Overview | Mummy Mountain NNE | Mt. Charleston Wilderness | Spring Mountains, Nevada
This adventure extends the exploration of the East side of
Mummy Mountain through the wilderness to a viewpoint overlooking the Northern area of
Mummy Mountain. From this pretty amazing viewpoint one can see the entire East side of
Mummy Mountain with all the Eastern cliff approaches, look to the South to view
Mummy’s Toe along with its full approach, and to the North, a unique view of
Mummy’s Nose along with potential routes that might take one around the Northern side and on up to
Mummy Mountain summit. These are yet to be explored.
Also in view are lower
Lee Canyon the
Sheep Range,
Gass Peak,
La Madre Mountain and all the wilderness areas in those directions.
The wilderness area itself is largely untouched, unexplored pristine ancient
Bristlecone Pine forests on avalanche slopes along the massive lower edge of the
Mummy Mountain Eastern cliffs. The visual combination of these ancient trees and incredible rock formations make this adventure unforgettable. One has the feeling of walking on sacred ground that few have traversed.
Realize that you will be completely on your own with no trail for the majority of this adventure, so prepare and conduct yourself accordingly.
Directions to Start Point | Mummy Mountain NNE | Mt. Charleston Wilderness | Spring Mountains, Nevada
Begin at the
North Loop Trailhead on
Highway 158 Deer Creek Road between
Kyle Canyon and
Lee Canyon. To get to this point from
Las Vegas head North on
Hwy-95 taking a left at one of the last
Hwy-95 exits in the
Las Vegas area,
Kyle Canyon exit. Continue up
Kyle Canyon Road about 17 miles and a couple miles before
Charleston Village take a right on
Highway 158 toward
Lee Canyon. You’ll wind around the hillside to the left and as the road briefly levels off before descending toward
Lee Canyon, the
North Loop Trailhead will appear on the left. During the Summer months you may want to get there before 8am as the parking fills up pretty fast. Looking back toward Las Vegas, there’s a good view of
La Madre Mountain from the trailhead parking lot.
↓ Narrative Guide ↓
Narrative Guide | Mummy Mountain NNE | Mt. Charleston Wilderness | Spring Mountains, Nevada
From the North Loop Trailhead to the Off-Trail Wilderness
Head up the
North Loop Trail, pass through a beautiful plateau with spectacular views, ascend what I refer to as “
Planet Switchback”, a series of about 14 steep switchbacks, take an obscure fork to the right to an incredible overlook, head down past the
Fletcher Peak cutoff trailhead, continue down to
Raintree, turn right and past the base of
Mummy Springs the head into the wilderness at the first main switchback after
Mummy Springs. I realize these directions are in shorthand, but they are described in better detail in the video on this page and on the
Mummy Mountain Northeast page on this site.
From the Off-Trail Wilderness to Delta Canyon (aka “The Fingers”)
Now it get’s interesting! When you first leave the trail your goal is to parallel a the Eastern
Mummy Mountain cliffs about 1/4th – 1/2 mile below the cliffs, traversing 3 ridges and 3 washes to get to the far side of
Delta Canyon (aka “
The Fingers”). Locals call this wash “
The Fingers”. I call it “
Delta Canyon” because it is composed of 3 washes that originate at the Eastern
Mummy Mountain Cliff and converge where you will emerge at a lower point into the canyon. The washes look like an upside-down river delta.
As you leave the trail and head off trail beyond
Mummy Springs angle up the ridge and to the right, eventually crossing the first wash to ascend the second ridge keeping the cliffs on that ridge to your right. You’ll summit that second ridge just to the left of those cliffs, then cross that ridge maintain your elevation along the summit of that ridge, then descend into the second wash, angling a bit to your left on the way down into the wash. Once in the wash you’ll see a large dry waterfall to your left.
Continue through that second wash to ascend the third ridge summiting that ridge just to the right of the cliffs on that summit. Cross that third ridge maintaining your elevation along the summit of the ridge, then descend into
Delta Canyon (aka “
The Fingers”), angling a bit to your left on the way down. Once in the wash you will see your first full view of the Eastern
Mummy Mountain cliffs to your left.
From Delta Canyon (aka “The Fingers”) to the NNE Mummy Mountain Cliff
Cross
Delta Canyon to ascend the ridge on its far side. From the base of that ridge begin to angle your way up and to the right eventually reaching the hump of that ridge. Continue up the hump angling to the right until you reach the base of the
Mummy Mountain Eastern cliffs. Continue for about 1/8th mile along the base of the cliffs hugging the cliff base which provides the closest thing to a level route.
Summit a Grand Viewpoint on the Mummy Mountain NNE Cliff Area
Continue along the base of the
Mummy Mountain Eastern cliff until you reach the cliff edge. Make a U-turn there to ascend to a spectacular viewpoint mentioned in the overview on this page and filmed in the video. On this day, though the temperature in the
Las Vegas Valley was a whopping 113-118 degrees with not a cloud in the sky, it began to rain at that viewpoint. Rain became a full-fledged thunderstorm with booming claps of thunder. The temperature dropped below 40 degrees with small flakes of ice driven by the wind. Freezing!! This shows how things can suddenly change in the mountains. Fortunately I had a light windbreaker jacket in my pack, which saved me. Always prepare accordingly.
My Threatening Weather Philosophy
The video on this page shows things getting dark up there with increasing clouds. What it doesn’t show is the point I put away my camera and made a dash downhill retracing my steps to
Mummy Springs. My philosophy when weather becomes an issue in the mountains has always been to descend rapidly into a friendlier climate zone. I never try to find shelter at a high elevation and wait out the storm. This strategy has consistently worked for me over the past 20 years from the
Cascades in the Pacific Northwest to the
Hudson Valley Wilderness in the Northeast and now in the
Spring Mountains of Nevada.
