Canyoneering Route Description

String of Pearls - 4B (or A) III
Red Rock Canyon, Nevada.

Quick Facts

04-03-11, 4 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 10.5 hours)

Time Required - 9 to 12 hours.  (dry pools will add to route time since you cant jump)
Distance - 5.6 miles Total, 0.4 miles Technical
Rappels - 11 Rappels, Longest Rappel 200 feet.
Elevation Range - 3675 - 6641 Feet
Shuttle Required -Yes 17 Miles Vehicle - High Clearance recommended but not required Permit Required - No

Gear Used for Canyon

Rappelling and anchor gear, Ropes and or pull cords for rappels up to 200 feet and 100 feet of 1 inch webbing for sling placement.  Also bring a supplies for a retrievable anchor for rap 1.  Wet suits are recommended when the canyon is wet.  During warm months a 3/2 mm is a good starting point.  Cooler months will require more. 

General Comments

String of Pearls in Red Rock Canyon is best done when there is still some spring run off or after recent rains.  A fun route if you are looking for some canyoneering near Las Vegas.  The upper section of the canyon involves a long straight series of pot hole after pothole with short drops between.  Water in the canyon makes this a lot of fun!  This series of potholes is what got this canyon its nick name.

The top entry for String of Pearls is in a popular back country hiking destination called "The Park".  Sue a retrievable anchor for the first rap to keep the area clean and untouched looking for others that wonder around up here.

String of Pearls is not extremely difficult but was given a technical rating of 4 because of possible problem solving for some anchors.  Some of the anchors in the upper section are cairn anchors.  The layout of the canyon is such that these anchors could very easily wash out during flooding.  If these are gone, they will need to be rebuilt if there is sufficient material on hand.  Anchor material is also at a minimum here and if washed out you will need to get creative and work out other anchor options.  This is not a rig and go canyon, and will likely involve some problem solving.  The last rappel in the upper section may have its own challenges as well, see the route description for more on that.

Thanks to Rick Ianniello for locating this route and inviting us on the first descent of String of Pearls.

Driving Directions

To get to the Trailhead

Note:
The last 0.3 miles of the drive in to the start trailhead may be a little rough for some passenger vehicles. Most passenger vehicles however should be fine. If the road is not something you wish to take your car on you can find a spot to park it and walk the final 0.3 miles.

The junction of highways 159 and 160 are on the out skirts of town on the south west side of town. From the junction of highway 159 (Charleston Blvd) and highway 160 (Blue Diamond Road), drive west on highway 160 for 10.2 miles to the turn off on the right (north) into Mountain Springs (extMountSprngs). This turn off will be shortly after driving up and over the crest of Mountain Springs Pass.

After turning into Mountain Springs (extMountSprngs), drive north east about 850 feet to a turn off onto a dirt road to the left (wMudAprDP-01).

Drive north on the dirt road for about 850 feet to a junction in the dirt road (wMudAprDP-02). At this junction there is a private property sign and gate blocking travel to continue north here. Turn right (east) and continue on another dirt road which has signage on it labeling it as road 541.

Note:
From here forward is the rough part of the road where some passenger cars might have issues. If you are worried about your car making it you can find a place to park and walk the rest of the way, since it is only another 0.3 miles.

After turning onto road 541, drive about 0.2 to a turn out on the right where you could park. Do not stop at this first turn out parking spot. Continue another 0.1 miles to the second parking spot on the right. This second turn out parking spot is the one you want to park at (pkMudPearlTp). Lining this turn out are large boulders placed to prevent vehicles from traveling north up what used to be a dirt road.

To leave the Exit Vehicle / Escape Pod

From the junction of highway 215 and Charleston Blvd (highway 159), drive west on Charleston Blvd (highway 159) about 12.4 miles to the turn off for Bonnie Springs (extBonnieSpngs).  The turn off will be on the right.
OR
From the junction of the Blue Diamond highway (highway 160) and highway 159, drive 5.0 miles north west on highway 159  to the turn off for Bonnie Springs (extBonnieSpngs).  The exit will be on the left.

