Overview | Foxtail Canyon Springs, Foxtail Girl Scouts Camp and Beyond | Mt. Charleston Wilderness | Spring Mountains, Nevada
Foxtail Canyon Springs
These magnificent and little-known springs are located in
Foxtail Canyon on the East side 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
limestone ledge 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. These destinations are about 2000 feet higher in elevation.
Foxtail Girl Scouts Camp
Just beyond the group picnic area at the base of
Foxtail Canyon lies
Foxtail Girl Scouts Camp. The camp was abandoned in 2017 after 64 years operation and hosting over 19,000 campers. A combination of $1.5 million needed repairs, a broken water system and the need to protect the habitat of the endangered
Mt. Charleston Blue Butterfly created too great a challenge to continue the camp. The buildings are still intact and it’s evident that the
Girl Scouts created a trail up to the
Foxtail Canyon Springs where they hung a few hand-made nature symbols from the
limestone cave roof (seen in the slide show and video on this page).
Directions to Start Point | Foxtail Canyon Springs, Foxtail Girl Scouts Camp and Beyond | Mt. Charleston Wilderness | Spring Mountains, Nevada
Take
Hwy-95 North of
Las Vegas, then take a left onto
Hwy 156 toward
Lee Canyon.
Hwy 156 is
Lee Canyon Road. Take
Lee Canyon Road up into
Lee Canyon. There is a turn-around a couple miles below the
Lee Canyon ski area. Across from the turn-around and on the left is the
Foxtail Canyon Group Picnic Area. Park in a wide parking area on
Lee Canyon Road at the entrance of the
Foxtail Canyon Group Picnic Area. Note that to drive into the
Foxtail Canyon Group Picnic Area, you need a reservation, so in this case you’ll be walking past the entrance gate which is often locked.
↓ Narrative Guide ↓
Narrative Guide | Foxtail Canyon Springs, Foxtail Girl Scouts Camp and Beyond | Mt. Charleston Wilderness | Spring Mountains, Nevada
Group Picnic Area to 4WD Road Above Foxtail Girl Scouts Camp
Precede through the group picnic area until it ends at the
Foxtail Girl Scouts Camp. The road at this point becomes unpaved. Precede through the
Foxtail Girl Scouts Camp. On this last Saturday in September of 2020 the camp had been abandoned since Fall of 2017. The buildings are still intact and it looks as if the camp could resume at any time except for the hidden code and regulatory problems noted above.
4WD Road to Foxtail Canyon Springs
Above the camp the road continues up the canyon and soon becomes a rather rugged 4WD road. It looks like a fire access road. At this point the
North Ridge of Kyle Canyon comes into view straight ahead and about 2,500ft higher in elevation. The brilliant yellow
Quaking Aspen lining the road in the fall transform it into a triumphant pathway!
The road enters designated wilderness area and becomes even more rugged, eventually transitioning into a faint trail that continues up
Foxtail Canyon. The angle of elevation is very healthy. Eventually the trail ends at the magnificent
Foxtail Canyon Springs.
Ascending the Ridge Above Foxtail Canyon Springs
On this day I circumvented the cave springs cliff area to the right looking for a way above the cliff. Actually, one can ascend a very steep avalanche slope immediately to the right of the cliff formation and continue upward. However, in search of a route that did not involve scrambling up and avalanche slope on my hands and knees, I circumvented the cliff wide and to the right. This involved losing some elevation before taking a left and continuing up a more gradual slope above the cliff.
I ended the adventure at about the 9,600ft point. The route ahead looked fairly gradual and easy and I will return to see how far this route will take me toward the summit of the
North Ridge of Kyle Canyon which is still about 1,500ft above.
Additional Route from Group Picnic Area to the North Rim of Mummy Mountain’s Central Section (Mummy’s Tummy)
Another potential route from the group camp is a route to the North rim of the mid-section of
Mummy Mountain. I recently stood on the
North Rim of Mummy Mountain and looked down from the North Rim into
Foxtail Canyon and all the way to the turn-around on
Lee Canyon Road. This adventure is documented on the
Mummy Mountain Northern Rim Overlook page. From the top, it looks as if one could descend all the way to the bottom of
Foxtail Canyon. From lower
Foxtail Canyon looking up it looks as if one could ascent all the way to the North Rim of the central section of
Mummy Mountain.
