5 Mile Workout from Robbers Roost Trailhead - 6/25/26

Fletcher Peak from below North Loop Trailhead

Mummy's Toe from Equestrian Switchbacks

Sample of Bridges Trail

Another sample of Bridges Trail

This particular route is quite good for a simple workout. It begins with a steep uphill and continues with a long rolling challenge. In the end, save a little energy for a long gradual uphill and top it off with a short steep climb back to the trailhead. In 2.5 to 3.5 hours you get back in the car feeling like you did something! However, I suggest that this route is done on a weekend when the bikers are not about. They like the same trails! 

     The hike begins from Robbers Roost Trailhead on Deer Creek Road in the Spring Mountains. After crossing the road, climb up to a junction trail and turn right onto an old part of the Old Deer Creek Road. Just when the old road veers to the right, the Bridges Trail takes off to the left. The bikers have built several bridges to cross the washes and there is even a huge dangerous bike jump in the middle of the climb that they have built. The climb is very steep and sometimes slippery. This climb will guarantee to get your heart rate up! You arrive at the top at the North Loop Trailhead parking. Next, the long downhill begins by turning right onto Deer Creek Road. When it's safe, cross the road and hike down to the next road to the left. This is Angel Peak Place. Cross the road junction there and find a good place to drop down to the small gulley below. I've named this wash "Trash Gulley" because every winter, it is trashed by families doing snow play! We usually come by every summer and clean up a little to the tune of 3-5 large trash bags full!

Bridges Trail (I advise ascent only!)

Trash Gulley

I was pleased to see that on this hike, the gulley was still clean from a hike the Lady Hikers did on March 21st this year. I might have to change the name if this keeps up! Following the small wash takes a hiker down to the bottom first corner of the Upper Showgirl Trail. Turning to the right, the Original Showgirl Trail is well travelled and very clear. Follow the trail around the hills to the right winding in and out below Deer Creek Road and on to a signed junction. The sign will show a left turn onto the Original Showgirl. (This trail, if followed to the end, will take you all the way down to the Lower Showgirl Trailhead on Kyle Canyon Road just above the Harris Springs Road turnoff. The entire one way trail is 8.6 miles with an elevation loss of 2627'. The Lady Hikers did this hike in 5 hours or so. The interesting thing about this hike is that it takes you through 3-4 different Life Zones. (From Ponderosa pine and manzanita, to Pinon-juniper and sagebrush, to blackbrush and creosote, and finally, to Joshua trees and Yucca.) 

    For this hike, go only to the next trail sign. About 50' past the sign, there is a clearing to the right, descend through this clearing to a trail and turn right. This is a connector trail to the Trough Trail. Follow this trail, and turn left on a steep section of the Trough Trail. A sharp turn onto the Equestrian Switchback (no sign) is next. If you don't turn here, you will pass by the trough that is used by several species of wildlife especially during the night hours. (Ask me how I know!) Follow the long Equestrian Switchback back to the Trough Trail and cross to the switchback continuation. 

Upper Original Showgirl Trail

Junction of Original Showgirl and Hike a Bike

This trail finishes at Telephone Canyon Road. There is another trail sign here. Your choice is to turn right and climb all the way up the dirt road back to the trailhead, or, follow Atomic Duck down to where it junctions with Tin Can Alley then climb up to Robbers Roost. There is a third choice! Start up Telephone Canyon Road and watch to your left. The Tin Can Alley trail parallels and comes near the dirt road. It is a much more pleasant way to climb back up the hill. Study the maps below. I hope it helps.

Stats: ~5 miles; ~1350' gain; 3.25 hours

Connector to Trough Trail and Equestrian Switchbacks

Telephone Canyon Road

Junction with Robbers Roost Trailhead Connector

Walla Walla Wash Photo Essay (Staying outside the closed areas of Mt. Charleston Wilderness & SMRA) - 6/15/26

                                                                       View up the mouth of Big Falls Canyon

In August of 2023, the remnants of a storm named Hurricane Hilary made their way to the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area in Kyle and Lee Canyons. This is the first hike I have made up into the Walla Walla Wash area near Big Falls Canyon and within sight of the cliffs above Mary Jane Falls since the storm. The Mary Jane Falls and Trail Canyon Trails are both still closed at this writing. Therefore, three Lady Hikers made their way from the Echo Trailhead, up and over Hidden Falls wash and down through the old ski area, to reach Walla Walla Wash that flows down from the base of Charleston Peak on the left side of Kyle Canyon as you ascend. We made sure we were not crossing any boundaries with the closed trails and closed forested burn areas. We just wanted to see what was going on. It has been three years since the storm. And, it appears that some hikers have already climbed up to Big Falls on a regular basis. There are cairns and trails in the rocks. We stopped our climb when Big Falls Canyon made its decided curve to the left about 150' after the "island area" and Avalanche Canyon junction at its mouth.