After turning off on the exit for Bonnie Springs (extBonnieSpngs) drive 1.2 miles west to get to a large dirt parking area (pkStrngPerlsBt).  Bonnie springs is a small community / tourist attraction with houses, a bar, old west town and a petting zoo.  Please respect that this is a place of business and not take up prime parking spaces.

Maps

GPS coordinate information listed at the bottom.  For information about waypoint naming and map symbols, refer to the Glossary page.

Click the links for maps of the route. Map of the drive into the route and approach.
Map of the entire route.
Map of the approach and technical section.

Details

The Approach:
From the parking spot (pkMudPearlTp) walk up the hill to the north following an old dirt road. Follow up the steep, old dirt road for about 0.6 miles to where it tops out (wMudPearlRP-01). At this top out the road is now traveling east.

Continue east along the road down the other side of the top out. About 500 feet from the top out the road will drop down to a saddle (wMudPearlRP-02). At this saddle the road turns to the north and drops to a drainage. This is where you will leave the road to continue up to both Mud Spring Canyon and to the String of Pearls route. Continue east and start up the slope / ridge. Route find your way up the ridge since there is no defined trail to follow.

About 0.2 miles up the ridge from the saddle is a section on the ridge that levels off a little to a gentle grade for a short distance (wMudPearlRP-03).

Another 0.2 miles further up the ridge is a high point (wMudPearlRP-04) before crossing over a small saddle.

Another 0.2 miles the ridge heading east tops out (wMudPearlRP-05). From this top out of the ridge you have good 360 degree views of the area around you.

From the top out of the ridge look for a trail heading to the left (north) that drops down and then follows along the ridge running north. About 250 feet from the top out the trail that runs north crosses over a saddle (wMudPearlRP-06).

From the saddle continue north on the trail up the slope on the other side of the saddle. About 350 feet from the saddle the trail will top out near a rock out cropping with orange patches of lichen on it. If you were doing the Mud Spring Canyon route this is where you would leave the trail.

Note:
Most of this trail along the ridge is very defined and easy to follow.  However there are a few spots where the trail fades away.  When the trail fades, just continue north and stay along the top of the ridge and you will find the trail again.

Continue north on trail for about 0.4 miles to the top of the Mountain Spring Benchmark peak (pMntSpngBnchMk).  This is the highest point on the route at 6641 feet.  From this peak you have good 360 degree views!  The canyon just east  and slightly north of this peak is Black Velvet Canyon.

Continue north on the trail about 800 feet and cross over a small saddle. 

Continue north on the trail another 900 feet to a second saddle (wStPearlRP-01).  Around this saddle are a lot of rough rocky out croppings of grey jagged rock.

Note:
From this saddle continuing on the crest of the ridge is not possible for about 450 feet due to the rough rocky out croppings.  The route goes just left (west) of the ridge line and up along the west side of the small peak about 450 feet from the saddle.  The trail fades away in this are in the convoluted mix of dirt and rock.  As you get up to the peak a well defined trail begins again.

From the saddle with the rocky out croppings, follow the route up to the first peak where the trail is well defined again.  Then continue north on the trail about 700 feet to another peak.  Then follow the trail another 800 feet to another peak (wStPearlRP-02).  For clarity this will be the third peak after crossing the saddle with the gray rock out croppings.  This peak offers a view north east about 0.5 miles away down toward the start of String of Pearls in an area known as "The Park".

From the peak (wStPearlRP-02), Continue about 850 feet over a small saddle and onto another peak (wStPearlRP-03).  This peak has some rock out croppinngs to get around as travel across it.  As the trail travels over this peak it is hard to follow and almost non-existent as it travels over mostly jagged rock out croppings.

