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Lovell Canyon | La Madre Mountains Wilderness | Spring Mountains, Nevada | Overview
(Click Through to Individual Trails and Wilderness Routes Below)
(Mileage Below is Round Trip. Altitude and Mileage are Approximate)
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↓ Narrative Guide ↓
What to Look for in Lovell Canyon, Nevada
Hidden Gem in the Spring Mountains of Southern Nevada
You’re traveling on Highway 160 between Las Vegas and Pahrump, eager to get to your destination. You’ve begun to descend from the high point, Mountain Spring. As the road levels off below, you may easily miss a small sign for “Lovell Canyon Road“. STOP!!! Take a right turn up Lovell Canyon Road into the huge, wide-open, beautiful Lovell Canyon. The road is paved and well maintained and will take you 12 miles deep into the canyon.
Those mountains you see at the upper end of the canyon are Griffith Peak (on the left) and Harris Mountain (on the right). The canyon itself is huge, bordered by Sexton Ridge on the left (West) and the Rainbow Mountains Upper Crest Ridgeline and Wilson Ridgeline on the right (East). Unlike the more desert-like areas in the region, the surface of Lovell Canyon is clothed with fields of grass blowing in the wind, blooming shrubs and wildflowers in the Spring. Â
Great Access Roads
In addition to the 12-mile paved Lovell Canyon Road, there are is a network of unpaved branching roads. Branching to the East, Rainbow Spring Road and Saltgrass Road will take you toward The Rainbow Mountains Upper Crest Ridgeline. Rocky Gap Road will take you through the Wilson Ridgeline and into Red Rock Canyon. Branching to the West further up the canyon CC Spring Road will take you on a long magical wilderness loop back to Highway 160. Lovell Summit Road, branching off to the West from the upper end of Lovell Canyon Road will take you to neighboring Trout Canyon.
Car Camping Paradise
One of the greatest features of the network of wilderness roads in Lovel Canyon is that they are lined with campsites! There are camp sites for tent campers, car and trailer campers and even huge RVs. And the views from many of the sites are surrounding wilderness with huge vistas and blessed solitude!
3 Awesome Official Trails
At the upper end of Lovell Canyon Road, take the Lovell Canyon Trail and Loop further into the heart of Lovell Canyon. Enjoy a lush forested terrain of Pinyon Pines, Ponderosa Pines, tall, flowering Junipers and beautiful fields of Ashy Silktassel and Pointleaf Manzanita shrubs. Delve further into upper Lovell Canyon on the Schafer Springs Loop Trail. Approach high points along the Sexton Ridge on the Griffith Shadow Loop Trail, which has spectacular views of Lovell Canyon along much of its route.
Inviting Upper Ridgelines
The great ridgelines surrounding Lovell Canyon are each a wild, rarely visited world unto themselves. The Rainbow Mountains Upper Crest Ridgeline runs parallel and above the entire length of the colorful sandstone Rainbow Mountains on the West side of Red Rock Canyon, East side of Lovell Canyon. Lovell Canyon is your the back-door access to the Rainbow Mountains with all their rock climbing opportunities. The Wilson Ridgeline runs along the upper West side of Lovell Canyon all the way to Harris Mountain in the Mt. Charleston Wilderness. The Sexton Ridgeline runs along the upper East side of Lovell Canyon all the way to Griffith Peak in the Mt. Charleston Wilderness. And high ridgeline saddle runs between the two peaks along the upper end of Lovel Canyon. Â
Beautiful Wildflower Displays
In addition to fields of desert Saltgrass gently swaying in the wind, there are fields of sage and countless varieties of Mojave high desert wildflowers and cacti in full bloom every Spring.
Wide-Open Terrain
You might stand on the floor of Lovell Canyon in the midst of this wild paradise gazing up at the surrounding majestic ridgelines. Or you might stand on one of the ridgelines enjoying a spectacular full view of Lovell Canyon. Either way, you’ll be transfixed by this wide-open hidden wilderness paradise you so often passed by on your way between Las Vegas and Pahrump.
Roads and Camping in Lovell Canyon
Get the basic details you need to enjoy Lovell Canyon on this website!
Lovell Canyon’s awesome venue for wilderness camping, hiking, climbing and spectacular ridgeline adventures has no visitor center. Find the information you need here.
Lovell Canyon
Roads
(Main Roads and What They Access)
Lovell Canyon
Camping
(Where to Access Great Campsites)
Official TrailsÂ
Lovell Canyon
Trail & Loop
Inner Loop of Lower
Western Lovell Canyon
Schaefer Springs
Loop Trail
**Loop Further North of Lovell Canyon Loop**
Griffith Shadow
Loop Trail
8-9 Miles **Good Trail in Places, Sketchy in Places.**
Landmark Bluff
Impressive Landmark!
This is that huge impressive formation at the entrance of Lovell Canyon on the left (West) side. Its technical name is “Mesa Benchmark“. I refer to it as “Landmark Bluff” because you can see it from the ridgelines above Lovell Canyon all the way to Harris Mountain and Griffith Peak. It’s one of the main landmarks I use to navigate the high ridgelines.
The terrain around this formation and the views from its summit are truly impressive!
Landmark Bluff
**Approx. 10-Mile Loop, 1,600ft Gain, Wilderness**
Landmark Bluff Circuit
**Approx. 16-20-Mile Loop, 1,000ft Gain, Roads + Wilderness**
Landmark Bluff Summit
**Approx. 15-18-miles RT, 1,200ft Gain, Unpaved Roads + Wilderness**
Spectacular Surrounding Ridgelines
Griffith/Harris Saddle
(Upper End of Canyon)
Access the Colorful Sandstone Rainbow Mountain Peaks!
Routes from Lovell Canyon Are Less Technical, More Inviting
Adventures in Process
Additional Projected Adventures
Access Sexton Ridge from Lovell Summit Road
Landmark Bluff Western Canyons Exploration
Landmark Bluff Summit North-to-South Traverse
Wilson Ridge Loop Between South Spring Canyon & Salt Grass Road
Wilson Ridge Loop Between South Spring Canyon & Rocky Gap Road
Additional Sexton Ridge Approaches from Higher in Lovell Canyon
Harris/Griffith Saddle from Lovell Canyon
CC Springs Road & Western Lovell Canyon Lower Ridgeline
Beyond Lovell Canyon:
- Trout Canyon Adventures
- Nopah Range Adventures
