Overview | Wilson Ridge / Lovell Canyon Loop | Lovell Canyon, Nevada
Route Outline
This adventure begins at the upper end of
Lovell Canyon Road, ascends to
The Wilson Ridge South High Point, then takes The
Wilson Ridge for a couple miles North toward
Harris Mountain. Then, descends a ridge into the base of Lovell Canyon, crosses the canyon and ascends to connect with
The Lovell Canyon Trail. Finally, return to The Lovell Canyon Trailhead and then back to the upper end of Lovell Canyon Road via Lovell Summit Road.
Two Worlds on The Wilson Ridge Summit Line
Navigating along the summit of The
Wilson Ridge is like straddling the dividing line between two worlds. To the East toward
Kyle Canyon the landscape on the ridge is barren. Apparently there was a fire that ascending the ridge from
Kyle Canyon and stopped abruptly when it reached the summit of the ridge. To the West, there is a beautiful forest, untouched by the fire. The dividing line along the summit of the ridge is very distinct and continues along most of The
Wilson Ridge. It appears the majority of trees on the ridge are
Pinyon Pines and
Mountain Mahogany. In fact, the skeletons of burned
Mountain Mahogany line the upper East side of the ridge, while living
Mountain Mahogany line the West side.
Incidentally,
Sexton Ridge, on the West side of
Lovell Canyon, has a similar look and feel with the East side of the ridge (toward
Lovell Canyon) burned out and the West side forested.
Spectacular Views Along the Wilson Ridge
Hiking along The
Wilson Ridge is like being on a mountaintop for the entire length of the ridge. There are non-stop 360 degree views of a huge slice of
Southern Nevada and beyond. A short list includes
Potosi Mountain,
The Rainbow Mountains Upper Crest Ridgeline along with
White Rock Mountain,
Bridge Mountain,
Rainbow Mountain and
Mt. Wilson, all to the South.
The La Madre Mountains are to the East, along with
Frenchman Mountain and
The Muddy Mountains in the distance. To the Northeast are
Angel Peak,
Gass Peak and
The Sheep Range. To the North are
Fletcher Peak,
Mummy Mountain,
Harris Mountain and
Griffith Peak. To the West is
Sexton Ridge on the West side of
Lovell Canyon. Below is the entire length of
Lovell Canyon from
Potosi Mountain to
Griffith Peak and
Harris Mountain.
Best Time of Year for a Wilson Ridge Adventurer
On this day, the temperature in Las Vegas was predicted to rise to 98 degrees! However, starting at 6am, the temperature at the upper end of
Lovell Canyon Road was just 56 degrees. I don’t believe the temperature I experienced at any point exceeded 70 degrees. By the time I descended back to the start point on
Lovell Canyon Road it was about 6pm and the temperature was still around 70 degrees. What a shocker, upon arrival back in Las Vegas, to open the car door to 98 degrees! My experience of temperature and elevation is that for every 1000ft ascent, the temperature drops about 5 degrees. It may not be wise to venture along the Wilson Ridge when the Las Vegas temperature rises much above 100 degrees.
Directions to the Start Point | Wilson Ridge / Lovell Canyon Loop | Lovell Canyon, 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.
Proceed 12 miles up the well-paved road until the pavement ends. Park at the parking area there.
↓ Narrative Guide ↓
Narrative Guide | Wilson Ridge / Lovell Canyon Loop | Lovell Canyon, Nevada
Ascending to The Wilson Ridge South High Point
Starting at the parking area on the upper end of
Lovell Canyon Road where
Lovell Summit Road heads off to the left, cross
Lovell Canyon Road to find two square red boulders. Pass between the boulders, angle to the left through the underbrush. There is a faint pathway. After about 50ft, begin to ascend the ridge to the right (East). As you work your way up the ridge, you’ll arrive at a couple high points. At the second high point, when you can see
The Wilson Ridge South High Point to the East (see the slides on this page), notice a long ridge at first descending a bit, then ascending to that high point in the distance. Follow that ridge!