About 300 feet north after getting down over the last peak, the route will be on dirt again and a faint path can be found (jTheParkPearl).  This is where you will leave the ridge trail and start down the slope to the north east down to "The Park".  This slope is fairly wide open so head on down to the north east following what ever line feels comfortable.  You are aiming for kind of flat sandstone area about 0.3 miles away.

About 0.25 miles down from the ridge will be the edge of "The Park" as your route turns from a dirt slope and begins to turn to mostly slick-rock (wStPearlRP-04).

When you get to the slick-rock (wStPearlRP-04), continue down the now slick-rock slope / drainage about 0.2 miles to where the terrain levels off a bit (wStPearlRP-05).  You will likely need to get down a couple short pour offs along the way.  The view here with the rolling sand stone, the little forest tucked away in it and good views down to and over Las Vegas is nice and worth taking mental notes of it.  It is easy to see why this area got enough attention from people to be given a name like "The Park".

Short Side Trip:
After hitting the more level part of "The Park" (wStPearlRP-05), you can take a short side trip over to an arch if you like.  Look about 250 feet northish and look for an arch.  The arch may not look like it goes all the way through but it does.  You just have to walk up to it to find that out.  This arch was nick named Archie Bunker (sArchieBunker) for semi obvious reasons.  You will have to push through a short section of Manzanita to get to the bottom of Archie Bunker.

Walk about 900 feet east of here to the east end of "The Park" where it drops off into a gully (wStPearlRP-06) leading east down to Bonnie Springs.  This gully is steep and more of a side canyon actually.  Going over to this spot is about 200 feet out of the way but makes for good views and an easy land mark to help with this route description.

After taking in the view, walk about 250 feet down to the south west down to the top of a narrow pour off (yStPearlTp1) into String of Pearls.  This entry was named the Las Vegas Slots entry for String of Pearls.

Note:
This Las Vegas Slots option is a small side fork near the head of String of Pearls.  From the top of this slot over to the main canyon is about 250 feet.  The main drainage to the same point would be a little over 300 feet but did not look as technically fun.

The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
At the top of the Las Vegas Slots entry for String of Pearls (yStPearlTp1) will be a large dead Ponderosa tree still standing and some other log debris.

Rap 1 (dStPearlLS-R1) is about 50 feet down canyon of the head, is anchored from log debris about 40 feet back from the drop and drops about 50 feet down to a potholes (which can be walked around).  The total rope travel back to the anchor is about 95 feet so a standard 200 foot rope works perfect for this.  A second line would need to be used as a pull line for the retrievable anchor as well.

This is a common back country hiking destination so it is nice to keep things looking clean and untouched for those that wonder into this area.  Please use a retrievable anchor on this first rappel.  There are other options for knot chalks or you could easily build a cairn anchor.  Please do not do this and use a retrievable anchor from the logs up canyon.

Just after rap 1 are two potholes.  Each of the potholes can be bypassed if desired.

After the two potholes is another smaller pothole in a more narrow spot.  This is the top of rap 2.

Rap 2 (dStPearlLS-R1) is about 90 feet down canyon of rap 1, is anchored from rock pile anchor down in a small pothole and drops about 20 feet down a vertical wall to a small pothole about waist deep and easy to climb up out of.

Optionally rap 2 could be bypassed up and over on the RDC side if desired.  This could be handy if the anchor for rap 2 was washed away by floods.

About 90 feet down canyon is a short slabby down climb of about 15 feet down to the confluence (jStPear-lLv-Mn) of the Las Vegas Slots entry and main drainage for String of Pearls.

From the confluence (jStPear-lLv-Mn) turn left (east) and continue down canyon.  Immediately down canyon is a rock debris pile with a drop of about 10 feet on the other side.  A hand line can be set up with webbing from a pinch point in the boulders at the top of the drop.  Immediately after are two more drops of about 8 and 5 feet each.  All three of these drops after the confluence have pools at the bottom a little more than waist deep.  The drops can be gently slid down to drop into the water.  If the there is no water in these pools you will need to get creative and work out ways to keep the down climbing safe.

