The area between Redrock Canyon's Spring Mountains and Las Vegas is a small range of hills and mountains. Just west of Las Vegas within that range is over 2000 acres of what once was the old Gypsum Mine. Back in the 1800's the town of Blue Diamond was a wagon stop along the Old Spanish Trail.

Matteuccui and his business partner Peter Buol owned rights to the mine which later was sold to the Blue Diamond Gypsum Company. That company was the first to mine the claim that purchased which turned into a very lucrative gypsum operation. A plant would later be built in the 1900's which served as a backbone for the residents of Blue Diamond. At one time the only residents allowed to reside here were miners and their families.

Although you will not see the plant or houses what you will see from this exploration is Calico Basin, Red Rock, Spring Mountains, Canyons, Blue Diamond Hill, Horse Stables, Caverns, Massive Cliffs and a tale of two brothers.

Rumor has it that the overlooks and peak of almost 5000 feet give hikers the one of the best views of Las Vegas at least within the top 5 look out points surrounding the basin. Due to this factor its to beautiful to not share with our viewers of this exploration. Today the area is visited by mountain bikers and avid hikers quite frequently. Its a place that is more for the extreme outdoors individual.

Like most of our explorations we try to reach the more secluded areas so we can capture some of the most beautiful photography possible. When we did this exploration in particular we started off on a trail. Then we eventually climbed up into a canyon full of caves and walls. This led us to the desert which eventually we climbed the Blue Diamond Mines which has a series of plateau's, mining roads and steep walls. When you reach the peak of Blue Diamond their is a rugged trail along some cliffs which eventually after following the ridge cuts steep down into a ravine full of lush desert life.

Sadly their are plans to expand Las Vegas into the Blue Diamond area perhaps building homes right up on the hill and where it once was mined. I am not sure this is a good idea and ill explain why. When I was hiking on the old Blue Diamond mining roads we came to a big open area. Their are quite a few open areas that look like giant parking lots built into this massive hill which keep in mind is 2000 acres so its VERY large. But in one of the open areas on the hill Tammy and I discovered cracks in the ground. I never did take photos of this because at the time I never put thought into this until I read a news article about possibly constructing houses in the area.

One of the cracks went for over 15 feet I found at Blue Diamond. From carefully studying those cracks I came to realize that right below this open area beneath us were caverns...hollow ground........maybe even tunnel passages. I could not tell how deep they were but the ground around these cracks was rather loose and at all cost I felt that it could give way so we used caution. Would you want to live in a house knowing this fact? I could not determine if the cracks were caused by seismic activity in the area but I thought it was strange. I then read later on after the exploration that Arden Mining constructed deep underground tunnels in this area. I came to the conclusion that right below us was the underground mining operation that at one time was in operation back in the 1930's.

Not only is the area known for its mines but their are a few caverns in the area. I managed to find a few caves during my exploration which is a very well known one called The Desert Cave. Most of the caves in this region have suffered heavy vandalism everything from graffiti to crumbled rock formations. As you hike around the area you get some of the best scenic views of the Wilson Cliffs something I photographed often which is further below on this page.

Their are numerous trails which will lead you to Blue Diamond one of them being a cave trail and another one a fossil trail. In the canyon itself I found a giant rock with a sea shell embedded within it. At one time despite how high the elevation was this area was under a sea. Further study also reveals that near one of the cave entrances in the area has one of the largest and most ancient rats nest found in Southern NV dating back 10,000 years ago.

Not only that but this area is fairly close to Spring Mountain Range and Bonnie Springs both historical areas and haunted. Along the Wilson Cliffs hikers generally report strange UFO activity in the region so anotherwards Blue Diamond Hill is a great area to sky watch. My reasoning behind this trip is to do some bonding with my sons. But I also wanted my sons to bond since it was near Xmas of 2009 when we visited this location and it had been awhile since we did a family trip. Blue Diamond made me realize even more so how special my kids are. I seen during my trip a tale of two brothers who spend their days at eachothers throats only to see them both help one another achieve the same goal which was an exploration of one of the most beautifully serene places in the Las Vegas area.

