Overview | Bristlecone Pine Trail | Mt. Charleston Wilderness | Spring Mountains, Nevada
The Bristlecone Pine Trail in the
Mt. Charleston Wilderness is a delightful 6-mile loop that gives the hiker or runner an experience of rising up to the
Bristlecone Pine zone without having to ascend steep inclines or engage in a long-distance hike or run. And during the fall, the fire road on the North side of the trail is lined with brilliant yellow
Quaking Aspen!
The Bristlecone Pine Trail is actually one of the first
Spring Mountains mountain adventures a person might experience as they are conditioning for higher altitudes and heavier exertion. Alternately, as with this hiker/runner, it’s a good trail to experience when you’re strained or injured from prior runs.
The Bristlecone Pine Trail can be accessed from two separate trailheads:
Upper Bristlecone Pine Trailhead and
Lower Bristlecone Pine Trailhead. The trailheads to both are located in
Lee Canyon near the
Lee Canyon ski area at the upper end of the canyon. The
Lower Bristlecone Pine Trailhead can be accessed about a half mile below the
Lee Canyon ski area, the
Upper Bristlecone Pine Trailhead can be accessed about 200ft above the
Lee Canyon ski area.
Directions to Start Point | Bristlecone Pine Trail | Mt. Charleston Wilderness | Spring Mountains, Nevada
Take
Hwy 95 North from
Las Vegas and take a left at the
Lee Canyon Road exit (Hwy 156). Travel up
Lee Canyon Road to the
Upper Bristlecone Pine Trailhead which is near the ski complex. The trailhead is well marked.
↓ Narrative Guide ↓
Narrative Guide | Bristlecone Pine Trail | Mt. Charleston Wilderness | Spring Mountains, Nevada
Strategy to Begin at the Upper Bristlecone Pine Trailhead
I suggest you park and start at the
Upper Bristlecone Pine Trailhead because you’ll be ascending during the rockiest portion of the trail. To descend this portion, especially when running, would slow you down and could expose you to greater possibility of injury. On the other hand, if you begin with the ascent through this rocky portion of the trail, your descent to the
Lower Bristlecone Pine Trailhead will be on a beautiful gravel fire-road surface. Once at the
Lower Bristlecone Pine Trailhead you’ll need to take surface roads for about a half mile to re-ascend back to the
Upper Bristlecone Pine Trailhead, where you parked your car. It’s a bit of a pain to end with an ascent, but overall, I found this to be the best strategy.
Initial Ascent From the Upper Bristlecone Pine Trailhead
From the
Upper Bristlecone Pine Trailhead, ascend about a half to 3/4th miles through a forested trail before breaking into the opening and seeing the first grand views of
Lee Peak,
Mummy Mountain and the
North Ridge of Kyle Canyon stretching between these two peaks. If you’re scoping out a route from
Lee Canyon to
Lee Peak, these views will provide a good perspective. In fact, in the video I discuss a route to
Lee Peak that is the most gradual rising along a wilderness ridge. In fact, in a subsequent adventure I did take that ridge
from Lee Canyon to Lee Peak. It’s a pretty awesome deep wilderness adventure!
Alternate Deviation to the Upper Lee Canyon Ski Area
Back to the initial part of the
Bristlecone Pine Trail, about 1/4th of a mile in you’ll see the familiar
Spring Mountains avalanche slope warning sign. If you were to take a sharp left at this point, you would rise to the upper portion of the
Lee Canyon ski area. However, today you’re preceding around the
Bristlecone Pine Loop Trail, so continue straight past the avalanche slope warning sign.
Circle Around, Descend to the Lower Bristlecone Pine Trailhead, then Ascend Back to the Upper Bristlecone Pine Trailhead
Once you break into the opening, spectacular views continue for the next 3 miles as you ascend above 9000ft. Continue to ascend, then at the 1.5 mile point you’ll begin to descend. At the 2 mile point there is a junction. To the left you will see the 13-mile
Bonanza Trail. Continuing straight, the trail surface becomes a 3-mile long gravel fire road with a gradual descent to the
Lower Bristlecone Pine Trailhead. This is an ideal running surface! At the bottom, you’ll arrive at the
Lower Bristlecone Pine Trailhead. Take a short 100ft jog to the main
Lee Canyon Road, turn left and ascend for about a half mile back to the
Upper Bristlecone Pine Trailhead.
Alternate Deviation to a Small 9453ft Rocky Peak
Earlier, about 1/8th mile after passing the
Bonanza Trail junction, that rocky peak you see to the left can be ascended as about a one mile round trip side adventure. See the video for ideas.