After the 3 down climbs walk about 35 feet to a drop of about 10 feet to a pool with a drop on the other side of the pool.  This is the top of rap 1 iin the main canyon for String of Pearls.

Rap 1 (dStPearl-R1-2) is about 125 feet down canyon of the confluence, is anchored from a cairn / dead man anchor about 4 feet back from the drop and drops about 10 feet to a pot hole then down another 5 feet on the other side of the pothole.  Rap 1 uses about 40 feet of rope travel.

The cairn anchor for rap 1 could very easily be washed out from flooding so be prepared to find materials to build a new one or look for other options.  Rap 2 is right at the bottom of rap 1.

Rap 2 is at the bottom of rap 1, is anchored from a cairn anchor about 5 feet back from the drop and drops about 20 feet down to a pothole. The anchor for rap 2 can also be easily washed out by flooding.  Again you will need to be prepared to figure it out if this happens.

After rap 2 is a short drop of about 6 feet into a pool down a slope and is an easy slide in.  Shortly down canyon of this pool is the top of rap 3.

Rap 3 (dStPearl-R3) is about 100 feet down canyon of rap 2, and drops about 10 feet to a pool.  At the time we went through the canyon was full of water so everyone was sent down on a meat anchor and the last person jumped to the pool.  If the canyon is dry, it will be necessary to figure out an anchor option for this drop.

At the top of rap 3 is a large dead bush / tree that could be used as an anchor if it were a last resort.  If the pool at the bottom of rap 3 were empty the drop would be about 15 feet.

Down canyon of rap 3 is a series of 3 or 4 potholes that have short easy down climbs into them and easy walks out of the water on the other side of each.  This section is pothole after pothole and very enjoyable on a hot day with a canyon full of water.

After the series of pothole with short drops into them, the canyon starts to widen out a little and you begin to see you are coming to a big drop.  This is where you start to get the feel you still have a lot of elevation to drop.  Soon you will come to a drop into a pothole with a ledge continuing down canyon on the LDC (north) side that you can easily walk onto.  This is near the top of rap 4.

Do not drop down into the pothole when you get to the ledge.  Instead walk onto the ledge on the LDC side and follow along it about 30 feet to near the other end of the first pothole below you.  There you will find a large rock sitting on the ledge that is used as the anchor for rap 4.

Rap 4 (dStPearl-R4) is about 250 feet down canyon of rap 3, is anchored from a large rock on the LDC ledge and drops about 30 feet down to a pothole.  The pothole at the bottom of rap 4 is not very deep and would not be enough to break your fall if you jumped.

After rap 4 is another pothole to slide down a slope of about 6 feet down into then swim to the other side.  On the other side of the pool is a short section with rocks and some dead trees.  On the other side of this is another short down climb of about 6 feet to a pool.  Just down canyon of the next pool is rap 5.

Note:
If more anchor material is needed for rap 5 (just down canyon) you will likely need to farm rocks from this area.  Send only one person down this drop to go look for the anchor for rap 5.  If the anchor is gone the people at the top of this drop can toss rocks down to build the an anchor.

Rap 5 (dStPearl-R5) is a little over 100 feet down canyon of rap 4, is anchored from a cairn anchor and drops about 150 feet down wall with some vertical and some sloped sections and about 30 feet of free hang at the bottom.  The drop here is very scenic.

You get a big air look and feel.  There are cracks that look like they would work well for knot chalk anchors but the rock is too brittle for them to feel safe.

At the bottom of rap 5 you are on a large wide open ledge type area but still in the water course.  About 60 feet away the ledge rolls off to a vertical wall which is rap 6. 

Note:
Anchor options are very limited for rap 6.  If you fail to find or trust any anchor options here you may be able to find a way down the RDC (south) end of the ledge.  This has not been confirmed though.

