Overview – Bonanza Peak from Cold Creek | Mt. Charleston Wilderness | Spring Mountains, Nevada

Adventure Slide Guide to appear Summer 2024

Bonanza Peak – Isolated and Pristine Wilderness

With only an 8-mile round trip his is the shortest hiking distance on a great trail to Bonanza Peak. On the other hand, if you hike the Bonanza Trail from Lee Canyon, you’re looking at a distance exceeding the length of a marathon! By either trail, the wilderness along the way and at the summit has a pristine and largely untouched look and feel. This is largely due to the difficulty getting to Bonanza Peak. The long trail from Lee Canyon speaks for itself. To get to the shorter trail you need to make the longer drive to the town of Cold Creek, and then brave the very rough unpaved approximately 2-mile road from Cold Creek to the trailhead (High-centered 2WD or 4WD recommended). 

In mid-late Spring (we made this trip on June 1st) the trail is mostly free of snow, wildflowers are in full bloom and animals are emerging: Thus the great nature shots you’ll see in the Slide Guide and video on this page. The entire area has a European Alpine feeling.

Spectacular Views Along the Way and At the Summit

From the arch in the rugged rocky Northern spine of the Spring Mountains viewed from the trailhead to the spectacular views from above, you’ll see the surrounding wilderness from a unique perspective. As you ascend toward the upper spine look East to see the Sheep Range and surrounding desert. Once you’ve achieved the upper ridge, you’re looking West to Pahrump below with a backdrop of the Nopah Range, Funeral Mountains, Death Valley and the Panamint Range with its high point, Telescope Peak, further West.

From the summit looking Southeast along the Spring Mountains there are Charleston Peak, Lee Peak, Mummy Mountain, McFarland Peak, Macks Peak and the Sisters. Looking Northwest you’ll see Wheeler Peak, Mt. Stirling, Independence Peak and North Spring Peak. Naming all the great surrounding reference points would take this entire page. Just realize you’ll be seeing a huge slice of surrounding wilderness, so take a good look at the map on this page before your hike in order to have an idea of the spectacular sights you will see! 

Best Time of Year for This Adventure

As noted above, we made this hike on June 1st. Roughly that date through mid-to-late Fall is the best time of year for this hike. Earlier in the Spring be prepared to encounter snow and ice on the upper elevations. During the Winter you may have to plow through snow to get to the trailhead, which may be closed, then face a trail hidden under deep snow! If you love and are prepared for these wilderness conditions, have at it! If not, stick to late Spring through mid-to-late Fall.

Many thanks to Jean-Luc Montagnier, former director of a national park in the French Alps for his encyclopedic wilderness insights along the way today! 

Trailhead Directions | Bonanza Peak from Cold Creek | Mt. Charleston Wilderness | Spring Mountains, Nevada

Take Hwy 95 North from Las Vegas. Take a left onto Cold Creek Road. Cold Creek Road continues through the town of Cold Creek as Cedar Road, then turns into the unpaved (4WD strongly recommended) Cold Creek Road/Camp Bonanza Road, arriving at the Bonanza Trail North Trailhead is about 3 miles. There is a large, well-kept parking area at the trailhead.  

Narrative Guide – Bonanza Peak from Cold Creek | Mt. Charleston Wilderness | Spring Mountains, Nevada

A Well-Defined Trail All the Way

The route from the trailhead to Bonanza Peak is pretty straight forward with only one important unmarked departure from the main trail to the final summit route. We’ll describe that important waypoint below. If you miss it, you’re heading on the 13-mile route to Lee Canyon! In that case, I hope you have a lot of endurance and 2 vehicles!

Sights at the Bonanza Peak Trailhead

The trailhead is located in an open area at the edge of the pine forested ridge you’ll soon be ascending. In fact, the trail almost immediately enters the beautiful pine forest, and you’re in the forest until you reach the next open area above on the ridgeline summit. Take a little time at the trailhead parking area to locate an arch in the rugged limestone cliffs just below the ridgeline summit.

Edible Plants Along the Way

As the trail switches back and forth up to the summit of the forested ridgeline you will be able to look down through openings in the trees to see the trailhead parking area and the Sheep Range and other points to the East. In the video Jean-Luc describes a number of edible plants along the way including red currents, parts of the Pinyon and Ponderosa pine trees (more of a survival situation) and seeds from the Common Mullein seedstocks (eaten by finches, chickadees, bluebirds, and tanagers).

Views from the Upper Ridgeline Saddle

Once on the upper ridgeline summit saddle, enjoy the spectacular 360-degree views described above as you weave around rugged limestone formations. In addition, you can now see your target, the rounded, forested Bonanza Peak less than 2 miles away to the Southeast.  This is one of the most pristine Alpine settings in the Spring Mountains. Beyond the saddle, the trail continues to switchback upward through a pine forest, populated mostly by Bristlecone Pines.

Don’t Miss the Final Summit Approach Trail!

At a highest point above the switchbacks ascending Bonanza Peak, about 1-200 yards below Bonanza Peak’s summit, watch carefully for a cairn on your left marking a path departing from the Bonanza Trail and leading up the ridge to your left. This is the final summit approach. It’s an out-and-back trail to the summit splitting off to the left from the main Bonanza Trail. If you miss this short trail to the summit, you’ll probably know you’re off course because the Bonanza Trail beyond this intersection begins to descend as it heads down the Southeast side of Bonanza Peak on its way to McFarland Peak and Lee Canyon.

Wonders on the Final Summit Approach Ridgeline and Summit

This short final ridgeline pathway to Bonanza Peak summit is populated by majestic, ancient Bristlecone Pines. Jean-Luc describes how the root systems of these trees on the final summit slope grow to protect the trees from sliding down the slopes. You can see a number of fallen trees where the anchoring root system failed and some event, perhaps a huge boulder, took the tree out. We also viewed the many rings on a tree trunk revealing weather patterns for seasons over 100 years in the past. The more closely you look at the features on this final summit ridge, the more wonders appear.

Take time to look over the left edge of the ridge on your way to the summit. There are a few grand viewpoints that reveal scenery you will not be able to view from the summit. Soon you’ll be sitting on the beautiful limestone block of the summit with its additional unique views described above!