Foxtail Canyon Springs, Foxtail Girl Scouts Camp and Beyond, Spring Mountains, Nevada
These magnificent and little-known springs are located in Foxtail Canyon off of Lee Canyon in the Spring Mountains, Nevada. The springs flow or drip year-round into a 6-ft high, 75ft long cave at the base of a 30-40ft high cliff in Foxtail Canyon. As with other springs in the Spring Mountains, the springs are surrounded by lush vegetation. A long wide shelf spans the front of the cave from which there is a spectacular view down Foxtail Canyon into Lee Canyon. Above the cliff cave one can continue upward toward Mummy Mountain and the North Ridge of Kyle Canyon. 5 mi / Approx. 8,450 > 9,800ft; **Faint Trail** Click image or title above for more…
Bristlecone Pine Trail in Mt. Charleston Wilderness, 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. It’s actually one of the first Spring Mountains mountain adventures a person might experience as they are conditioning for higher altitudes and heavier exertion. Route details: 6.8 mi / Approx. 8,690 > 9,400ft; **Excellent Trail** Click image or title above for more…
Bonanza Peak from Bristlecone Pine Trail | Lee Canyon | Spring Mountains, Nevada
I’ve never been on a more beautiful trail than the Bonanza Trail. The majestic Bristlecone Pines, artistic rock formations and spectacular views along with the solitude make this trail totally unique. Bonanza Peak elevation is 10,397ft. Though it is just 2000ft above the elevation of the Lower Bristlecone Pine Trailhead where this adventure begins there is an additional 1,700ft descent and re-ascent just before the summit, and before that, the Bonanza trail descends and re-ascends 300ft 2-3 times. So, the total ascent for this adventure is close to 4,500ft and the distance is at least 26 miles. Route details: 26 mi RT/ Approx. 8,483 > 10,397ft; **Excellent Trails** Click image or title above for more…
Mummy Mt Grand Crossing | Foxtail Canyon > Mummy Summit > Deer Creek Road | Spring Mountains, Nevada
This adventure begins at the Foxtail Picnic Area in Lee Canyon, summits Mummy Mountain, descends the Eastern cliffs and Cougar Ridge Trail, then takes Deer Creek and Lee Canyon Roads back to the Foxtail Picnic Area. I recommend a base conditioning level of at least 5-miles running 4 times weekly along with one day topping 10-15 miles. Be altitude conditioned at the 11,000ft level, have wilderness navigation experience and ability to navigate very steep, long avalanche slopes. Route details: 18 mi RT/ Approx. 8,000 > 11,520ft; **Mostly Wilderness** Click image or title above for more…
Lee Peak Summit Via Lee Canyon Mid Ridge | Mt Charleston Wilderness | Spring Mountains, Nevada
In the course of this amazing adventure you will pass through relatively untouched wilderness between Upper Lee Meadows on Lee Canyon Road and the summit of Lee Peak towering above Lee Canyon. The elevation gain is about 3,500 feet. You will need good wilderness navigation skills and the ability to navigate steep avalanche slopes. Otherwise, the entire adventure is pretty easy class 2 climbing skills (use of hands not needed). Route details: 18 mi RT/ Approx. 8,000 > 11,200ft; **Some Trail, Mostly Wilderness** Click image or title above for more…
Lee Peak | Charleston Peak via Lee Canyon Mid Ridge | Mt Charleston Wilderness | Spring Mountains, Nevada
Starting in Lee Canyon across from Upper Lee Meadows, ascend the gradual mid-ridge that begins there and connects with the Mt. Charleston North Loop Trail a little over a mile below Lee Peak. Take a right on the North Loop Trail to the final summit approach for Lee Peak summit. Deviate from the North Loop Trail to ascend to the Lee Peak Summit, then descend again to the North Loop Trail. Continue on the North Loop Trail to Charleston Peak summit. Take the Mt. Charleston South Loop Trail from Charleston Peak summit to the junction below Griffith Peak summit. Descend to the South Loop Trail and descend to the South Loop Trailhead just above Charleston Village. From there take a mountain bike stashed earlier at that trailhead and return to Upper Lee Meadows via Deer Creek Road and Lee Canyon Road. Route details: 35 mi Circuit/ Approx. 8,000 > 11,920ft; **Some Trail, Some Wilderness** Click image or title above for more…
Lee to Kyle Canyon | East Ski Run Route | Mt Charleston Wilderness | Spring Mountains, Nevada
This adventure will begin by ascending the Eastern ski run in Lee Canyon. The route will continue beyond the summit of the ski run and summit the Lee/Kyle Canyon upper rim on the right (West) side of a prominent plateau just East (left) of Lee Peak. The views straight down into the ski area and beyond will be spectacular. As you can see, this adventure is still in progress, but will be documented here once complete! Route Details: 10 mi RT/ Approx. 8,000 > 11,535ft; **Ski Run Wilderness** Click image or title above for more…
Lee to Kyle Canyon | Gradual Mid Ridge Approach | Mt Charleston Wilderness | Spring Mountains, Nevada
This approach to Kyle Canyon’s upper rim appears to be the most gradual approach from Lee Canyon. It begins roughly across from the Lee Canyon Meadow and gradually ascends to a plateau that connects with the Charleston North Loop Trail about a mile or two South of Lee Peak. This route is mostly pure wilderness: wild and beautiful. You will see no one during the entire route. In fact, though I looked closely for footprints and signs of human passage along the way, I found little of that. There were occasional faint use trails that appeared unused for years, and there were a few old cairns at a couple key points. But it looked as though absolutely no human had ascended this ridge for over a year or more, and then perhaps only one human ascent per year at most. Route Details: 14 mi RT/ Approx. 8,000 > 11,535ft; **Mostly Wilderness** Click image or title above for more…
Lee to Kyle Canyon | Foxtail Canyon Route | Mt Charleston Wilderness | Spring Mountains, Nevada
This beautiful route ascends through the Foxtail Canyon picnic area and an abandoned Girl Scout camp and then gradually weaves around passing just right (south) of the beautiful Foxtail Canyon Springs before ascending to the upper rim of Kyle Canyon. A left (North) turn there will take you along the summit of Kyle Canyon’s upper rim to Mummy Mountain’s main summit area. However, in this adventure we turn right to traverse the high Lee/Kyle Canyons ridge top before connecting with the Mt. Charleston upper North Loop Trail then descending back to the Foxtail Picnic Area via Lee Canyon’s gradual mid-ridge making this a circuit adventure. Route details: 15 mi RT/ Approx. 8,000 > 11,000ft; **Brief Initial Road, Then Wilderness** Click image or title above for more…
02 Lee to Kyle Canyon | Overview | Mt Charleston Wilderness | Spring Mountains, Nevada
Ascending the ridge from Lee to Kyle Canyon is like crossing a bridge to another world. I’ll never forget that first moment, after long weaving through deep wilderness slopes, that I reached the Lee/Kyle Canyon upper rim. Topping that last hill, suddenly the world of Kyle Canyon with its familiar peaks was there! There are no trails from Lee to Kyle Canyon. However, this point I have found a number of wilderness routes that ascend from Lee to Kyle Canyon, each uniquely magical in nature. This page lists those routes and provides links to the individual adventure pages with the details, videos and images for each route. Best time of year for adventures here: Early Summer to Mid-Fall. Temperatures at the higher elevations are usually in the mid-70s even when Las Vegas Valley is up to 115 degrees! Expect to navigate snow at other times of the year. Follow thumbnail images to view the details you will need to plan your adventures here. Click image or title above for more…
