Adventures from Kyle Canyon to Fletcher Peak
See also:
Fletcher Peak Adventures from Deer Creek Road
Overview | Fletcher Peak, Mummy Mountain, Lee Peak Circuit | Mt. Charleston Wilderness | Spring Mountains, Nevada
Adventure Route Summary
This adventure route is similar to the
Fletcher Peak Mummy Mountain Circuit route. Like the
Fletcher Peak Mummy Mountain Circuit route, this route begins at the
Trail Canyon Trailhead in the
Mt. Charleston Wilderness. It ascends to
Fletcher Peak and
Mummy Mountain. But there are two important differences:
- More Trails, Less Pathless Wilderness: The Fletcher Peak Mummy Mountain Circuit route took a pathless wilderness short cut between Fletcher Peak and Mummy Mountain summits. It went from Fletcher Peak > Mummy Springs > through the pathless wilderness East side of Mummy Mountain > ascending the Eastern cliffs to Mummy’s summit. On the other hand, this Fletcher Peak, Mummy Mountain, Lee Peak Circuit route descends Fletcher Peak > takes the North Loop Trail back to the Trail Canyon Junction > then up to the Mummy Tree on that trail > then up to Mummy Mountain summit via the traditional Mummy Mountain West route. Though the distance is longer, the time is much shorter between Fletcher Peak and Mummy Mountain summit. This shows how much time wilderness navigation by trails saves. Wilderness navigation takes about 3X the time of navigation by trails.
- Continues from Mummy Mountain to Lee Peak: The route continues along the beautiful, wild upper North rim of Kyle Canyon. Yes, it’s pathless wilderness, but in this case it saves time due to its relative level incline. This route connects with the North Loop Tail below Lee Peak. It then takes the North Loop Trail to the upper base of Lee Peak, finally ascending to Lee Peak’s summit. The rapid return route is down the North Loop Trail to the Trail Canyon Junction and finally back to the Trail Canyon Trailhead.
Measuring the Time Difference Between Wilderness and Trails
Conclusion: If you want to travel across the wilderness in search of a
short cut, forget it. Find the nearest trail even though the distance may be longer!
Overall Beauty of Fletcher Peak, Mummy Mountain and Lee Peak Summits
It would be hard to find 3 more beautiful mountaintops than
Fletcher Peak (10,319ft),
Mummy Mountain (11,528ft) and
Lee Peak (11,289ft).
Fletcher Peak and
Mummy Mountain are both topped by beautiful ancient
bristlecone pine forests. On the other hand,
Charleston Peak summit is completely barren. You’re more likely to see deer on
Fletcher Peak than on any other of the 6 highest summits in the
Mt. Charleston Wilderness. And the views from
Mummy Mountain and
Lee Peak cover both
Kyle Canyon and
Lee Canyon and across to
Gass Peak, the
Desert National Wildlife Refuge and
La Madre Mountains and wilderness bordering on
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
Best Time of Year for This Adventure
July through September are best. During these months the terrain at this altitude is a refreshing cool 70-85 degrees compared to the boiling 120-degree temperatures in the
Las Vegas Valley below. On the other hand, from October through June you may encounter snow and ice and temperatures dropping below zero…especially from November through March. Deep snow can slow progress on the steep upper slopes. Ice can make navigation treacherous. And getting stuck in a storm can quickly become life-threatening!
Directions to Start Point | Fletcher Peak, Mummy Mountain, Lee Peak Circuit | Mt. Charleston Wilderness | Spring Mountains, Nevada
Your adventure will begin at the
Trail Canyon Trailhead in the
Mt. Charleston Wilderness. To get there, head up
Hwy-95 North from
Las Vegas, take a left at the
Kyle Canyon exit, continue about 20 miles up
Kyle Canyon to
Charleston Village, pass a fire station continuing straight where the road bends to the left. You’ll arrive at the
Trail Canyon Trailhead parking area (same parking used for
Mary Jane Falls). In all, it’s less than 40 miles from the
Las Vegas Strip.
↓ Narrative Guide ↓
Narrative Guide | Fletcher Peak, Mummy Mountain, Lee Peak Circuit | Mt. Charleston Wilderness | Spring Mountains, Nevada
Ascent from Trail Canyon Trailhead to Fletcher Peak
From the
Trail Canyon Trailhead, head up 2 miles to the
Trail Canyon/North Loop Trails junction and take a right to
Rain Tree, then another right to
Fletcher Peak (see the
Fletcher Mummy Circuit page for more detail on the trail directions and sights from the
Trail Canyon Trailhead to
Fletcher Peak summit.
