Mt. Potosi: Clear Light Cave Area

Route:

various

Region: Nevada

Elev: ~6,000 ft

Rock type: Limestone

Type:

Date(s): 2025(x3 days)

Partner(s): Nate Beckwith

Mount Potosi is one of the major limestone sport climbing hubs in the Las Vegas area. This area is relatively secluded and not very populated. The limestone ranges in quality, but most of the established climbing is on good rock. There are hundreds of routes of nearly every grade, including some of the harder climbs in the country. The mountain offers nearly year-round climbing. One of the popular climbing areas is Clear Light Cave. The main cave has the most concentrated collection of hard routes in the country. There are a number of routes in the 5.11-5.14 range and even a 5.15a. The cave routes are mostly steep, long, and gymnastic, with the overall character being power endurance. Most of the routes have some amount of manufacturing. The cave has both sunny and shady walls. The deepest part of the cave almost never gets sun. The left wall gets morning shade. The cave gets morning sun. The right wall gets sun from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. The cave is a beautifully majestic place to hang out and climb.

The first time I climbed at Mt. Potosi was in April 2025, at Clear Light Cave area. This was a sport-climbing building-strength stretch of days on a trip that also involved climbing bigger hard routes at Red Rocks like Rainbow Wall Original Route and Mt. Wilson Resolution Arete.

On this page, I give photos from climbing at Mt. Potosi, organized by date. At the bottom of the page, I keep a list of the climbs I've done at Mt. Potosi.

Photos

SOME RANDOM PHOTOS FROM CRAGGING AT MT. POTOSI (ClEAR LIGHT CAVE AREA)

More climbing fun!

Dates: April 7, 2025 (Mon)

Partner: Nate Beckwith

Climbed: Buena Vista: A Man in a Boat (5.12b, 60'), Los Altos (5.12b, 40')

Our intention had been to climb at Clear Light Cave, but we misidentified the cliff and ended up at the base of Buena Vista wall. We contemplated hiking back down the hill we had ascended and then up to Clear Light, but in the interest of climbing we decided to stay. There were a couple of 12b's that looked good. I was still reticent because I figured 12b was out of my reach, but Nate encouraged that we stay. We started on A Man in a Boat, which had a desperate 5.12b move between two juggy 5.10/11-ish sections. We worked the 12b move awhile but never got it so, humbled, we moved over to the other 12b on the wall, Los Altos. This had a boulder 12b start followed by some juggy 5.10 climbing and finishing with a 5.11ish bouldery move over a roof. This was a fun route. Nate red pointed it after working the crux. And then I red pointed it as well. It was my first ever 5.12b red point! Thanks Nate for not allowing me to take before the final 5.11 finish. It was a good day of strength-building bouldery climbing. We will be back in a few days, to check out Clear Light Cave.

More climbing fun!

Dates: April 11, 2025 (Fri)

Partner: Nate Beckwith

Climbed at: Clear Light Cave: Whamo (5.11b, 40'), PMS (5.11b, 60'), Mr. B's Wild Ride (5.10b, 140', Steph only), Moment of Clarity (5.12a, 50', Nate only)

This time, we found Clear Light Cave. This was the warmest day of our trip -- 96 degrees in Vegas -- so the approach was a bit hot, but a nice breeze kept it from being too oppressive, and the climbing up at the cave was in the shade and very pleasant. We climbed three routes each, lapping some of them (I think I climbed 7 pitches total, Nate 5 pitches, many of them overhanging). The overhanging nature of the climbing is unfamiliar to me, and even the 5.11's (the easiest routes there) seemed hard. But with a few more days perhaps the 5.12's (for me) and 5.13a (for Nate) will be in reach. It was a great strength-building day.

More climbing fun!

Dates: April 13, 2025 (Sun)

Partner: Nate Beckwith

Climbed at: Clear Light Cave: Whamo (5.11b, 40'), Unknown left of Whamo (5.11a, 40'), Mijou (5.12a, 40'), Moment of Clarity (5.12a, 40'), PMS (5.11b, 60')

Second day up at Clear Light Cave. Despite it being a weekend, we again had the place to ourselves and shamelessly played around on the easiest routes on the wall. It was a good power bouldering on rope day, with a significant amount of hanging on until failure. But I admit I was a bit frustrated that there were only a couple of routes up here I could even touch without having to pull on draws through the hardest moves.