© By

Lord Rick

A Journey Begins

The Ascension

(Canyons, Wilson Cliffs & Open Desert)

A Tale Of Brotherhood

Blue Diamond Hill & Summit Area

Las Vegas Up Close & Personal

Caves & Caverns

The Romance

The Journey Home

(Cliffs, Ravine, Ridge & Desert)

Sites Of Interest

The End

 society, Mib, conspiracy, time travel, specters, Armageddon, prophets, prophecy, paranormal, ghosts, aliens, Buffalo, haunted houses, cryptozoology, dimensions, apocalypse, Atlantis, curses, monsters, wildman, yeti, cemetery, stigmata, vampyre, vampires, angels, bizarre, metaphysics, Atlanta, Louisiana, Myrtle Beach, planet x, mothman, jersey devil, apparitions, werewolf, werewolves, devils, vortexes, Bermuda triangle, lycanthropes, mystery, ancient, spirits, cydona, mythology, Charlotte, Atlanta, Mobile, possession, possess, mailing list, parapsychology, poltergeist, evp, investigation, crop circles, Roswell, abduction, project blue book, living dinosaurs, religious miracles, ny, sightings, north Carolina, south, brown mountain, cleansing, shadowmen, beast, ogopogo, death, portals, spontaneous human combustion, zombies, ouija boards, nostradamus, Edgar Cayce, art bell, George Nooray, Magick, Paganism, Wicca, Tennessee, Halloween, bigfoot, Sasquatch, ufo, grays, ufos, vortexes, alien, hybrids, Haunting's, demons, demonology, occult, mystics, lochness, chupacabras, equipment, Thermal, EMF, Cassadaga, energy, asteroid, civil war, spooky, scary, adventure, ectoplasm, orbs, graveyards, demons, spirits, cults, buffalo, new York, ghost society, logo wear, equipment, books, videos, music, certification, Castles, Forts, fortean, phenomena, nonprofit, business, investigations, SPH, EMF, ghosthunting, organization, conventions, hollow earth, paranormal & ghost Society, detector, posters, mailboxes, donate, Buffalo, xfiles, Ectoplasm, magik, spells, wicca, paganism, holy, cross,  NWO, Patriot, 911, September 11th, tours, cryptid, ghostlights, dinosaurs, Florida, Fl, Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Debary, Miami, Tampa bay, Sarasota, Pensacola, NASA, Cape Canaveral, Space Coast, space shuttle, gulf breeze, key west, Sanford, port orange, Ormond beach, New Smyrna, Orlando, Disney world, Tallahassee, Stetson university, panama city, Alabama, Georgia, Savannah, New Orleans, Cocoa Beach, Ocala, plantations, Fort Lauderdale, Melbourne, Naples, Lake Wales, grim reaper, everglades, Seminoles, big cats, Fort Myers, St. Petersburg, Lakeland, Gainesville, West Palm Beach, bike week, spring break, Deland, Deltona, Orange City, weird, strange, bizarre, mysterious, rituals, skunk ape, adventure, ships, ghost pirates, ball lightning, x-files, conspiracies, Las Vegas, California, Nevada, wild west, Mojave, Navajo, timucuans, Seneca's, Iroquois, Cult, Occult, Indians, Historical, Bands, Gothic, New Age, Spiritualism, Parapsychology, CA, California, youtube, media, hard rock, heavy metal, Portal, 666, demons, fallen angels, gods, CA, Reno, Las Vegas, Sacramento, San Francisco, Roseville, Woodland, Davis, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Jose, Lodi, Napa, Vallejo, San Andreas, Modesto, Tahoe, Santa Rosa, Redding, Yuba City, San Diego, Eureka, Chico, Fresno, Salinas, Stockton, Oxnard, Auburn, Fairfield, Vacaville, NV, Carson City, Nevada, Eldorado, Yosemite, Merced, Hollywood, Eugene, Oregon, Salem, Portland, Bend, Boise, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Washington, AZ, Phoenix, Native American Folklore, Beatty, NV, Sin City, Mines, Bakersfield, Fresno, Jackson, San Andreas, Sutter Creek, Folsom Lake, Citrus Heights, Redding, Sierra Nevada's, Foothills, Spaniards, Savannah, Kinzua, Hoover Dam, Henderson, 420, Marijuana, weed, pot, joint, science, caves, spelunking, stunts, extreme, desert, woods, swamps, caving, tunnels, catacombs, UE, Urban exploration, abandonment's, video, movies, production, new age, ambient, techno, Satanism, convention, conferences, thermal detector, digital recorder, d5, deggi5, abandoned, trespass, trespassing, death, druid, curse, cursed, Chumash,Hupa ,Mission, Nez Pace, Pajute, Pomo, Salish, Ute, Creek, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Pueblo, Hopi, Anasazi, Apache, sonora, placerville, folsom lake, sin city