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| Orange Trail Arch and Mummy Mountain |
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| Three Lakes Valley from Orange Trail Ridge |
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| From Orange Trail Ridge to Mummy Mountain |
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| Diving down from the Trailhead |
Seven Smashing hikers met in the parking lot at the bottom of Kyle Canyon Road and drove up the mountain. After a stop at the Stepladder Trailhead, the group drove up to Deer Creek Road (SR 158) and turned right. We passed Robbers' Roost, North Loop Trailhead, and Archery Range Road. Next, after passing the antennas and another turnout on the right side of the road, we turned into the Orange Trailhead in the next turnout on the right. Today, there was a horse trailer parked there so we knew we had company. The Orange Trail is part of a system of horse trails in the elevations below Deer Creek Road.
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| Descending |
When ready, we started down the trail that leads to the right. Since this can be done as a loop hike, there is also a trail that leads down to the left. Our direction would lead us to the Orange Trail ridge half.
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| Wash Crossing |
Down in Las Vegas, there was a lot of wind gusting near 30-35 mph. Up here, however, the wind only reached gusts of around 20 mph and a lot of that was shielded by nearby mountain terrain. It was a cool breeze.
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| Trail in the Shade |
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| Happy Hikers |
Except when the wind died down and we hiked in the hot sun, we were quite cool! We followed the well worn trail on a gradual slope down following the curves of the terrain in the shade. It was very nice to see some old friends today and the talking continued for most of the hike. The trail comes to a switchback at the bottom of a hill from the road. Although there are a couple of cairns here, it might not be apparent that the trail continues to the left. At this point, we were hiking on the Orange Trail ridge. The trail ultimately follows this ridge all the way down to an old spring and catch pen where horses can still be watered. The spring is approximately 4.5 miles down from the trailhead and, today, we were only hiking 1.5 miles down to take our break at a large conglomerate low-lying arch.
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| Angel Peak and 2020 Mahogany Fire burn Area |
The trail follows the ridge with views of the burn area of the 2020 Mahogany Fire to the right beneath Angel Peak. We also saw Three Lakes Valley in the distant desert floor ahead.
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| Smashing Seven at the Orange Trail Arch |
The best views were behind us where we saw Mummy Mountain; most prominently was Mummy's Nose. At almost exactly 1.5 miles, we came to the Orange Trail Arch.
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| Taking a Break at the Arch |
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| Orange Trail Arch |
The arch is a sturdy outcropping of rimrock so we took our photos and sat for a break with views. After a leisurely break, we started back. This is where all the elevation gain happens so we took it slow and easy with several stops. On the way back, the two horse and riders that we knew were somewhere around, came up behind us. The horses were beautiful and friendly so we were allowed to pet them. They passed and we continued our slow climb. In spite of a few cold wind gusts, it was a great day for a hike. Expect Kay's easy or easy moderate hikes every Saturday. They will be listed on the calendar to the right.
Stats: 3 miles; 600' gain; 2.5 hours
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