The 5 Most Amazing Peaks in Spring Mountains National Recreation Area

Climbing Kyle Canyon up to Mount Charleston offers a very long 21 miles with a sustained ascent. It provides you with a dramatic escape from the Las Vegas desert heat into the cool mountain forests. Gaining over 4,400ft to reach altitudes around 7,700ft, expect a consistent climb averaging around 4.5%, with maximum gradients generally only reaching 7-9%. What will really please you on this climb is the striking scenery transition from Mojave Desert scrub to towering pines and limestone cliffs. Be prepared for potentially heavy recreational traffic, especially on weekends, and pack layers for the significant temperature drop at higher elevations.

The Mt. Charlston race is probably the fastest Marathon in the US. After the start at 7600ft it drops 5000ft at a 4% slope. The race takes place the first Saturday in April and is a Boston Qualifier. See the Revel Marathon website for details. If you want to participate then make sure you train downhill runs (e.g. on a treadmill with negative incline). Participants are normally bussed up to the starting line and loading starts in Sumerlin around 3:30am. If you are lucky, then rent a cabin (Mt. Charlston lodge & cabins) directly at the starting line and step out of the warm room into the freezing air just 10min before the race starts at 6am. One of the best moments is when the sun rises over the desert directly in front of you...

This segment of trail is at the the highest elevation that you will reach on the Upper Bristlecone Trail. It traverses a rocky, open ridge line above Lee Canyon. There are a few narrow points along the trail, but it is very well defined and does not feel overly exposed. Along the hike, you get particularly fantastic views of the Sisters, Mummy Mountain, Mount Charleston and all of Lee Canyon. If traveling northwest on this section, you can also see the trail ahead of you: a wide, open road cut into the side of a gravelly hill dotted with pine trees.

Standing at 11,916 feet, Mount Charleston is the eighth highest mountain in Nevada and the highest mountain in Spring Mountains. This exposed, prominent peak is a proud accomplishment; whether you took the North or South Loops or combined the two to reach the summit, it is an over 16-mile round trip excursion with over 4,000 feet of climbing. At the summit you are rewarded with panoramic views of the entire Spring Mountains area, the Sierra Nevada, Death Valley, and the Las Vegas valley. This exposed, rocky summit is a great place to rest, eat snacks, drink water, sign the summit register, and take photos before beginning the long descent to the trailhead.

The Cathedral Rock Trail is a very popular, moderate trail that winds up through ponderosa pines and aspen groves toward Cathedral Rock. You get phenomenal views of the impressive, sheer limestone Echo Cliffs almost the entire way up the trail. On the Cathedral Rock trail there are log benches every 16th of a mile along the way for you to stop, sip water, and admire the views. After the junction for the Little Falls the trail steepens, but you are rewarded with increasingly spectacular views as you reach the summit of Cathedral Rock.

Griffith Peak is Nevada's 43rd highest peak and offers some of the best views in Southern Nevada; you get fantastic views of the neighboring Mount Charleston and the surrounding peaks as well as down into the Las Vegas Valley. There are also some old bristlecone pines, which are some of the longest-lived trees in the world, as well as an interesting fossil on the limestone summit. Griffith Peak's exposed summit is a great place to rest, drink water, snap some photos, and sign the summit register, before heading back down or over to the neighboring Mount Charleston.