Overview | Angel Peak via Lucky Strike Road, Mt. Charleston Wilderness, Nevada
Angel Peak is that observatory landmark one can see from
Griffith Peak,
Fletcher Peak,
Mummy Mountain,
La Madre Mountain,
Harris Mountain, the
Sheep Range,
Gass Peak and
Northern Las Vegas. There is a rather wild desert area below
Angel Peak that can be accessed through the rugged 4WD
Lucky Strike Road. Both ends of
Lucky Strike Road contain some class 2 climbing sections, so your vehicle needs to be very sturdy. The 3-mile stretch immediately below
Angel Peak can be pretty brutal, being a cross between a 4WD road and an avalanche slope! However, the sunset views of the
Sheep Range and
Gass Peak on that stretch are spectacular, and at night the
Las Vegas Valley lights up like Christmas!
I traveled Lucky Strike Road to
Angel Peak on a mountain bike, carrying the bike over a few of the more rugged stretches.
Directions to Start Point | Angel Peak via Lucky Strike Road, Mt. Charleston Wilderness, Nevada
I started from the parking area at the intersection of
Kyle Canyon Road and upper
Harris Springs Road. Take
I-95 North from Las Vegas, then take a left under the freeway via the
Kyle Canyon Road/Mt. Charleston exit. Continue up
Kyle Canyon Road toward
Mt. Charleston for about 10 miles to the intersection of upper
Harris Springs Road.
↓ Narrative Guide ↓
Narrative Guide | Angel Peak via Lucky Strike Road, Mt. Charleston Wilderness, Nevada
Upper Harris Springs Road Parking Area to Lucky Strike Road
From the intersection of upper
Harris Springs Road coast down on your mountain bike to
Kyle Canyon Road about 5 miles to an obscure sign on the left marking “
Red Rock Canyon”. That sign marks the entrance to the unpaved
Lucky Strike Road. The first stretch ascending the ridge is very steep with a few shallow class 2 ledges. A very good 4WD vehicle could possibly handle this. I lifted my mountain bike up this 200ft stretch. At the top of the stretch the scene opens up to a beautiful
Joshua Tree forested valley as
Lucky Strike Road continues. The road conditions from here all the way to the final 3-4 miles below
Angel Peak are very good for
4WD.
There are a few interesting mountain bike paths that split off from Lucky Strike Road during its initial few miles. I’ll return to try these out.
Goldwater Canyon and Grassy Spring
Lucky Strike Road continues, descending through
Goldwater Canyon. Be sure to ascend a few high view points along the way. At the base of
Goldwater Canyon there is a pack animal corral called
Grassy Spring. It looks as if there are a few potential ascent routes to explore the hills above…on foot!
Ascent to Angel Peak or Descent Toward I-95
Past
Grassy Spring there’s a fork in the road. Head downhill to reach the valley around
I-95. If you’re continuing to
Angel Peak take a left and continue up. There is an abandoned mine on the hill to the left as you ascend.
Route Deviation to the Left
Further on there is a 3-mile left turn deviation that will take you up to a dead-end the base of some cliffs. Looks like a beautiful place to camp, but beyond that it leads nowhere.
Wild Burros and Intersection with Additional Route Options
Continue on
Lucky Strike Road past that deviation. This is where I encountered a herd of wild burros near an old abandoned corral. Continue up
Lucky Strike Road until there is a crossing. You’ll notice power line poles lining the road that crosses
Lucky Strike Road. You can head right and downward toward I-95, or straight further through the desert. I took a left upward toward
Angel Peak.
Final 6 Miles Up the 4WD/Avalanche Slope Road to Angel Peak
The last 6 miles along this power line road are pretty brutal on a mountain bike, and probably not too easy in a 4WD vehicle. All the vehicles that I encountered were going down hill on this day. I found out why a little further up the road. The last 3 miles up to Angel Peak become a cross between an 4WD road and an avalanche slope! If you’re on a mountain bike, have your pack on your back to keep your bile light as you’ll be lifting it over many obstacles, some of them class 2 climbing! Be sure to look back for spectacular views of the
Sheep Range,
Gass Peak and the
North Las Vegas Valley. Sunset is amazing as the mountains change color and the city begins to light up!
3 Descent Route Choices at Angel Peak
Finally, at the summit of the road, you’re on
Angel Peak. You have a few choices:
- Travel over the ridge to the left (the U.S. Air Force Radar Installation on Angel Peak) and down the unpaved Powerline Pole Road. I believe this might be similarly rugged and brutal like the 3-mile avalanche ascent on the other side of Angel Peak. But I did not try this.
- Continue straight on Lucky Strike Road past Angel Peak to connect with Deer Creek Road. This is probably the preferable route, but it involves circling back on Deer Creek Road toward Charleston Village.
- Take a right and connect with a good paved road that passes through the Spring Mountain Youth Camp and connects with Deer Creek Road. This area is off limits. I took this route, bypassing a few barriers (on my mountain bike). Since it was night and all was quiet I pulled it off, but would not recommend this route. A motor vehicle could not bypass the barriers.
Descent Through Spring Mountain Youth Camp, Deer Creek Rd and Kyle Canyon Road
I continued down the paved road to make a left on
Deer Creek Road, then down to
Kyle Canyon Road for another left, and finally to my starting point at the parking area on upper Harris Springs Road. The entire trip took me 14 hours due to the left turn deviation (1hr) and ascending the 3-4 mile stretch of avalanche road at the base of
Angel Peak with a loaded bike. I could have saved at least 2-3 more hours by putting my pack on my back! Still, even on a good day with excellent strategy, plan for about 8-10 hours on a mountain bike for this grand circuit.
