Ride 07 · Red Rock Backcountry · advanced · all rides

Gap Grind

Leave the Scenic Drive behind and grind up Rocky Gap Road to Red Rock Summit, then rattle back down the way you came.

⚠︎

Not yet rider-checked. This line was routed from OpenStreetMap trail data and hasn't been ridden end to end yet. Cross-check turns against the trail signs or Trailforks.

9.4miles

2,293ft climb

6,486ft high point

1:40est. moving

Lowchunk (0%)

singletrack 0% dirt road 100% pavement 0%

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Starting GPS…

0:00.0Timer: ride to the start

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Get the GPS file

Scan with a friend's phone, or tap below. Then open it in your ride app.

↓ Download GPX ↓ One-sheet PDF

iPhone: tap Download, open it from the Downloads bar, then Share → Trailforks, Strava or Garmin.
Android: tap Download, then open the file and pick your app.
Garmin: or drag it into Garmin Connect → Courses → Import on a computer.

https://bsqrd-designs.com/dirt/gap-grind/

Getting there

Park at Willow Springs Picnic Area

End of the Willow Springs spur off Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive, about 7 miles into the one-way loop (Red Rock Canyon NCA, Las Vegas, NV)

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Start and finish are the same spot. Follow the cue sheet and the arrows on the map.

Cue sheet

0.0	Rocky Gap Roaddirt road via Pavement ends · Red Rock Wash crossing · Red Rock Summit	9.4 mi
9.4	Back at Willow Springs Picnic Area

Know before you go

This is a 4x4 road, not singletrack: loose rock, ledges and ruts the whole way, shared with high-clearance trucks. Fitness ride up, bumpy ride down.
Legal because it is an open road: Red Rock NCA allows bikes only on designated roads and trails, and Rocky Gap runs in a corridor between the Rainbow Mountain and La Madre Mountain wildernesses. Stay on the road.
Getting there means driving the Scenic Drive: vehicle entry fee, plus a timed-entry reservation from Oct 1 to May 31 for 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. arrivals. Check gate closing times so you are not locked in.
Summit sits near 6,450 ft, about 1,000 ft cooler than town. Still zero shade; carry more water than you think.

Ride smart

Water: plan on about 1.5 L for this ride. There's none on the trail.
Signal is spotty. Tell someone your route and your time back.
Emergency: call 911 and say "Gap Grind ride, parked at Willow Springs Picnic Area, Red Rock Backcountry", plus the coordinates from Locate me.
Wildlife: give horses, burros and anything with horns room, and never feed them.
Stay on trail. Desert crust and mountain soil take decades to heal.

Report a problem or share a photo

Washout, closure, new fence or a missing sign? Got a great shot of a junction? Send it. It goes straight to Ryan; photos he approves show up on this page with your credit.

Trail photos

**Near Pavement ends** Photo: Jarek Tuszyński, CC BY-SA 4.0 · about 312 m away

**Red Rock Canyon, Nevada [10]** Photo: Exothermic, CC BY

**Red Rock Canyon Nevada** Photo: Exothermic, CC BY

**Joshua Trees, Red Rock Canyon, Nevada** Photo: tsaiproject, CC BY

**Red Rock Canyon, Nevada [05]** Photo: Exothermic, CC BY