Mt Wilson Summit Saddle from Lovell Canyon | Rainbow Mountain Wilderness, Nevada
Overview | Mt Wilson Summit Saddle from Lovell Canyon | Rainbow Mountain Wilderness, Nevada
Adventure slide guide week of 4/14/2024 or soon thereafter.
Why Summit Mt. Wilson from Lovell Canyon?
There are many benefits to summiting Mt. Wilson from Lovell Canyon, which is the canyon to the West of Red Rock Canyon.
- The summit route is less complicated.
- The inclines are more gradual.
- It’s entirely a class 2 walk with some brief, minor class 3 rock scrambles.
- The views at every point along the way are more expansive and spectacular.
Why don’t more people take this route? Because most people don’t know it exists! Yet this route gets you to the highest mountain peak in the Rainbow Mountains!
What is the Greatest Challenge to Summiting Mt. Wilson from Lovell Canyon?
If you want to summit the highest Rainbow Mountain, Mt. Wilson, from Lovell Canyon and the Rainbow Mountains Upper Crest Ridgeline just to the West, you’ll need to tackle the most challenging stretch of that route. That most challenging stretch is traversing the steep, loose rock descent slope from the Rainbow Mountains Upper Crest Ridgeline to the Mt. Wilson Summit Saddle between the ridgeline and Mt. Wilson’s summit. This adventure is dedicated to guiding you down that challenging descent slope.
What is the Adventure Route for Summiting Mt. Wilson from Lovell Canyon?
From the upper end of Salt Grass Road (Forest Road #45540 in Lovell Canyon), navigate through the intervening washes and ridges to the summit of the Rainbow Mountains Upper Crest Ridgeline directly across from Mt. Wilson. Take a left on the Ridgeline past First Creek Overlook Cliff and on to a shallow saddle. Descend from that point on the Upper Crest Ridgeline traversing the steep slope to the Mt. Wilson Saddle. Once on the Mt. Wilson Saddle, navigate the sandstone final summit approach to Mt. Wilson’s summit. We did not continue from the saddle to the summit on this day, but primarily focused on the steep descent slope between the Rainbow Mountains Upper Crest Ridgeline and the Mt. Wilson Summit Saddle below.
Introducing Former Director of a National Park in the French Alps, Jean-Luc Montagnier
While climbing on a seldom traversed stretch of Red Rock Canyon’s Gray Cap Ridgeline one day recently, I noticed another climber! Rare experience as I seldom see anyone during my wilderness adventures. Disclaimer: All my adventures are fairly close to Las Vegas and are to easily accessible, though largely unknown wilderness areas. My goal is to help make these beautiful, obscure wilderness areas more accessible to others.
Back to my chance encounter on Gray Cap Ridgeline: I had to find out who this lone wander was, so readjusted my route to meet up with him. I meet the most remarkable people during these rare wilderness encounters. That day was no exception. Jean-Luc Montagnier was the former director of a national park in the French Alps. He’d spent his life mountaineering…so fitting with the very meaning of his last name! Currently living in Las Vegas, he devotes up to 4 days each week to exploring the many hidden wilderness areas surrounding Vegas. Very similar to what I do! He’s authored a few information-packed wilderness books now on Amazon.
We shared a few stories of our favorite wilderness areas and Mt. Wilson Summit from Lovell Canyon soon became a subject. He’d made that route more than once, and we set this day and time to do the route together.
So, this adventure is probably one of the 3 or 4 times in my life I have explored with another person. Exploring with Jean-Luc is like wandering the wilderness with a walking encyclopedia of wilderness knowledge. You’ll see some of his enlightening discussions on the video on this page as we explore the route between Lovell Canyon and the Mt. Wilson Saddle.
What Will You See While Summiting Mt. Wilson from Lovell Canyon?
The views are spectacular! It’s like being on a mountaintop the entire way! Here are a few of the major sights:
- Lovell Canyon
- Red Rock Canyon
- The La Madre Mountains Wilderness
- The Rainbow Mountain Wilderness
- The Mt. Charleston Wilderness
- The Panamint Range on the West side of Death Valley
- Potosi Mountain
- The Las Vegas Valley, Lake Mead and Points Beyond to the East
- Individual Peaks Within These Wilderness Areas (follow the links above)
There’s much more, but in short, you’ll see a huge slice of the vast wilderness surrounding Las Vegas!