Rap 6 (dStPearl-R6) is about 60 feet down canyon of the bottom of rap 5, is anchored from a rap ring wedged down in a crack near the top of the drop and drops about 190 feet down a mostly vertical wall.  The bottom of rap 6 is on a ledge still about 30 feet high that can easily be down climbed.  Be very careful not to twist your ropes for rap 6.  This can be a tricky pull and the ropes should be twist free to keep it as easy as possible.

Note:
There are limited options for rap 6.  The option we found was a small crack that appeared very strong.  We placed a rap ring with webbing looped in it, down in the crack.  This made a very solid rap ring chalk.  The crack was the perfect size for this and was too small to allow any kind of a knot chalk.  Before using this we anchored one person into the other people and that person pulled and yanked on th anchor with everything he had to test it.  You should do the same before using it.

The anchor can be found by walking down from rap 5 along the very shallow crack running down and over the ledge.  Soon the crack will get a little deeper and you will scramble a short distance down.  Just before the drop starts to turn steep you should find the anchor webbing on your left (north).

Just after the bottom of rap 6 is another drainage joining in from LDC (north).  Down canyon of rap 6 is a lot of boulder hoping and scrambling.  About 700 feet down canyon of rap 6 the canyon turns from a boulder hoping session to having a lot of longer slabby down climbs.  The character of the canyon begins to change as is slots up.

Rap 7 (dStPearl-R7-8) is couple hundred feet into the slabby scrambling portion of the canyon, is anchored from hole in the rock on the RDC sideand drops about 80 feet down a sort of narrow area to some ledges.

Rap 8 is about 40 feet down canyon of rap 7, is anchored from a medium flat rock in the water course and drops about 50 feet down a mostly vertical wall.  The first 15 feet of rap 8 can easily be down climbed before reaching a drop off.  From the top of rap 8 you get a good view down toward the wide wash about 400 feet away.

After rap 8 is a down climb of about 12 feet in a crack.  A little farther down canyon of the down climb is a pool with a ledge the is pretty easy to scramble up on RDC.  Scramble up on this ledge and walk around the pool, down a slope to a narrow slot just below the pool.  Down climb down into the narrow slot and walk a few feet to the other end to get to the top of rap 9.

Rap 9 (dStPearl-R9) is almost 200 feet down canyon of rap 8 and is at the end of a narrow slot.  Rap 9 is anchored from a small rock arch around the corner on a ledge from the down canyon end of the narrow slot.  The anchor is not readily seen.  You will need to go to the end of the narrow slot and lean out around the corner a little to see it on the RDC side.  To keep it safe, it is a good idea to anchor into a partner before leaning out to rig or look for the anchor.  Rap 9 drops about 200 feet down alternating sections of sloped and almost vertical wall.

Note:
It the ledge system RDC of rap 9 is not able to be down climbed, but may lend it self to alternate rappels if the rap in the water course is not desirable.

After rap 9 are a couple down climbs to the wash.  It is much easier to stay hard right an the way down from rap 9 to the wash.  Resist the urge to stay in the wide water course.

About 100 feet down canyon you will find yourself in a wide boulder filled wash (yStPearlBt).  This is the end of the technical section.

The Exit:
Once down in the wide boulder filled wash (yStPearlBt) boulder hop and fight the vegetation. 

About 450 feet down canyon from where you dropped into the wash will be a large rock out cropping (wStPearlRP-08) along the LDC wall.  Before reaching it the out cropping looks like it is in the middle of the wash but it is actually close to the LDC (north) wall.  Work your way down canyon and go between the rock and the LDC (north) canyon wall.  This is where you start the route out of the wash.  Continuing down the wash would be a lot of work in thick vegetation and boulders to scramble over.

Follow along the LDC wall and walk a fairly obvious route.  About 700 feet farther will be a scenic alcove (wStPearlRP-09) in red sandstone along the base off the cliff band.  This alcove is very featured and cool to look at.

About 600 feet farther you will start into a cholla cactus field.  As you get part way into this forest you will be able to look west up into another large drainage and have clear views across the open desert Bonnie Springs (where your exit vehicle is) to the north east.

