Mummy’s Nose North Alpine Loop | Mt Charleston Wilderness, Nevada
Overview – Mummy’s Nose North Alpine Loop | Mt Charleston Wilderness, Nevada
The Spring Mountains of Southern Nevada have been referred to as a “desert island”, an island oasis surrounded by desert. Few places showcase both the island and the surrounding desert as well as Mummy’s Nose North Alpine Loop in the Mt. Charleston Wilderness, Nevada. While wandering among ancient bristlecone Pines, junipers, mountain mahogany and sculpted limestone formations at the base of towering vertical limestone cliffs you look below to your North over an endless barren desert environment. Yes, you’re on an island in the desert!
All Mummy’s Nose Adventures on LasVegasAreaTrails.com
Try them out. Each one is a unique adventure with its own unique route!
- Mummy’s Nose Final Summit Approach from Deer Creek Road
- Mummy’s Nose Eastern Ridge from Deer Creek Road
- Mummy’s Nose North Alpine Loop from Deer Creek Road
- Mummy’s Nose Summit from Lee Canyon
Where is Mummy’s Nose North Alpine Loop?
Nevada’s Mt. Charleston Wilderness is only an hour’s drive from the world-famous Las Vegas Strip. Mummy Mountain, a prominent feature in this spectacular wilderness area, from a distance, actually looks like the silhouette of a Mummy! See the slide show on the 4-Peak Circuit Adventure page of this website. A sunrise photo taken from the South rim of Kyle Canyon reveals this mummy-shaped mountain as if it were ready to stand up and walk! Clearly defined are the forehead, nose, chin, tummy and toes of Mummy Mountain.
However, when you’re standing on the slopes near Mummy’s Nose, all the parts of the Mummy look scrambled! The actually nose appears above the forehead!
Mummy’s Nose is a prominent cliff-guarded high point with a spectacular 360-degree view. Between Mummy’s Nose and Deer Creek Road to the North there is a beautiful natural loop adventure that ascends from a ponderosa pine forest to an ancient bristlecone pine forest in a magical alpine setting. The region is neatly bordered on all sides: There are high ridgelines to the East and to the West; Mummy’s Nose to the South and Deer Creek Road to the North.
Develop Wilderness Navigation Skills
Though most of the terrain is pathless, the surrounding borders make Mummy’s Nose North Alpine Loop a good wilderness area to develop basic wilderness navigation skills. If, like most hikers, you’re used to traversing wilderness terrain on trails, you might have a linear perspective of the wilderness. On the other hand, in a pathless environment your perspective suddenly expands to a 360-degree awareness. If you’re used to hiking with a GPS device, a big focus is the technology on your hand-held screen. On Mummy’s Nose North Alpine Loop you can liberate yourself as you lift up your eyes to navigate by spectacular wilderness reference points both near and far:
- The Sheep Range to the South
- Mummy’s Nose Cliffs to the North
- The Loop’s Western Ridgeline to the West with Lee Canyon, the Sisters Peaks, Macks Peak, Bonanza Peak and McFarland Peak beyond.
- Angel Peak and the Northern Las Vegas Valley to the East
It’s relatively easy to stay on course throughout the mostly pathless Mummy’s Nose North Alpine Loop. In addition, the terrain, though steep in places, has a generally forgiving, gradual incline unless you decide to take a short detour and ascend above the loop to the summit of Mummy’s Nose. Even then, the level of climbing is class 3 and below (some rock scrambling involved). The loop itself as described and video documented on this page is entirely a walk…no climbing needed…no place where you need hand-holds to maintain your stability.
Best Time of Year for This Adventure
Mummy’s Nose North Alpine Loop is a great adventure during the Summer months: Mid-June until the first snows in the Fall. During these months, when temperatures in the Las Vegas Valley and the desert that surrounds this island oasis can reach and exceed 120 degrees, this alpine loop is usually a comfortable 70-85 degrees!
Route Starting Point Directions – Mummy’s Nose North Alpine Loop | Mt Charleston Wilderness, Nevada
To get to this point from Las Vegas head North on I-95 taking a left at one of the last I-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 towards Lee Canyon. You’ll wind around the hillside to the left and as the road briefly levels off before descending toward Lee Canyon. Pass the North Loop Trailhead, Deer Creek Picnic Area and the Camp Stimson turnoff. The trailhead is a small parking area on the right just before the Desert View Overlook Parking Area. It’s the trailhead parking for the Deer Creek Catch Pen Loop Trail.
