Base Camp Las Vegas. Deborah Wall
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Elevation gain/loss: Two hundred feet.
Trailhead elevation: 7,870 feet.
Warnings: Flash flooding, drop-offs.
Jurisdiction: Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.
Directions: From the Spring Mountains Visitor Gateway, drive west on Nevada Route 157 for 0.5 miles and go right onto Nevada Route 158 (Deer Creek Road). Drive 3.4 miles to parking pullout on right. The signed trailhead is directly across the road.
15 Bristlecone Trail
When you just want to get some miles under your belt and some city cobwebs out of your head, the Bristlecone Trail is good medicine. It’s especially good in crisp fall weather after quaking aspen leaves have turned to gold. Even in summer, it offers a chance to enjoy a forest and possibly see some wildlife, and can be done either as a loop or an out-and-back of whatever distance you choose. The latter is particularly useful for families with small children.
There are two trailheads — upper and lower — and almost a mile of paved road between them is part of the complete loop. Most loop hikers park at the lower trailhead and start by walking the road to the upper one. That gets this uphill part out of the way before they get tired. It also brings them past the Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort (also known as Lee Canyon) early in the day, when they have a better chance to see wild horses on its grassy slopes.
From the upper trailhead the well-defined path goes up the ridgeline to the north and right side of the ski area. A spur trail heads off to your left at the beginning, which can be confusing, but it quickly rejoins the main trail. You’ll be in a forest consisting mostly of ponderosa pine, bristlecone, white fir, and mountain mahogany mixed with aspen. Shrubs include gooseberry currants, recognized in fall by their red berries.
Among healthy conifers stand dozens of dead ones, called snags, stripped of bark and leaves, yet essential habitat for insects, birds and small animals. Look and listen for birds, which may include northern goshawks, woodpeckers, chickadees, bluebirds, jays, and warblers.
You might see deer or even elk. You probably won’t see the stealthy bobcat or mountain lion, but you might find footprints or other proof they’re around.
As the trail loops around to the southeast, views open up and you see the west side of Mummy Mountain. Continuing, you’ll reach an exposed point where you will be able to see down into Lee Canyon and far-reaching views of the Sheep Mountains, part of the Desert National Wildlife Range.
Conifers are sparse on these rocky slopes, but it’s here you’ll find tough, windblown bristlecone pines. The oldest trees alive are bristlecones, and some on this very trail are pushing birthday number five thousand. Increasing in girth less than one one-hundreth inch per year, a five-foot-tall bristlecone might be two thousand years old.
The trail goes west and narrows as it reaches its highest elevation, then heads around a rocky slope to Scout Canyon Road. Graveled but now abandoned, the road serves as a trail for the rest of the hike.
About halfway through the hike you’ll reach a saddle and a sign identifying the Bonanza Trailhead. This little-known trail is beloved by backpackers seeking solitude in the nearby Mt. Charleston Wilderness Area.
Continuing down the road you’ll find excellent views of the ski slopes; above them, evidence of past avalanches. Not long after that, you’ll pass a large grove of aspens — one last sweet sight before the road levels out and offers an easy descent into the lower trailhead parking area.
Bristlecone pines of Mt. Charleston are among the world’s oldest living things.
Bristlecone Trail At A Glance
Best season: May to mid-October, barring snowfall.
Length: 6.2 miles when done as loop.
Difficulty: Moderate.
Elevation gain/loss: 918 feet.
Trailhead elevation: 8,680 at upper trailhead, 8,462 at lower.
Warnings: Mountain bikers share entire trail and horseback riders the lower segment.
Jurisdiction: Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.
Directions: From the Spring Mountains Visitor Gateway, drive west on Nevada Route 157 for 0.5 miles and go right onto Nevada Route 158 (Deer Creek Road). Follow for about nine miles. Go left onto Nevada Route 156 (Lee Canyon Road). For lower trailhead follow 2.55 miles and go right onto gravel side road for 130 yards to lower parking area and trailhead. For upper trailhead continue 0.8 miles farther along Nevada 156 to upper parking area of Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort (also known as Lee Canyon), or 3.4 miles from the Nevada 156/158 junction.
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