Route find your way through the desert and the cholla cactus field and aim for Bonnie Springs about 0.7 miles away.  As you get closer to Bonnie Springs you can see the main buildings and you can see some metal corrugated buildings left (north) of the main buildings.  Aim for left (north) of the metal buildings.

As you get closer to Bonnie Springs you will find some horse trails that are used for horse back riding tours.  Follow these north toward Bonnie Springs rather than cut through the desert off trail.  There is a barbed wire fence running in the desert near here and following the horse trail will lead to a gate (wStPearlRP-11) where you can easily walk through and not have to fight the barbed wire.

About 250 feet after crossing through the gate, will be a fork in the horse trail (wStPearlRP-12).  At this fork veer right (north east) and follow the smaller trail toward the water tanks and a cell phone tower.

 About 450 feet later will be a trail junction (wStPearlRP-13).  Turn left (north) at this junctions.

About 100 feet farther will be a junction (wStPearlRP-14) with a small trail that cuts off to the right (north east).  DO not turn right here.  Instead follow the larger trail that goes straight (north west).

About 200 feet later will be a trail junction (wStPearlRP-15) where you will have three choices of tails.  Stay hard right and follow the right most trail going north east.

About 550 feet farther, the trail will go very close to some of the buildings (wStPearlRP-16) for the Bonnie Springs complex.  Leave the trail here and walk the roads in the area over to the parking spot for the exit vehicle (pkStrngPerlsBt) about 0.2 miles east.

GPS Waypoint Information

Click to show / expand the list of waypoints below........

String of Pearls (1) - Drive to drop Exit Vehicle

extBonnieSpngs          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.06588   W -115.43537        Elev: NaN Feet Exit off of highway 159 (Charleston Blvd) to go to Bonnie Springs. pkStrngPerlsBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.06026   W -115.45248        Elev: 3,675 Feet Parking at Bonnie Springs. This is where the exit vehicle can be left for the String of Pearls route.

String of Pearls (2) - Drive to Trailhead

extMountSprngs          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.02057   W -115.51004        Elev: 5,400 Feet Turn off into Mountain Springs off of highway 160. wMudAprDP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.02225   W -115.50796        Elev: 5,296 Feet Turn off onto a dirt road on the left (north west). Trun left onto the dirt road to get to the start point for Mud CAnyon and String of Pearls Canyon. wMudAprDP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.02361   W -115.50720        Elev: NaN Feet Fork junction in the dirt road. On the way in to Mud Canyon or String of Pearls turn right here onto a dirt road which is labled as 541 to continue to teh start point. pkMudPearlTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.02496   W -115.50363        Elev: 5,555 Feet Parking turn out on road 541 where you park to start the routes in to Mud Spring Canyon and String Of Pearls Canyon.