Descent from Fletcher Peak Back to the Trail Canyon/North Loop Trail Junction, Then up to the Summit of Mummy Mountain
Descend again retracing your steps to the
Trail Canyon/North Loop Trails junction and take a right to continue upward on the
North Loop Trail to the
Mummy Tree (large dead standing
Bristlecone Pine tree with an “M” sketched on it and an arrow pointing to the right up the half-mile avalanche slope I call “
The Horrifying Half“. Continue up this slope and take a right at the top following the directions on the
Mummy Mountain West page to the summit of
Mummy Mountain.
Descent from the Summit of Mummy Mountain to the North Ridge of Kyle Canyon
From
Mummy Mountain summit, descend back to the top of the
Horrifying Half avalanche slope. Here is where you have a choice of continuing to descend the avalanche slope until it meets the
North Loop Trail, then take a right on the
North Loop Trail toward
Lee Peak. Or, you can turn right at the top of the avalanche slope and take the “
shortcut” along the top of the
North Ridge of
Kyle Canyon to rejoin the upper
North Loop Trail about a mile below
Lee Peak’s summit. Note that
shortcut will take 2-3 times longer! Let’s assume you’ve opted to take the shortcut. There is no ridge more beautiful than the
North Ridge of Kyle Canyon with sweeping views of
Kyle Canyon and
Lee Canyon along most of the route. The
Bristlecone Pine forest on that ridge is intact as opposed to the burnt
Bristlecone Pine forest on the
South ridge of Kyle Canyon.
Traversing the North Ridge of Kyle Canyon to the Upper North Loop Trail
During the first quarter mile of this leg of the journey you’ll weave around rocks, mini-avalanche slopes, cliffs and fallen trees until you gain the upper North ridge. The best direction I can give is to take a good look at the video which shows this portion of the adventure in detail. After about 1/4th mile the ridge will broaden out and becomes much easier to traverse. You will rise up to the top of the prominent hill you saw back where this ridge began at the top of the
Mummy Mountain avalanche slope. At the top of this hill, the ridge then veers to the right heading straight for
Lee Peak. The terrain broadens out even more and becomes much easier to traverse. Continue along the top of the
North Ridge of Kyle Canyon towards
Lee Peak until you see a structure that looks like an abandoned ski lift tower. It’s actually a weather station. More specifically, it’s the precipitation gauge of a
SNOTEL Climate Station. Automated sensors like this may contain an electric charge, so it’s best not to touch them! At this point, take a left off of the ridge for an easy 100ft walk to rejoin the upper
North Loop Trail.
Traveling the Upper North Loop Trail to Lee Peak Summit
Once on the upper
North Loop Trail, take a right. You’ll continue for about a mile, the last part of which rises dramatically through a series of steep switchbacks. At the top of these switchbacks, leave the trail and veer off the trail to the right up the mountain slope to the summit of
Lee Peak. There is a faint trail that splits off to the right of the
North Loop Trail.
Lee Peak Summit
The summit of
Lee Peak is most often overlooked and bypassed. However, its 360-degree views are unique and spectacular, in part due to the small sharp summit shape. You’re looking straight down the entire length of
Lee Canyon to the
Sheep Range. Turn, and look straight down the entire length of
Kyle Canyon.
Charleston Peak is so close you can almost touch it! In fact, all 6 of the high peaks in the
Mt. Charleston Wilderness are visible from this one spot:
Harris Mountain,
Griffith Peak,
Charleston Peak,
Lee Peak,
Mummy Mountain and
Fletcher Peak. Turn again to see the Northern stretch of the
Spring Mountains toward
McFarland Peak,
Bonanza Peak and beyond! And the summit of
Lee Peak is in a beautiful
Bristlecone Pine forest. If you have not been to
Lee Peak’s summit, you’ve got to make a visit. Here is the most direct path to
Lee Peak, all on nice trails except for the final half-mile!
Return to the Trail Canyon Trailhead
Retrace your way from
Lee Peak’s summit back to the
North Loop Trail (less than a half-mile). Turn left on the
North Loop Trail and descend on that trail to the
Trail Canyon Trail Junction. Turn right at the
Trail Canyon Trail Junction onto the
Trail Canyon Trail for the final 2 miles back to the
Trail Canyon Trailhead where you began.
Another Video of the Kyle Canyon North Rim Wilderness
Find another video of the stretch along the wild North Rim between
Mummy Mountain and
Lee Peak on the
4 Peak Circuit Adventure page.
Congratulations on Your Accomplishment!
You’ve just accomplished an extreme adventure more challenging than the
Charleston Loop. In the process you enjoyed spectacular views of
Kyle Canyon and
Lee Canyon, and a magical day of total wilderness immersion!