What’s the Best Time of Year to Summiting Mt. Wilson from Lovell Canyon?
Stick to Fall and Spring. Winter can bring hazardous icy conditions on the slick sandstone and steep slopes. Mid-Summer can bring temperatures sometimes exceeding the upper 90’s.
Route Starting Point Directions | Mt Wilson Summit Saddle from Lovell Canyon | Rainbow Mountain Wilderness, Nevada
Take Hwy 160 from Las Vegas toward Pahrump. The highway ascends over a “hump” (the Potosi Mountain area). There’s a saying around here, “Over the hump to Pahrump”. Well, you’ve just traveled over that hump. Around 4-5 miles from the point where the highway begins to descend toward Pahrump there is a well-marked sign on the right for Lovell Canyon Road.
Locating the Intersection of Lovell Canyon Road and Saltgrass Road
Proceed a couple miles up the well-paved road to Lovell Canyon Campground. You will park at the intersection of Lovell Canyon Road and Saltgrass Road which will be on the right. However, there is no sign that says “Saltgrass Road”. Your only indication that you are at the intersection of Lovell Canyon Road and Saltgrass Road is a small marker on the right indicating Road: #45540. If you’re going to proceed from this point on foot, find a place to park near that intersection. However, if you have a good 4WD vehicle you can save a few miles by driving to the end of Saltgrass Road and starting from there.
Adventure Narrative Guide | Mt Wilson Summit Saddle from Lovell Canyon | Rainbow Mountain Wilderness, Nevada
The adventure route begins at the upper end of Salt Grass Road (Forest Road #45540).
What Historical Artifact is Hidden in Plain Sight on Lovell Canyon’s Forest Road #45540?
Curiously, at the upper end of Forest Road #45540, there is a huge Native American oven! I’ve passed that area numerous times and not given the oven a second look. It’s a 60ft-diameter gravel cone that looked to me like a pile of gravel stored in that place for the surfacing of Salt Grass Road. Jean-Luc pointed out that this was just one of a series of Native American ovens, used for one hundred years or more by nomadic tribes. They would camp in this area, prepare big horn sheep and deer meat in the oven, heated by the pine and juniper wood, then move on once the resources in the area had been exhausted. The network of ovens was spaced about 10-miles apart so that the tribes could move to the next area with fresh resources.
Watch for a large cone with white, calcite-covered limestone gravel mixed with fine black charcoal. The Native Americans would light a layer of wood, cover it with limestone and sandstone gravel, and then spread and cook the meat on top of the heated gravel. One of the end products would have been a kind of jerky that could be preserved for an extended food source. A source of spring water was a necessary part of this combination, so the presence of the oven is an indication of a spring that existed in the area at the time the oven was in use. The spring water creates the calcite layer that turns the limestone white…another sign that you’ve discovered an oven.
Upper End of Forest Road #45540 to the Rainbow Mountains Upper Crest Ridgeline
I’ve extensively described this stretch on the Lovell Canyon to Rainbow Mountains Upper Crest Ridgeline, Nevada page on this site, so won’t go into too much detail on this stretch here. Suffice it to say that from the upper end of Salt Grass Road (Forest Road #45540), you can see the Rainbow Mountains Upper Crest Ridgeline on the horizon to the East. Find the route of least resistance through the intervening ridges and canyons and on up to the Rainbow Mountains Upper Crest Ridgeline. There is more than one route that works. I often choose a combination of washes and ridges, favoring the ridges due to the better views. Aim for a central approach ridge. If you stray too much to the right (South) or left (North) to approach will become more complicated.
Near the summit of the Rainbow Mountains Upper Crest Ridgeline, there’s a trail…animal or human…that takes you up the final approach to the ridgeline summit. I love that final 20ft ascent to the ridgeline. As you top the ridgeline, there suddenly, magically appears Mt. Wilson’s summit in all its glory, so close you can almost touch it!
Rainbow Mountains Upper Crest Ridgeline to the Wilson Saddle Descent Point
You’ll notice that between the Rainbow Mountains Upper Crest Ridgeline and Mt. Wilson’s Summit, there is a connecting saddle below. The question is, how to get to the saddle below? The side of the Rainbow Mountains Upper Crest Ridgeline facing Mt. Wilson is a vertical cliff, unlike the more gradual approach ridge you used to get to the ridgeline from Lovell Canyon.