String of Pearls (3) - Approach

pkMudPearlTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.02496   W -115.50363        Elev: 5,555 Feet Parking turn out on road 541 where you park to start the routes in to Mud Spring Canyon and String Of Pearls Canyon. wMudPearlRP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.02991   W -115.49701        Elev: 5,945 Feet Steep old dirt road tops out here then starts down the other side of a peak. wMudPearlRP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.02984   W -115.49526        Elev: NaN Feet Road drops down to a saddle here. The road turns to the north and drops to a drainage. To continue to Mud Canyon and String of Pearls leave the road and start up the slope to the east. wMudPearlRP-03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.02948   W -115.49202        Elev: NaN Feet Spot along the ridge where the slope gets gentle for a short distance. wMudPearlRP-04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.02883   W -115.48798        Elev: 6,380 Feet High point on the ridge just before crossing over a small saddle. wMudPearlRP-05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.02934   W -115.48498        Elev: 6,445 Feet Top out of the ridge heading east. Look for a use trail around here that will follow down and to the north to start along the ridge line running to the north. wMudPearlRP-06          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.02987   W -115.48465        Elev: 6,425 Feet Trail crosses a saddle here. jMudSpngCanyon          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.03077   W -115.48462        Elev: 6,465 Feet This is where you leave the trail to drop down into Mud Spring Canyon. This is on the north side of a rock out cropping with orange lichen on it. Turn right (east) and drop down the slope. pMntSpngBnchMk          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.03596   W -115.48241        Elev: 6,641 Feet Mountain Spring Benchmark. This is a peak along the rigdge with a log book. This is the highest point on the ridge on the way over to String of Pearls. wStPearlRP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.04021   W -115.48406        Elev: 6,420 Feet Saddle with jagged gray rocky out croppings. The trail fades away for about 450 feet to the north as it finds its way just left (west) of the ridge line through the mix of dirt and rock up to the west side of a peak aobut 450 feet from this saddle. wStPearlRP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.04477   W -115.48287        Elev: 6,490 Feet Third peak north of the saddle with the gray roack out croppings. Also a good view north east about 0.5 miles down to "The Park". wStPearlRP-03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.04670   W -115.48432        Elev: NaN Feet Peak just before leaving the ridge trail to start down the slope to "The Park". The trail dissapears as it travels over this peak since it is on jagged roack out croppings. jTheParkPearl          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.04748   W -115.48459        Elev: 6,370 Feet This is where the route is on smooth dirt again and going north down from the last peak. This is also where you can leave the ridge trail and go down the slope to the north east to get to "The Park" and to String of Pearls. wStPearlRP-04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.04964   W -115.48169        Elev: 6,035 Feet This is where the slope turns from dirt to mostly slickrock. This is the edge of "The Park". sArchieBunker          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05170   W -115.47962        Elev: NaN Feet A small arch worth checking out. Nick named Archie Bunker. wStPearlRP-05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05123   W -115.47919        Elev: 5,855 Feet The terrain levels off considerably and you are now in "The Park" propper. wStPearlRP-06          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05143   W -115.47629        Elev: NaN Feet Top of a gully looking down toward Bonnie Springs to the east at teh eastern edge of "The Park". It is worth stopping by here for a quick look around. yStPearlTp1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05092   W -115.47679        Elev: 5,810 Feet Las Vegas Slots option for the top entry to String of Pearls. This is narrow pour off into a pot hole. There is a large dead Ponderosa Pine here near the head of the slot.

