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Begin at the Fletcher Canyon Trailhead, then pass through Fletcher Canyon to the base of Fletcher Peak. Leave Fletcher Canyon an ascend to Fletcher Peak summit. From Fletcher Peak summit take the Fletcher Peak and North Loop Trails to the Trail Canyon Trail junction at Cockscomb Ridge. Ascend the Cockscomb Ridge Trail to a mid-point on the ridge, then descend the Eastern wilderness below Cockscomb Ridge to connect with the Stanley B. Springs Trail. Take the Stanley B. Springs Trail to its trailhead on Kyle Canyon Road, then return to your start point at the Fletcher Canyon Trailhead.
I thought that reaching Fletcher Peak summit from Fletcher Canyon would be pretty easy. It’s only a few linear miles. However, those intervening cliffs and slopes! The unexpected discovery of a hidden, actual trail changed everything!
Wilderness connections transform a random collection of trails into one unified wilderness. You may have experienced Fletcher Canyon Trail as a nice trail winding up a beautiful forested area that eventually becomes a spectacular slot canyon, then finally is blocked at the upper end by a steep ledge. There’s nothing wrong with this interpretation of the area. You’re in the wilderness, and all adventures there create a connection with nature.
However, to experience the larger surroundings may incredibly add to the wonder of the ground upon which you tread. Imagine that canyon, Fletcher Canyon, as the very base of a 10,319ft mountain, Fletcher Peak. And, that mountain directly above the canyon is blanketed with an ancient bristlecone pine forest up to 3,000 years old, predating the times of classical Greece! Up there on Fletcher Peak one can connect with the familiar Fletcher Peak Trail, North Loop Trail and and Trail Canyon Trail. These are now transformed from isolated trails as they are drawn into the “One Wilderness” connection.
As you begin to ascend above the Fletcher Canyon floor, the six highest peaks in the Spring Mountains come into view along the high circular 10-11,000ft rim of Kyle Canyon. There’s Harris Mountain, Griffith Peak, Charleston Peak, Lee Peak, Mummy Mountain and Fletcher Peak. And, in the distance there’s the Sheep Range, Gass Peak, the Las Vegas Valley and too many points beyond to list here. Now, that beautiful, winding Fletcher Canyon has become part of an expansive, endless wilderness. This is the power of making the connections that transform that random collection of trails into one unified wilderness!
This adventure allows you to experience these connections by crossing the artificial boundaries people have created as we emerge from one wilderness area into neighboring wilderness areas.
All the time, know that you are treading on sacred ground, so tread lightly and leave no trace!
The Summer months are free of snow, present greater visibility, longer days and cooler temperatures compared to the Las Vegas Valley below. For every 1000ft elevation gain, the air cools by about 5 degrees. This means that a 115-degree day at about 1,000ft in the Las Vegas Valley translates to around 70 degrees at 10,319ft on Fletcher Peak summit and as low as 60 degrees on 11,919ft Charleston Peak summit. If you have cabin fever trapped in small air conditioned enclosures down in Las Vegas, ascend the Spring Mountains for expansive views, gentle breezes and comfortable temperatures!
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.
The big challenge of getting from Fletcher Canyon to Fletcher Peak is the imposing line of cliffs above Fletcher Canyon blocking progress to Fletcher Peak for all but experienced rock climbers. I’m going to show you how to get from Fletcher Canyon all the way to Fletcher Peak without doing any rock climbing beyond a few very light class 2+ scrambles. The key involves discovery of a hidden trail that navigates through the imposing cliff line above Fletcher Canyon.
Continue beyond the Fletcher Canyon Trailhead up Fletcher Canyon Trail, past the intersection with the Eagle’s Nest Loop Trail and up Fletcher Canyon until the wide gravel trail comes to an end. At that point, you have two choices:
If your goal is Fletcher Peak, you’ll choose option #2 above. The nice trail will begin to switchback above Fletcher Canyon, eventually reaching the base of the cliff line. The trail gets you to a gully you can continue to ascend through the cliffs and onward toward Fletcher Peak. In the video on this page I made the mistake of trying to ascend the slopes above the gully. Bad bad! When the trail ends at the gully, just take the gully upward. The slopes above the gully were very steep with a loose rock surface. And, it turns out that after that brutal little stretch on the slopes I ended up at a higher point in the gully! Little punishing deviation I could have avoided if I’d just taken the gully beginning at the top of the trail. Hindsight makes it clear that the trail is meant to get you to the gully that will take you through the cliff line.
Assuming you’ve decided to take the gully (Good choice!), simply continue up the gully avoiding the temptation to ascend the right or left side. Eventually the gully will become shallow and all but disappear. By this time, you’re in a beautiful, wide open Bristlecone Pine forest and the angle of ascent has measurably decreased. It’s a nice walk through the forest, about 5-700 feet below the summit of Fletcher Peak!
The route is pretty easy. Just angle slightly to the right and keep heading upward to the highest point you can see. That highest point is the forested area just East of the official summit of Fletcher Peak. Actually, Fletcher Peak has a double summit. There’s the official summit with the summit box and the view, and just 50 yards (half a football field) to the East, there is a forested summit exactly the same elevation. Between the two summits there is a shallow saddle. So, when you arrive on t
