Hike Iguana Peak Lake Mead National Recreation Area, NV

Nov 28, 2022 — Iguana Peak is located in the Bridge Canyon Wilderness just south of Spirit Mountain. The peak has enough prominence to be a worthy objective, but it's kind of just a bunch of massive boulder clumped together on a big hill, the high point of a short ridgeline with a similar vibe. I'd first noticed this peak on a loop around Grapevine Canyon years ago, but further research revealed it has a Class 4 summit and I wasn't willing to check it out alone. I remembered the scenery was really gorgeous and used my "there are cool rocks" argument to persuade geology nerd Matt to spend some time giving Iguana Peak a go.

We parked at a small pull-out along Christmas Tree Pass Road, though you could probably just park anywhere and beeline through the desert. We thought following a weathered wilderness road on foot down to Willow Spring at the head of Sacatone Wash would provide some additional scenery and we definitely enjoyed the large granitic structures on either side of the wash as we made our way east. To the south we noted the most likely option for reaching Iguana Peak, a wide and brushy drainage at the base of a large grotto. We left Sacatone Wash and headed through the desert in order to reach this drainage. We navigated the gorgeous slickrock granite and gawked at the unique grotto as we picked our way along the west side of this drainage. Ahead we could see Iguana Peak and the boulder-strewn slope beneath it. Fortunately, a steep slope with fewer boulders seemed like it could offer a more desirable route rather compared to the boulder-hop and bushwhack. At a certain point it made most sense to cross the drainage before the brush became too serious and start up this steep slope.

After the initial few hundred feet up this slope the angle began to steepen and we were confronted with some looser terrain, sometimes just kitty-litter atop granite slabs that gave little foot purchase. With some Class 2 scrambling, we made it to the east ridge of Iguana Peak, its hunking granitic form just ahead. A short dip in the ridgeline got us to the peak's base, where we traced the summit route up the massive dome. First we headed up some Class 2 slabs and scurried under a chockstone to reach a wide ledge at the base of a looming pinnacle above us. Already we were delighted at the route. Next was a lightly exposed Class 4 diagonal crack with a wide bottom rim, allowing for nice handholds despite no real optios for feet. Both of us scrambled up this without hassle, commenting on how incredibly fun it felt. The crux was next, a similar crack to the one prior, but longer and with significantly more exposure. Both Matt and I tended to lean back and use the crack with our right arm, stabilizing on the face with our left. The angle of the crack up the face was pretty awkward, but posed little difficulty for us on the way up. I casually noted how good it felt, but the way down would humble me yet again, though more on that shortly. For now, I'd say the crux is Class 4+, maybe low Class 5.

Above the second crack we reached a small basin in the granite, where a water-stained watercourse was visible above. Neither of us liked any ascent options here, but fortunately just to the left was a crevasse we squeezed through to reach a low-angle Class 2/3 slab. This slab brought us above the little water-stained streak  and into a room-like feature, a cozy spot complete with a small tree. Next to the tree was a short Class 2/3 set of moves through another small crevasse leading to a couple of steps just next to a ridiculous drop (not a scramble, just spooky), and then up to the summit. Matt and I kept repeating how incredibly cool the route was as we enjoyed the perspective into Grapevine Canyon and toward the surrounding granitic wonderland. 

We retraced our steps. I started back down the crux without hesitation, but I was surprised that I got a little nervous. I came back up and repositioned myself before trying again. Same issue. I repeated this a few more times before putting on my climbing shoes, but still got freaked out. I let Matt go down. He had less trouble, but still took his time more than he usually does on these sorts of things. The problem for me was that with the weird angle of the crack, I didn't want to lean all my weight on my right arm without my left having anything to hold onto. Even pressed up against the face, I felt like my body was positioned nearly sideways so if my feet slipped, I thought my right arm wouldn't be enough to stop a fall. I slowly lowered myself down, jamming my arm as deep into the crack as I could, Matt pointing out decent foot holds within the crack from below as I went. I couldn't believe how easy this was on the way up, though so difficult coming back down. I'm usually better at predicting if I'd have trouble on a downclimb before going up anything, but this was a tricky one.

Despite my bout of fear, this was an excellent peak on rock unlike much else in the area. I would just recommend that you consider practicing the upclimb and downclimb on the first crack before proceeding to the cruxy second one, especially if you don't have crack climbing skills. We returned the same way, since all other options looked steep, brushy, or bouldery and therefore slow-moving.