Narrative Guide – Mummy’s Nose North Alpine Loop | Mt Charleston Wilderness, Nevada
Adventure Route Summary
From the Catch Pen Loop Trailhead parking area, cross Deer Creek Road to emerge into a somewhat confusing, unmarked trailhead area. Begin by getting your bearings. Ahead is your target, the cliffs of Mummy’s Nose at the high end of the loop. To your right is a high ridgeline I call the Western Ridgeline. To your left is a high ridgeline I call the Eastern Ridgeline. Immediately in front of you are what look like 4 unmarked trailheads. Not to worry! You want to ascend the Western Ridgeline to your right. That ridgeline will take you all the way to the summit of the loop at the base of the Mummy’s Nose cliffs. From that summit you will descend the Eastern Ridgeline to your left, returning to the very spot on which you are standing.
Doesn’t this route sound simple? For the most part it is. Mummy’s Nose to the North will be your guiding reference point during the ascent. The Sheep Range to the South will be your guiding reference point during the descent. If you get off course during the descent, you’ll land on Deer Creek Road and with the only challenge being whether to turn right or left to get back to the trailhead parking area…and most likely it will be a left turn.
From the Trailhead to the Western Ridgeline
You could just ascend the Western Ridgeline to your right, but in this video I was fascinated by a nice unmarked, unpaved road on the far right. It rounded the base of the Western Ridgeline as it gently ascended, then led to a gradual ascent gully on the opposite side of the ridgeline. Yes, it was a bit out of the way, but the road and gradual ascent did help recoup some of the time that might have been lost by making this wide circuit to the Ridgeline. See the map and video on this page for more detailed directions. Either way, direct or round-about, you want to ascend to the Western Ridgeline.
Western Ridgeline to the Loop’s High Point at the Base of Mummy’s Nose Cliffs
Once on the Western Ridgeline, the surroundings are incredible! I’ve described the alpine terrain and listed the spectacular near an distant reference points above. On the ridgeline you’re looking nearly straight down into Lee Canyon on your right. The slope in that direction is very steep, eventually becoming a vertical cliff! But the ridgeline itself is wide and beautiful! There you will find a faint trail and occasional cairns. This is likely the main climbing route from Deer Creek Road to the summit of Mummy’s Nose. The faint trail will alternately appear and disappear along the way, but the ridgeline is your easy guide all the way to the cliffs at the base of Mummy’s Nose.
On the ridgeline, notice the Eastern Ridgeline to your left. You’ll also see a nice forested slope that will connect you to that ridgeline for the descent back to the trailhead.
Continue along the Western Ridgeline as far as you want to go toward Mummy’s Nose summit. I circled around to begin my descent when I was less than a half-mile but about 800 vertical feet below the summit.
Mummy’s Nose Cliffs to Forest Road 092A
You’ll be traversing a steep forested slope along the base of Mummy’s Nose cliffs to cross from the Western Ridgeline to the opposite Eastern Ridgeline. Yes, the slope is steep, but nothing technical…just steep! Once at the summit of the Eastern Ridgeline, two reference points will stand out:
Descend toward the Sheep Range. Avoid the tendency to head toward Angel Peak. That would lead you down an adjoining ridgeline to Camp Stimpson. You’d still end up on Deer Creek Road, but you’d need to turn left on that road and backtrack about a mile to your original trailhead parking area. Much better to descend the ridge aiming toward the Sheep Range. That “Eastern Ridgeline” will get you directly to the trailhead.
You can stay on the Eastern Ridgeline all the way to Deer Creek Road, or descend the ridgeline to the upper end of Forest Road 092A, then take that road back to the trailhead. Either way works. The ridgeline has a much better view, but the terrain will be slower. The road has little view, but after being off-trail during a mountain adventure it’s sometimes nice to finally be on a road again.
Forest Road 092A to Deer Creek Road
This stretch is a no brainer. Just head down the nice unpaved road until you arrive at Deer Creek Road. The road hugs the base of the Eastern Ridgeline, now to your right.
Conclusion
Congratulations! You’ve experienced some pathless but fairly safe wilderness navigation, enjoyed beautiful high altitude alpine surroundings and escaped the Las Vegas Summer heat and cabin fever. You likely had the feeling of being in an expansive air-conditioned environment throughout the day. In addition, you escaped the crowds you might find along more established trails, instead finding yourself in a pristine, fairly untouched place with the blessed solitude you’d usually have to travel hundreds of miles to find.
