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Whispering Ben Trail at Corn Creek Station
Hiking Around Las Vegas, Desert National Wildlife Refuge
Whispering Ben
Corn Creek
Visitor Center (view NE)

Overview

The Whispering Ben Trail is a spur trail off the Bighorn Loop Trail that leads to an unusual archeological site: a boulder used like a bedrock mortar for grinding honey mesquite beans. Native peoples used one of the holes for so many years (probably so many generations) that they pounded all the way through the boulder!

From the far northeast end of the Bighorn Loop Trail (Wpt. 22), the Whispering Ben Trail forks right to head northeast into the desert.

The narrow, unsurfaced trail runs out about 80 yards before hooking to the left to run west. The trail end about 135 yards out at the archeological artifact. For details on getting to this trail, see the description of the Bighorn Loop Trail. Please help protect the fragile desert soils by staying on the trail, and all archeological artifacts are protected -- take only photos, leave only footprints.

Link to Trail Map.

Whispering Ben Trail
Bighorn Trail, approaching Whispering Ben Trail (view N)
Whispering Ben Trail
Bighorn Trail at Whispering Ben Trail (view N)
Whispering Ben Trail
Whispering Ben Trail sign (view N)
Whispering Ben Trail
Whispering Ben Trail (view NE from Bighorn Trail)
Whispering Ben Trail
The Whispering Ben Trail is fairly short (view NE)
Whispering Ben Trail
Whispering Ben Trail runs out around the head of a gully (view NE)
Whispering Ben Trail
Whispering Ben Trail begins to bend around the gully (view NE)
Corn Creek ADA Loop Trail
Hiker on trail to archeological site (view N)
Corn Creek ADA Loop Trail
Mesquite trees growing in the ditch (view SW)
Whispering Ben Trail
Whispering Ben Trail bends to run northwest
Corn Creek ADA Loop Trail
Approaching the grinding stone (view NW)
Whispering Ben Trail
End of Whispering Ben Trail (view NW)
Corn Creek ADA Loop Trail
Hiker inspecting grinding stone (view NW)
Whispering Ben Trail
Grinding stone at the end of the Whispering Ben Trail
Corn Creek ADA Loop Trail
Grinding stone
Corn Creek ADA Loop Trail
Grinding stone
Corn Creek ADA Loop Trail
Grinding stone
Corn Creek ADA Loop Trail
Grand view (view W)

Table 1. Hiking Coordinates and Distances based on GPS Data (NAD27; UTM Zone 11S). Download Hiking GPS Waypoints (gpx) file.

Wpt. Location UTM Easting UTM Northing Elevation (ft) Point-to-Point Distance (mi) Cumulative Distance (mi)
22 Bighorn Trail Junction 647145 4033881 2,950 0.00 0.00
23 Grinding Stone 647143 4033954 2,953 0.08 0.08
22 Bighorn Trail Junction 647145 4033881 2,950 0.08 0.15

Happy Hiking! All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate.
copyright; Last updated 240711

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