Brush Along the Lower Approach Ridge
There is a lot of brush (fields of razor-sharp
Sage) to navigate on the lower 25% of the ridge toward
The Wilson Ridge South High Point. It may be wise to wear long pants, or the lower leggings I rigged up (see the video) in order to navigate the brush without facing “death by a thousand cuts”. I won’t dwell on the approach ridge here as the link just above focuses on the approach to
The Wilson Ridge South High Point. However, just know that along the upper 75% of the approach ridge, it’s much easier to weave around the thinning brush!
The Wilson Ridge South High Point
Upon summiting
The Wilson Ridge South High Point, pause to take in the spectacular view noted above! You’re now at about 8,500ft, similar to the elevation of
La Madre Mountain. You ascended about 3,000ft from the upper end of
Lovell Canyon Road. This is just 1,000ft less than the ascent from the
South Climb Trailhead to Griffith Peak. It’s pretty significant, and in this case, since you had no trails to aid your ascent, you’ve probably exerted an amount of energy similar to ascending
Griffith Peak — perhaps a lot more energy!
Heading North Along The Wilson Ridge Toward Harris Mountain
Now, look to the North along The
Wilson Ridgeline toward it’s high point at
Harris Mountain. You’ll notice the distinct vegetation line: Arid on the East side of the ridge; forested on the West Side. Navigating this line along the summit of
Wilson Ridge is not as easy as it looks from above. That wide-open arid region on the East side is not so wide open, but choked by the intertwined skeletons of burned mountain mahogany trees. The forested West side of the ridge is even more of a navigation challenge. However, just follow the line along the top of The
Wilson Ridge. It’s generally not too difficult to weave around the obstacles.
You’ll eventually pass through a beautiful upper meadow populated by
wildflowers. Continue onward to the point where the last section of forest on the West side of the ridge ends. From that point onward to the summit of
Harris Mountain, both sides of the ridge are barren. The
Harris Mountain Road crossing is so close, you can almost touch it!
Descending into Lovell Canyon
At the end of the forested section, you will see a large brown rocky bluff followed by three ridges descending into
Lovell Canyon. I believe all three ridges will take you down into Lovell Canyon. The first of the three appeared to be the most gradual descent so I took that ridge after attempting the second ridge and coming up against some vertical drop-offs on that ridge. Upon later viewing the second ridge from the first ridge (see the video), that second ridge, though steeper, would have worked. The vertical drop-offs could have been navigated. However, the first ridge was still easier.
Brush, Streams and Wildflowers in Lovell Canyon
Near the base of the first ridge as it nears the base of
Lovell Canyon, thick brush again emerges. I found some relief from the barrier brush by winding downward through a narrow wash that widened as it approached the base of
Lovell Canyon.
Last Winter had been very wet and snowy. So, upon arrival at the base of
Lovell Canyon, I was met for the first time by an actual stream flowing with strength. The entire base of
Lovell Canyon was blanketed with fields of
wildflowers, thanks to all the water. Pretty amazing!
Ascent to The Lovell Canyon Trail
The further I winded my way down
Lovell Canyon, the thicker the brush became, and the wider the stream. So, I ascended the far side of the canyon knowing that
The Lovell Canyon Trail must pass above. Sure enough, within about a half mile, the trail appeared. It was an easy and welcome stretch along the nice, brush-free trail back to
The Lovell Canyon Trailhead at the campground on
Lovell Summit Road, then down the final quarter-mile to the start point at the upper end of
Lovell Canyon Road.
Adventure Summary
What an adventure! Two great canyons (
Kyle Canyon and
Lovell Canyon) and the
Wilson Ridgeline between! Total wilderness immersion. Did not see a solitary soul the entire day along this huge loop.
Completing The Wilson Ridge
For more of the upper
Wilson Ridge, view the adventure
to Harris Mountain summit along the remaining Northern stretch of The Wilson Ridge, thus completing the ridge from
The Wilson Ridge South High Point to
Harris Mountain. Another adventure will be to take The
Wilson Ridge South from that high point toward the
Rocky Gap Road crossing, descend
Rocky Gap Road to
Lovell Canyon Road, then return to the parking area at the upper end of
Lovell Canyon Road: Another great
Wilson Ridge loop.