String of Pearls (4) - The Canyon,

yStPearlTp1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05092   W -115.47679        Elev: 5,810 Feet Las Vegas Slots option for the top entry to String of Pearls. This is narrow pour off into a pot hole. There is a large dead Ponderosa Pine here near the head of the slot. dStPearlLS-R1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05073   W -115.47676        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 1 - Las Vegas Slots entry for String of Pearls. Is about 50 feet down canyon from the head, is anchored from a log about 40 feet back from the drop and drops about 50 feet down to a pot hole that can be walked around. Use a retrievable anchor here to keep the area clean for back country visitors. dStPearlLS-R2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05046   W -115.47677        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 2 - Las Vegas Slots entry for String of Pearls. About 90 feet down canyon of rap 1, is anchored from a rock pile in a small pothole and drops about 20 feet to a small pothole. THis rappel can be bypassed RDC is desired. jStPear-lLv-Mn          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05025   W -115.47659        Elev: 5,770 Feet Confluence of the Las Vegas Slots entry and main drainge for String of Pearls. dStPearl-R1-2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05029   W -115.47617        Elev: NaN Feet Raps 1 thru 2 - String of Pearls. Rap 1 is about 125 feet down canyon of the confluence, is anchored from a cairn / dead man anchor and drops about 10 feet to a pot hole with a small drop on the other side. Rap 2 is right at the bottom of rap 1, is anchored from cairn anchor and drops about 20 feet to a pothole. dStPearl-R3          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05022   W -115.47583        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 3 - String of Pearls. Anchor undetermined and drops about 10 feet to a pool. If the pool is full a meat anchor can be set for everyone to rap in and the last person jumps to the pool. If the pool is empty it will be a drop of about 15 feet and an anchor will have to be built. dStPearl-R4          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05016   W -115.47498        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 4 - String of Pearls. Anchored from a large rock on the LDC ledge and drops about 30 feet to a very shallow pool. dStPearl-R5          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05020   W -115.47449        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 5 - String of Pearls. A little over 100 feet down canyon of rap 4 is anchored from a cairn anchor and drops 150 feet down a sloped and vertical wall with 30 feet free hang at bottom. dStPearl-R6          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05023   W -115.47405        Elev: 5,460 Feet Rap 6 - String of Pearls. About 60 feet down canyon of the bottom of rap 5. Anchored from a rap ring choke in a crack on the LDC side of the shallow water course just above the drop and drops about 190 feet down a mostly vertical wall to a ledge of about 30 feet that can be down climbed. wStPearlRP-07          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05011   W -115.47172        Elev: NaN Feet Canyon turns from boulder hoping to having a lot of longer slabby down climbs. dStPearl-R7-8          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05050   W -115.47105        Elev: NaN Feet Raps 7 thru 8 - String of Pearls. Rap 7 anchored from a hole in the rocks RDC and drops down a sort of narrow section about 80 feet. Rap 8 about 40 feet down canyon of rap 7. Anchored from a rock in the water course and drops about 50 feet down a mostly vertical wall. dStPearl-R9          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05111   W -115.47058        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 9 - String of Pearls. Almost 200 feet down canyon of the bottom of rap 8 down in a narrow corridor. Anchored from a small rock arch around the corner RDC as you lean out the down canyon end of the narrow section. Rap 9 drops about 200 feet down a series of sloped and mostly vertical walls. yStPearlBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05151   W -115.47029        Elev: 4,560 Feet Bottom exit of String of Pearls. This is about 100 feet down canyon of rap 9 where it drops into a wide boulder filled wash.

String of Pearls (5) - Exit

yStPearlBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05151   W -115.47029        Elev: 4,560 Feet Bottom exit of String of Pearls. This is about 100 feet down canyon of rap 9 where it drops into a wide boulder filled wash. wStPearlRP-08          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05108   W -115.46888        Elev: NaN Feet Large rock feature or out cropping near the LDC (north) wall. When exiting the canyon walk to the left (north) of this rock between it and the canyon wall. This is where you start out of the wash to avoid boulder hopping and thick vegetation. wStPearlRP-09          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05117   W -115.46660        Elev: 4,180 Feet Scenic alcove in red rock with a sand floor under it where animals hang out. wStPearlRP-10          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05549   W -115.45771        Elev: NaN Feet An arbitrary point on a horse trail. wStPearlRP-11          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05609   W -115.45610        Elev: NaN Feet Gate in the fence where the horse trail passes. wStPearlRP-12          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05664   W -115.45654        Elev: NaN Feet Fork in the horse trail. Veer right onto a smaller trail and leave the main trail. Follow the trail toward the water tanks and cell phone tower. wStPearlRP-13          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05745   W -115.45530        Elev: NaN Feet Trail junction. Turn left (north). wStPearlRP-14          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05771   W -115.45543        Elev: NaN Feet Trail junction. Continue straigh on the trail the goes north west. Do not follow the small trail to the right (north east). wStPearlRP-15          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05780   W -115.45611        Elev: NaN Feet Trail junction of 3 choices to go. Stay hard right (north east) to get over to Bonnie Springs. wStPearlRP-16          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.05929   W -115.45578        Elev: NaN Feet This is right next to some of the buildings and is where you will leave the trail and walk into the Bonnie Springs complex. pkStrngPerlsBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 36.06026   W -115.45248        Elev: 3,675 Feet Parking at Bonnie Springs. This is where the exit vehicle can be left for the String of Pearls route.