Fortunately, there is a non-vertical slope between the Upper Crest Ridgeline and the Wilson Saddle. The slope is steep, with a loose rock surface, and looking down that steep slope there are un-nerving vertical drop-offs below. But, not to worry. Traversing the slope is possible at a class 2 walk level of climbing…with a little bit of class 3 rock scrambling. Here’s the test: If you can do one of the following adventures, you can probably handle this descent slope:
- Mummy Mountain Western Approach from the North Loop Trail to Mummy Mountain’s Summit
- Mummy Mountain Eastern Approach (actually more difficult than this Wilson Saddle descent route)
- Mummy Mountain Eastern Descent (more difficult than this Wilson Saddle descent route)
The point is, the descent slope between the Upper Crest Ridgeline and the Wilson Saddle looks much more difficult from above than when you’re actually on the slope descending. I took it slow, being unfamiliar with that stretch. This slowed us down enough that we ran out of time to make the Mt. Wilson Summit, leaving that to a future adventure. One thing I might have done differently that would have sped up the traverse is to wear my light track racing shoes modified with one-inch spikes.
Where is the Descent Point Between the Rainbow Mountains Upper Crest Ridgeline and the Mt. Wilson Saddle?
There are a number of potential descent points to the Mt. Wilson Summit Saddle. The least complicated are to the North along the Upper Crest Ridgeline beyond First Creek Canyon Overlook Cliff, the most immediate high point to the North.
We descended by the longest but least complicated route and returned by a shorter, more direct steeper route, a bit more complicated.
Descending the Slope Between the Upper Crest Ridgeline to the Mt. Wilson Saddle
The least complicated route is found at a shallow saddle to the North of First Creek Overlook Cliff. Once on that saddle, begin to angle downward Southeast toward the Mt. Wilson Summit Saddle. Along the way, stay high on the slope, avoiding the temptation to descend to routes that look easier lower on the slope. They’re not easier! You’ll navigate a few intervening spurs along the way. One large spur, you’ll actually ascend and pass between a couple rocky pillars. Each intervening spur looks like you’ve made it to the Mt. Wilson Saddle. Wrong! We might call these false saddles! Don’t be discouraged. Keep angling your way down the slope between the spurs until you finally arrive at the Mt. Wilson Summit Saddle!
Mt. Wilson Summit Saddle to the Summit
Once on the Mt. Wilson Summit Saddle, take a left and you’ll soon come across a trail. This is the trail ascending the route from First Creek Canyon on Highway 159 below. Continue along the saddle toward Mt. Wilson. After reaching a low point, the surface will change to the Jurassic Sandstone of the Rainbow Mountains. That change-point between darker limestone and lighter sandstone is pretty stark and well-defined. That point is the world-famous Keystone Thrust Fault.
Continue up the sandstone of Mt. Wilson’s final approach. There are multiple final summit routes. The least complicated is to angle to the right along the more gradual sandstone slopes. There are canyons to the left, populated by beautiful ponderosa pines. These are more complicated, but would also work. I’ll be in a better position to describe the final summit approach when I’ve traversed that stretch!
Mt. Wilson Summit Saddle Back to the Rainbow Mountains Upper Crest Ridgeline
As I mentioned above, we took a steeper, more direct route back to the Rainbow Mountains Upper Crest Ridgeline. It was more class 3, but still not horribly difficult. There were no vertical sections, just steep loose gravel and limestone slab slopes and gullies. There was always firm foot placements and no significant exposure.
There are return slope routes South of the Mt. Wilson Summit Saddle that will get you back to the Rainbow Mountains Upper Crest Ridgeline, but I hear these are more complicated.
Summary on the Mt. Wilson Summit Saddle Adventure
Yes, this adventure is somewhat complicated. It’s not a walk in the park. However, it’s easier than it looks from above. And the rewards are great. There are spectacular non-stop views the entire way. And it’s entirely a class 2 walk, though long, and steep in places. In my opinion, this route makes the imposing summit of Mt. Wilson, highest Rainbow Mountain summit, achievable for us non-technical rock climbers! It’s quite a hike, but still an hike, and totally incredible! Definitely do the Mummy Mountain Western Approach first to see if you might be able to handle this spectacular adventure. If you can do the Mummy Mountain Eastern Approach, you’ll find the Wilson Summit Saddle much easier!
