Overview | 6 Peak Circuit Adventure | Mt. Charleston Wilderness | Spring Mountains, Nevada
Peaks included in the Six-Peak Circuit Adventure
In order of ascent:
- Harris Mountain (10,014ft)
- Griffith Peak (11,056ft)
- Charleston Peak (11,918ft)
- Lee Peak (11,289ft)
- Mummy Mountain (11,528ft)
- Fletcher Peak (10,319ft)
Clockwise Loop with Steepest Incline First
I find it less demanding on the body to make the initial elevation gain up the steeper ascent to
Harris Mountain and Griffith Peak and end with the more gradual
North Loop / Trail Canyon descent. This route works because I’ve discovered a little known a route that goes directly from the upper
North Loop Trail to
Mummy Mountain, avoiding descending and reascending about 1500ft near the end of this long journey.
Level of Exertion for the Six-Peak Circuit Adventure
Each of the six peaks are over 10,000ft in elevation with
Harris Mountain the lowest at 10,014ft and
Charleston Peak the highest at 11,918ft. My estimate based on distances I have measured is that the entire
Six Peak Circuit is around 30 miles with a total elevation gain of between 10,000ft and 12,000ft taking into account the elevation gain and loss along the route. The level of exertion is about 3 times the exertion of doing the traditional
Charleston Loop Trail!
Be aware: This adventure is more demanding than any marathon due to the elevation gain, so I suggest you be in your best marathon condition before taking it on.
Skills Needed for the Six-Peak Circuit Adventure
The skills you will need in order to accomplish the
Six Peak Circuit are:
- Ultra Marathon Conditioning (30 miles with 10,000ft overall elevation gain)
- 12,000ft Altitude Conditioning (Most of the time you will be operating at over 11,000ft)
- Avalanche Slope Navigation Skills
- Class 3-4 climbing skills down the Eastern cliff of Mummy Mountain and a brief portion of the route up Griffith Peak
- Wilderness Navigation Skills (4 wilderness areas, three of which are between 2-7 miles in length)
- Night Navigation Skills (things look very different in the dark!)
For more detailed strategy view my page entitled
6-Peak Circuit Strategy.
Will the Six-Peak Circuit Adventure Ever Be an Official Race?
The answer to this question is “No”, based on the wilderness event rules of the
National Forest Service. Hosting a race or endurance event on U.S. Forest Service (USFS) land generally requires a Special Use Permit, whether the event is classified as commercial (charging participation fees) or non-commercial (large groups).
However, designated wilderness areas strictly prohibit competitive events. The explicit ban on competitive events within designated wilderness areas is located in the Forest Service Manual (FSM) under
FSM 2323.13h (titled
“Improvements and Nonconforming Facilities and Activities” under the Wilderness Management chapter). [
1,
2]
I get it. I love the wilderness. I leave no trace. And the wilderness is beautiful to the extent it is well managed. The
Six Peak Circuit Adventure and a few other
circuit adventures and “
grand crossings” will need to remain an individual challenge for those who simply love the wilderness and love attempting ultra-challenging adventures and wilderness immersion experiences on their own.
Directions to Start Point | 6 Peak Circuit Adventure | Mt. Charleston Wilderness | Spring Mountains, Nevada
Start Point I Took on This Day
The route began and ended at the
Trail Canyon Trailhead. Take Hwy 95 North from
Las Vegas for about 25 miles. Turn left onto
Kyle Canyon Road at the
Kyle Canyon Road Exit on Hwy 95. Take
Kyle Canyon Road about 20 miles. You will pass through
Charleston Village. Just before
Kyle Canyon Road takes a sharp left at the upper end of
Charleston Village continue straight onto
Echo Canyon Road. There is a sign for
Mary Jane Falls at that point. In a half mile park at the
Trail Canyon Trailhead parking area. Walk up
Echo Canyon Road for another quarter mile to the
Mary Jane Falls Trailhead.
Best Start Point (hindsight!):
Begin and end at the
Fletcher Canyon Trailhead. Driving to the
Fletcher Canyon Trailhead is pretty easy: Up I-95 North from
Las Vegas, take a left at the
Kyle Canyon exit, continue about 20 miles up
Kyle Canyon Road, pass the traffic circle at The
Spring Mountains Visitor Gateway, pass the
Deer Creek Road turnoff and
Mt Charleston Lodge and then onward for less than a quarter mile to The
Fletcher Canyon Trailhead parking on your left. In all, it’s less than 40 miles from the Las Vegas Strip.
↓ Narrative Guide ↓
Narrative Guide | 6 Peak Circuit Adventure | Mt. Charleston Wilderness | Spring Mountains, Nevada
The Plan: Clockwise Loop from Harris Mountain to Fletcher Peak
I planned the first attempt of the
Six-Peak Circuit Adventure to take 2 days and include a 7-hour night darkness stretch.
The Reality
I began at 10:15am on a Friday and ended up only accomplishing the first 4 peaks, then returning to the trailhead by 7:30am on Saturday. The first attempt
included Harris Mountain, Griffith Peak, Charleston Peak and Lee Peak. My conditioning was not ideal and the wilderness routes were not fully streamlined. My timing was off with a late start that ensured I would be traveling in total darkness from half way between Griffith Peak to Charleston Peak all the way through Lee Peak. These factors slowed me down considerably. Traveling down the North side of Charleston Peak in the dark with so many treacherous drop-offs was very slow going. As usual, I slowed down to film about 1 hour of video with another 30 minutes for picture taking and fairly exhausted took two 1-hour brief sleep breaks and a 30-minute rest break at each summit (3.5 non-moving hours). In total the first attempt including only 4 peaks took 21.5 hours!
The stretch up Harris Mountain and over to Griffith Peak summit alone requires about 133% of the exertion of the entire Charleston Loop with Griffith Peak added!
Actual Summits Achieved This Round
Summits Missed
Areas to Streamline Adding Time Savings and Daylight on the Back End of the Adventure:
- Start at 4:30am vs. 10:15am: 5.25 hours
- Ascend Harris Mountain from Fletcher Canyon Trailhead rather than Trail Canyon Trailhead: 1hr
- Take the more direct ridge to Harris Mountain Summit (just to the right of the ridge I took this day): 1hr
- Avoid getting hung up in the brush descending to the Harris/Griffith Saddle: 15 minutes
- Avoid getting hung up in the cliffs ascending to Griffith Peak by using the Griffith Peak Wilderness Trail from the Harris/Griffith Saddle to Griffith Peak Summit: 1hr
- Accomplish the route from Griffith Peak to Lee Peak in daylight: 3 hours
- More route familiarity and all daylight allows more streamlined, rapid progress: 2 hours
Total Time Savings: 13 hours shaved off today’s time puts me at
Lee Peak around 1pm, leaving an additional 7 hours of light which would at least get me to
Raintree and established trails in daylight for the remainder of the adventure.
