follow cairns up a series of gullies, trending left and eventually tunneling under a huge boulder near the start of the route, marked by a line of bolts on a mossy wall.

BETA: Red Rocks: A Climber’s Guide, by Jerry Handren; mountainproject.com