Joining the mouth of Big Falls Canyon

 The information in this blog about Hilary is taken verbatim from Wikipedia. There was much more information there that I chose not to include. My purpose of this blog is simply to give people a peek into the huge amount of damage done in this area and to relive that day when Hurricane Hilary hit town. (Or, more specifically, hit Kyle Canyon.) It was interesting to see what the flooding uncovered in the wash but, more interesting how thorough the flood damage inundated the area. It was a lesson in the power of water, to be sure!

Joining the mouth of Big Falls Canyon

The origins of Hurricane Hilary were from a tropical wave that exited the western coast of Africa around August 3. The wave moved westward across the Atlantic Ocean, reaching the Lesser Antilles by August 9. On that day, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) first identified the potential for the eventual development, 156 hours before Hilary's formation. The tropical wave crossed Central America into the far eastern Pacific Ocean on August 12, producing a large area of disorganized convection, or thunderstorms. As early as August 13, hurricane prediction models anticipated a tropical cyclone would affect Mexico and the southwestern United States. A low-pressure area developed on August 14 south of the Gulf of Tehuantepec, as the thunderstorms gradually organized. After a low-level circulation formed early on August 16, the system developed into a tropical depression by 06:00 UTC, located about 345 mi (555 km) south of  Acapulco. Six hours later, the depression intensified into a tropical storm, and the NHC named it Hilary.

Nearing the curve into Big Falls Canyon

The hurricane weakened into a tropical storm on August 20, as wind shear from the trough displaced the thunderstorms far north of the center. At around 17:00 UTC that day, Hilary made landfall in a sparsely populated part of the municipality of San Quintin, Baja California, with sustained winds estimated at 60 mph (95 km/h). This was about 215 mi (345 km) south-southeast of San Diego, California.

Walla Walla Wash & Big Falls Canyon Junction

After moving ashore, Hilary's circulation became elongated and disrupted over the mountainous terrain of Baja California. Devoid of convection, Hilary degenerated into a post-tropical cyclone, and early on August 21, it was absorbed by a new non-tropical low-pressure area, which was developing near the southern coast of California outside of Hilary's wind radius. Operationally, the NHC had tracked the two systems as the same, assessing that Hilary continued into southern California as a tropical storm, which would have had made it the first tropical storm to cross into the state since Nora in 1997. The combined system, which included the remnants of Hilary, continued moving through the western United States and eventually crossed into Canada.

Wider view of Big Falls Canyon

The remnants of Hilary moved through the western United States, producing rainfall from California to as far north as Montana. The maximum recorded precipitation was 13.07 in (332 mm) at Upper Mission Creek in southeastern California. Damage nationwide was estimated at US$900 million.

Starting return down very wide Walla Walla Wash

 The system's push toward Southern California coincided with a 5.1 magnitude earthquake that struck near Ojai, California, along with numerous aftershocks. Only minor damage and no injuries were reported from the quakes. As a result, the term "hurriquake" trended on social media. Because Hilary was already weakened by the time of the earthquake, researchers considered it unlikely that the storm triggered the event.

View back to junction Area

In Death Valley National Park, flash floods damaged all of the 1,323 mi (2,129 km) of roads, including water and sewage lines, with several miles of roads washed away entirely. The resulting damage forced the park to close for two months. 

Passing old road concrete Crossing

Near Lone Pine, floodwaters from Lone Pine Creek destroyed portions of Whitney Portal Road, which provides access to Mount Whitney. Damage in Inyo County alone was estimated at $500 million. Rainfall at Furnace Creek in Death Valley totaled 2.20 in (56 mm), setting a new single-day rainfall record; the amount was more than the annual average rainfall of 2.15 in (55 mm).

Trench washed out parallel to old Mary Jane Falls Trail

The strongest winds beyond California primarily occurred in Nevada and Utah at high-elevation locations above 9,000 ft (2,700 m). In a mountainous area near Mount Charleston, in Clark County, Nevada, wind gusts reached 82 mph (132 km/h), strong enough to knock down a few trees.

Susan takes a peek at the old and new Mary Jane Falls Trails

The new peak rainfall in Nevada was more than double the previous record, with 9.20 in (234 mm) recorded in Lee Canyon. Across Spring Mountain Recreational Area and nearby mountainous areas, the rains produced flash flooding, which washed away about 5 mi (8.0 km) worth of roads. The floods also damaged underground pipes, a school, a fire station, and trails. The damage, estimated at $35 million, closed the recreation area until October 26, when Nevada State Route 156 (Lee Canyon Road) was reopened. The community of Mount Charleston had to shelter in place after electricity and road access were cut off. The town's fire department was inundated with mud, with houses and a nearby school damaged. A landslide also damaged part of Lee Canyon Ski and Snowboard Resort. Floods closed a portion of U.S. Route 11 (aka 95) in Nye County, Nevada. The rains rose the water levels in Lake Mead by 4.1 mm (0.16 in).

View up toward Hidden Falls as we passed back through the Wash

In the Mount Charleston region of Nevada, workers spent $11 million to reopen roads to the mountainous communities. At the Lee Canyon Ski Resort, workers used dump trucks to restore damaged ski slopes, reopening the resort on November 4.

