In order of ascent:
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.
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.
The skills you will need in order to accomplish the Six Peak Circuit are:
For more detailed strategy view my page entitled 6-Peak Circuit Strategy.
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.
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.
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.
I planned the first attempt of the Six-Peak Circuit Adventure to take 2 days and include a 7-hour night darkness stretch.
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!
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.
