South Sister - 7/27/20

View across South Sister Peak Ridge

North Side of Peak Ridge

West Peak from East Peak

Rain Washed Pavement at Old Mill

Five AtBF club members parked on Lee Canyon Road just below the traffic circle and Lee Meadows. We should call this the Pay Phone Trailhead! We drove though a couple of rain showers on the way up from Las Vegas and it had rained at the trailhead just before we arrived. There were several showers in the area and north of the Spring Mountains. But, the clouds were on their way out and everything was freshly washed. We crossed the road and began hiking up through the Old Mill Picnic Area. The picnic area road is paved. Just after passing the restrooms that are directly on the road to the left, there is a rock-lined trail that forks off to the right. This is the Old Mill Trail.

Climbing the South Sister Trail - Phase 1

If you continue to follow this trail, you will pass the ruins of an old mill then junction with the Lower Bristlecone Trail.

Lee Peak and Charleston Peak from South Sister Saddle

But, before you reach the mill, the trail forks, again to the right, into a pine glade. We took this trail.

Climbing Phase 2

Starting Phase 3 of South Sister Trail

This is the beginning of the South Sister Trail; a beautiful trail that leads up through a wooded ravine. Before you begin the gentle climb, there is an old home foundation to the right near the bottom of the canyon side. It is rumored that this home was used by the mill worker family back in the 1930s or 1940s. If you visit the mill ruins, you can see the aspens that were engraved with old names possibly of this family.

We continued up the clear ravine trail. At one point, the ravine leads into a multi-ravine junction. The trail leads up the ravine to the right. It is here that the trail begins to steepen.

South Sister Looming Ahead

The last part of the ravine trail is quite steep and, at the top, we found ourselves on the South Sister Saddle.

Starting Phase 4 - The Scree Climb

The saddle is at the end of Phase 1 of the climb to South Sister. There is evidence of horses using this area.

We tried the left side!

Newbie on the Peak Ridge

We took a short rest then began Phase 2 by turning right on the ridge. There is short but steep climb up along the top of the ridge until you reach the next saddle. The "trail" that takes you up the ridge is becoming more and more clear. But, from experience, it is good to leave the trail and head up to the right when you get to a point where you can see the saddle. For some reason, the trail continues up the left side of the ridge and takes you over the top of the highest point. Not necessary. The group had stayed together and we took a short break at the beginning of Phase 3.

McFarland, Bonanza, Macks, South Sister, and North Sister

Phase 3 circles around a connecting ridge to the right. This part of the trail goes up and down, up, up and down, up, up and down!

Gorgeous Views in every Direction

The views from this part of the hike are fantastic! To the right, you can see the Lower Bristlecone Trail, Charleston Peak, Mummy Mountain and Lee Peak. To the left, you can see Macks Peak, McFarland Peak and the desert floor.

The 3rd Class Route to and from the Peak Ridge

Climbing onto the East Peak

As we hiked along the ridge, we focused on the steep in-your-face peak rising up in front of us. Ralyn, a South Sister newbie, thought we were kidding when we told her that we would be climbing THAT! Lol! Yep! We reached the bottom of the scree-filled steep slope and took on Phase 4, the last phase of the climb. There are a couple of use trails that guide hikers up the hill and we forged ahead in the deep sandy rock. There is also a used route on the extreme left side after about half way up. A few of us tried this route today. Finally, all five of us were at the top of the scree slope.

Darn fire rings! They're everywhere!

The West Peak of South Sister is found on top of the peak ridge to the left. It is the most popular "peak" of the mountain.

View West from East Peak (South Sister Peak Ridge to Right)

To reach this, hikers must use their scramble skills on a 3rd class climb that also contains a bit of exposure.

McFarland Peak from Scree Descent

Horse Poo Ridge! (Phase 3)

On top, we balanced across the rock peak ridge and signed the log. As seen by the photos, there was a gorgeous sky decorated by clouds. We returned to the scramble and carefully climbed down. To give the newbie the "complete experience," we hiked on over to the the East Peak of South Sister. On this end of the mountain, we discovered a fire ring on the edge of the cliff. It's not there anymore. Then we returned to our cars the way we came. When we reached the Old Mill Trail again, we saw three wild horses munching about twenty-five yards off trail in the glade.

South Sister is a tried and true hike in the Spring Mountains. And, on a beautiful day like today, it can't be beat!

Stats: 5.5 miles; 2000' gain; 4.5 hours

Horse Poo Saddle! (aka South Sister Saddle)

Descending the South Sister Trail

Wild Horse (1 of 3) off Old Mill Trail