Phew! After reading that summary of Hurricane Hilary's aftermath in damage, I don't know about you but I realize now why it is taking so long to rebuild the trails. We are only a flea on the map. Still, we miss our trails and hope that the rebuilding will be worth the wait! Btw, as we were returning, we saw workers on Mary Jane Falls Trail hiking up to their day's worksite. Most of the workers were the boys from SMYC. They are very good workers! YOU ROCK, boys! We love you!

< 4 miles of rocks!; ~700' gain; 3.5 hours

Blackrock Loop v Elk Ridge - 6/14/26

Three Lady Hikers at Blackrock

Sisters Arch

Deadwood and Mummy Mountain

First leg of Hike - Up Lee Canyon Wash

This loop hike was created last year so we haven't had a chance to perfect it. Regardless of its imperfections, three Lady Hikers had a full day trying to make improvements. One improvement was, (indeed, an improvement) was to begin the hike at the Cattle Grate Trailhead and drop into Lee Canyon Wash. We hiked up the wash and noticed that someone (maybe the forest service personnel) has cleaned off the many fallen trees by cutting limbs. It was easy to navigate. After a little under a mile, we climbed out of the wash on the right side, crossed the road and hiked to the upper end of the Chain-Up Trailhead. Continuing at the upper end of the large turnout, we followed an old road-turned trail past the gate. The trail continues up a ravine holding a trickle of water from Galium Spring. Not far up the drainage, the spring drained down from the right. Wild horses drink from this spring and you can see the horse trails leading to it. We climbed to the top of the embankment past the piped spring and continued up the hill to the saddle above.

Galium Spring

Hiking up from Galium Spring

North Sister from bottom of ascent Ridge

Kay and Sue climbing up on ascent Ridge

Next, we turned to our left and began our climb up the small ridge until it got steeper and steeper. The other side of the ridge fell precipitously down to a large open-sided bowl. We balanced the ridge all the way up past a rock outcrop. It was clear that there have been other hikers here since last year. We kept climbing as the ridge curved around to the right. There were very few trees. The trees that were there were mostly dead. Plus, there were a lot of scraggly bushes. But, a path led us through the foliage to the top of the ridge where we found the cairn we had propped up last year. At this point, the hiking became more flat as we walked along the midpoint of the ridge. It wasn't long before we came to a saddle area where the views of North and South Sisters appeared "in your face." This saddle is also where the junction lies from the lower route. (The lower route simply continues up the drainage from the spring area then veers to the right when the drainage somewhat disappears.) Hikers will arrive at this same saddle on a trail that is pretty easy to follow. We joined this trail and climbed until it became steeper and steeper. Finally, as we emerged from a stand of small trees and brush, we looked to our right in the distance and found Blackrock.

Starting the ridge Climb

North Sister (L), Continuation of ascent Ridge (R)

Trail on ascent ridge after Saddle

Kay at first view of Arch

Above us, the Sisters Ridge laid a line from South Sister (behind us to the left) to North Sister (above and to the left) to White Sister (found shortly before Blackrock) and, finally, to Blackrock (aka Black Sister). But, what is really exciting about this area we found ourselves in, is that the Sisters Arch is coming into view on the right side of our ascent ridge. We took several photos of the arch and Blackrock since this may have been the best photos of the day. Susan talked me and Sue into walking out to the arch. But, I gotta tell you that that was no biggie. You can't get up into it without a lot of trouble through bushes and scrambling. (But, hey, if that's your thing.) Anyway, returning to the ascent ridge, we continued up the worn trail until we found a cairn on the right. This is the traverse trail cairn that someone has been so kind to place there. Another one of my favorite parts of this hike is this trail that takes you on a traverse around to the Sisters Ridge. Turning right on this ridge, we climbed onto White Sister and found Blackrock staring at us. We took our break on White Sister then readied ourselves for the "big descent!" With North Sister behind us and Macks Peak to our left, we decided to take the old trail in front of the black rock to reach its ridge to the right.

Sisters Arch and Blackrock on Sisters Ridge

Sue and I visit the Arch

The traverse Trail

Macks Peak and Blackrock on Sisters Ridge

So far, the hike had gone as planned. Beautiful and amazing! We found the trail at the end of this ridge to use for our very steep descent to the saddle below. The hike continued straight onto a white rocky ridge on the other side of the saddle. I must say that the route we used last year along this ridge was more comfortable than the route we used on this hike. I tried to descend to an area where we could take a side trip over to Ada and Edith's cabin out of Elk's Club Wash. I don't know who was more confused with the brush and steepness, me or the GPS, but, we felt like we were descending forever! Believe it or not, we ended up in Deadwood Wash on the opposite side of Elk Ridge! Luckily, I recognized the wash and exited in the same spot we had before a few times. Since this route didn't come out the way I intended, I will leave last year's tracks and maps for you to ponder. Maybe next year things will work out better.

Stats: 3.8 miles; 1800' gain; 6.25 hours; and a tremendous amount of fun!

Scenes from Sisters Ridge

Steep descent from Blackrock and messy Elk Ridge

Familiar crossing back to the Cattle Grate Trailhead

This loop hike began at the Cattle Grate TH. Unlike what the maps below represent.